Rock County, WI Ordinances (2026)

Rock County sets no countywide fence-height limit. General zoning inside cities (Janesville, Beloit), villages, and the unincorporated towns is municipal, so your town or city…

Wisconsin's line-fence law governs shared fences between neighbors. Where adjoining land is farmed or grazed, both owners must maintain the partition fence in equal shares under Wis…

Rock County bars smoking within 30 feet of any entrance to a county-owned or county-leased building or workplace, and bans it outright on the UW-Rock County and Rock Haven campus…

Rock County bans loitering or prowling in a place, at a time, or in a manner not usual for law-abiding people when the circumstances would warrant alarm for the safety of persons or…

Carrying an open container of beer or liquor, or drinking from one, on a public street, road, highway, alley, or walk in unincorporated Rock County is illegal without a license or…

Rock County requires a County Board license for any assembly of 1,500 or more people lasting 8 or more consecutive hours, on public or private land, under Sec. 3.302. The application…

Rock County park facilities are available first come, first served unless reserved in advance under Sec. 5.02(17)(K). The Public Works Committee sets the reservation policy balancing…

Rock County's Public Health Department requires a Sanitary Permit before any new private sewage system is installed or a septic/treatment tank is purchased or built. The rule ties the…

Rock County ordinance Sec. 5.02(17)(J) confines bicycle riding, motorized or non-motorized, inside county parks to paths and trails that are specifically designated and marked for that…

Rock County caps e-bicycles, e-scooters and other vehicles at 15 mph on County Bike Paths that allow their use, under County Ordinance Sec. 5.02(1)(G). Riders must also comply with…

Rock County requires anyone operating a tattoo or body piercing establishment to hold an establishment license issued by the Rock County Public Health Department. No license issues…

Rock County bans any public nuisance on private property, including a structure so unsanitary or deteriorated it is unfit for habitation. The Health Officer investigates, orders…

The courthouse parking lots in Janesville, the seat of Rock County government, close to all parking between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless the police department gives specific permission…

Wisconsin law bars stopping or parking on the left side of any Rock County highway, facing oncoming traffic, except for a short list of statutory exceptions, and a wrong-way violation…

Wisconsin law makes an abandoned vehicle a public nuisance and lets the Rock County Sheriff or a local officer tow it. A vehicle left unattended without permission for more than 48…

Rock County treats any accumulation that lets flies, rats or other vermin breed, live, nest or shelter as a public health nuisance. The Health Officer can order property owners to…

Rock County bans overnight sleeping, camping or lodging on any park, recreational trail or other county property under Sec. 5.02(25). Camping gear such as campers, tents or generators…

Rock County bans operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, in any county park without the Parks Manager's written consent, under Sec. 5.02(17)(I). The same rule also requires…

Rock County adopts Wisconsin's captive-wildlife law, Wis. Stat. § 169.04, in full by ordinance Sec. 3.212(2), banning possession of any live wild animal unless it was legally obtained…

Rock County has no cat-licensing scheme, but it does adopt Wisconsin's rabies-control law for cats: an officer who has reason to believe a cat bit someone or was exposed to rabies must…

A Rock County dog is running at large under Wisconsin law whenever it is off its owner's premises and not under anyone's control, with a narrow exception for dogs actively hunting on…

Rock County bars any dog owner from letting a dog bark or howl often enough to unreasonably disturb the neighbors in the county's unincorporated towns. County Ordinance Section…

Rock County makes it an offense to emit loud or raucous noise through a sound amplifier or other instrument in public streets, public parks, or other public places. County Ordinance…

Wisconsin room tax is municipal, not county. Rock County levies no countywide room tax; a city, village, or town room tax (up to 8%) may apply, plus Wisconsin sales tax on lodging…

Registration is handled by the state, not Rock County. Operators get a DATCP tourist rooming house license, and if a town caps rental days they must notify the local clerk in writing…

Rock County sets no night cap. Wisconsin lets a city, village, or town cap rentals of more than 6 but fewer than 30 consecutive days at no fewer than 180 days per year, and those days…

Rock County imposes no primary-residence requirement for short-term rentals. Wisconsin's Right to Rent law limits how far any subdivision can restrict rentals, though local day caps…

Rock County has no county-wide fire-pit code; rules are set by your town, city or village. In the unincorporated towns, small recreational fires must be confined in a ring, barrel or…

Wisconsin DNR generally prohibits open burning except for narrow exceptions in NR 429.04, and you must burn under safe weather, hold any required DNR/town burn permit, and never burn…

Statewide, Wis. Stat. 101.145 requires working smoke detectors in the basement, at each stairway head on every floor, and in or near each sleeping area of every home and rental unit…

Rock County adopts Wisconsin's fireworks statute, Wis. Stat. § 167.10, in full by ordinance and raises the maximum penalty to a $1,000 forfeiture. Possessing or using anything that…

Wisconsin has no defensible-space wildfire law, but Wis. Stat. 66.0407 requires every landowner to destroy noxious weeds (Canada thistle, leafy spurge, field bindweed and locally…

General yard setbacks are set by your city, village, or town zoning. Rock County directly enforces the mandatory shoreland setback: at least 75 feet from the ordinary high-water mark…

Maximum lot coverage and impervious-surface limits for general zoning are set by your city, village, or unincorporated town. Rock County directly limits impervious surface only within…

Wisconsin law makes destroying noxious weeds mandatory statewide: every landowner must destroy Canada thistle, leafy spurge, field bindweed and other designated weeds. Towns, villages…

Rock County has no general private-property tree-removal permit. The binding county-level restriction is near water: within 35 feet of the ordinary high water mark, clear-cutting trees…

Rock County sets no countywide lawn-watering schedule. The state does not require a permit to water a lawn or private garden. Odd/even or drought watering limits, when they exist, come…

Wisconsin lets home producers sell non-hazardous baked goods directly to consumers without a license (the 2017 Kivirist ruling), and sell home-canned high-acid pickles and preserves…

In Rock County's unincorporated towns a home occupation is a conditional use, so a conditional use permit from the Plan Commission and Town Board may be required. Cities and villages…

Rock County town zoning ordinances tightly limit business signage. A home occupation, kept incidental to the residence, may not add external alterations changing residential character…

No county-wide residential pool fence rule exists; barriers are set by your town, city, or village. Wisconsin's statewide barrier standard (SPS 390.18) applies to public and…

Wisconsin law bans specific recyclables from the trash statewide, so Rock County residents must separate them. Wis. Stat. 287.07 prohibits disposing of aluminum, glass, steel and…

Illegal dumping is a state crime everywhere in Rock County. Under Wis. Stat. 287.81, depositing solid waste on any highway, waters, or public or private property brings a forfeiture up…

In Rock County's unincorporated towns, accessory buildings like sheds must meet the district's yard setbacks. In the Town of Union's A-1 district, accessory buildings need a 10-foot…

Wisconsin law strongly protects yard signs. During an election campaign period, no county or municipality in Rock County may regulate the size, shape, placement or content of a…

In Rock County, garage-sale signs can't legally go in the street or highway right-of-way. Wis. Stat. 86.19 bars any sign within street limits except traffic signs, and road authorities…

Rock County parks close overnight. State law (Wis. Stat. 27.05) empowers the county to set park rules and penalties, and Rock County Parks posts closing hours at each park; being in a…