Walworth County, WI Ordinances (2026)

Walworth County requires two feet of freeboard above the regional flood elevation for structures in floodplain districts, and any habitable structure in a flood storage district must…

Walworth County's Floodplain Overlay District under Code § 74-173 covers every zone A, AO, AH, A1-30, and AE area on the Flood Insurance Rate Map and bans a long list of uses outright…

Walworth County requires a construction site erosion and sediment control permit before most land-disturbing construction in the unincorporated county under Code Chapter 26, Article…

Walworth County's Storm Water Management Ordinance, Chapter 26 Article I, requires a permit from the Land Conservation Division before most land-disturbing or land-development activity…

Within shoreland areas of unincorporated Walworth County, only boathouses, boat hoists, and piers are permitted inside the shore yard setback under County Code § 74-38(2). A boathouse…

Walworth County Code § 6-31 makes it unlawful to knowingly keep or harbor a dog that habitually barks, howls or yelps to the great discomfort of neighborhood peace and quiet, or that…

Squealing tires, excessive engine acceleration, and loud muffler noise are banned in unincorporated Walworth County under Walworth County Code § 66-2. A conviction carries a forfeiture…

Walworth County's only numeric decibel standard applies to wind energy systems: Walworth County Code § 65-14 caps turbine noise at 50 dBA in daytime hours and 45 dBA overnight…

In unincorporated Walworth County, a zoning permit issued under Code § 74-119 is void if construction is not substantially completed within 24 months, and every project must clear a…

Walworth County Code § 6-32 bars dogs from running at large, meaning off the owner's premises and out of anyone's control, and requires a license tag on the collar whenever a dog is…

In unincorporated Walworth County, veterinarian facilities are not allowed outright anywhere. Section 74-61(9) lists them as a conditional use limited to the A-1, A-2, and A-4…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, up to six female chickens are allowed on a single-family lot in the R-1, R-2, R-3, R-5, R-5A and C-3 districts under Code § 74-44(c). No…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, no more than four dogs or four cats can be kept on one premises under Code § 74-44(a). Breeding or selling pets from home is barred, though a…

In unincorporated Walworth County, a cat that bites someone or is exposed to a rabid animal must be quarantined under Code §§ 6-99 and 6-100. Depending on vaccination status, the cat…

Walworth County does not require a zoning permit to build a residential fence in the towns under Walworth County zoning. Section 74-248 of the zoning ordinance exempts residential…

Retaining walls over four feet tall built for slope stabilization in unincorporated Walworth County must be designed and certified by a Wisconsin-licensed professional engineer under…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, fences on the property line cannot exceed six feet in side, rear or street yards under Code § 74-38(3). Near intersections, no fence may rise…

In unincorporated Walworth County, children may not loiter, wander or play in public places between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, or between midnight and 4:00 a.m…

County-owned parks and trails in unincorporated Walworth County, including the White River State Recreation Trail, are open only from one hour before sunrise until one hour after…

Walworth County caps how many guests a short-term rental in the unincorporated county can sleep. Under County Code § 26-339, a sewer-served rental's occupancy tracks the State tourist…

Every short-term rental in unincorporated Walworth County must provide at least two parking spaces under County Code § 26-340, and renters cannot park on the street. The spaces can sit…

Walworth County does not run a room tax for short-term rentals in the unincorporated county; instead, Code § 26-344 charges a license application fee. The County Board of Supervisors…

Walworth County requires every licensed short-term rental in the unincorporated county to post quiet hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Under Code § 26-343, that curfew is one of the…

Walworth County has no numbered "strikes" system for short-term rental violations; instead, Code §§ 26-345 and 26-346 use an escalating revocation process. Any failure to meet the…

Renting out a residential dwelling in unincorporated Walworth County for less than 29 consecutive days requires a short-term rental license from the Land Use and Resource Management…

Within shoreland areas of unincorporated Walworth County, most lots within 300 feet of a navigable waterway are capped at 15 percent impervious surface, rising to 30 percent on…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, the R-1 single-family district caps building height at 45 feet under Sec. 74-54's conventional design table. Sec. 74-102 lets certain public…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, the R-1 single-family district's Sec. 74-54 table sets a 25-foot rear yard, a 15-foot side yard, and street setbacks running from 25 feet off…

Walworth County regulates trash containers for short-term rentals in the unincorporated county under Code § 26-341. Refuse containers cannot exceed two cubic yards, must be kept from…

In unincorporated Walworth County, dumping solid waste on streets, parks, private property or into any waters of the county is a forfeiture offense under the littering ordinance, with…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, the county does not run curbside yard waste pickup; that is a town or hauler matter. What county law regulates is where a yard waste…

New subdivisions in unincorporated Walworth County can be required to plant deciduous shade trees along the right-of-way of every street under Walworth County Code § 58-12. The…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning and elsewhere in unincorporated Walworth County, selling fireworks or possessing them for sale is banned outright unless the buyer holds a…

In unincorporated Walworth County, possessing 25 grams or less of marijuana anywhere in the county, including parks, streets and other public places, is a county ordinance violation…

In unincorporated Walworth County, drinking or carrying open alcohol on county parks or county-owned property, or on any public walk, street, road or highway, is a forfeiture offense…

Walworth County bans skateboards, rollerskates and in-line skates on every county-owned parking lot, sidewalk and stretch of grounds under County Code Sec. 16-12, and bars bicycles…

When a Walworth County subdivision sets aside common conservation land, the developer must form a homeowners association with mandatory, automatic membership for every lot buyer under…

Walworth County's subdivision code does not run homeowners associations directly, but it defines what an owners association in a county-approved subdivision must be able to do: its…

Walworth County does not license tattoo or body-piercing parlors itself; Section 50-5(h) leaves that inspection role to the State. But in the unincorporated towns under county zoning…

Walworth County confines adult entertainment uses to its B-2 General Business District and requires a 750-foot separation from the nearest residential structure, residential zoning…

A zoning permit is required to install a solar energy system in unincorporated Walworth County under Walworth County Code § 65-120, unless it is building-mounted and projects no more…

Parking on county right-of-way in unincorporated Walworth County is limited to designated stalls and areas under Walworth County Code § 66-136. Parking on a highway or roadway where…

A motor vehicle left unattended for more than 48 hours without the property owner's permission is deemed abandoned in unincorporated Walworth County under Walworth County Code §…

Walworth County Public Works runs snow and ice removal on county and state highways under County Code Sec. 16-25, ranking roads into WisDOT priority categories and letting the Director…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, every use in every district must provide adequate off-street loading space. Sec. 74-73 requires loading, maneuvering and unloading to stay…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, Sec. 74-75 caps every new or altered driveway opening at 35 feet at the property line. Drive-in businesses, motels, funeral homes, vehicle…

In unincorporated Walworth County, the health officer can declare and placard a dwelling or structure unfit for human habitation under Section 50-112. Once placarded, the building must…

Sheds and other accessory buildings in unincorporated Walworth County are capped by lot size under Walworth County Code § 74-38: a parcel up to 12,000 square feet is limited to 10…

Walworth County has no on-street bike lane ordinance, but it does regulate bicycles on its own park trails: bikes are barred from park trails and paths countywide except on the White…

No one may excavate, alter a highway or bridge, run utility lines, or build or change a driveway within a Walworth County highway right-of-way without a permit from the Highway…

Anyone wanting to camp overnight or hold a special event in a Walworth County park needs a permit under Section 42-2. Overnight stays are limited to Natureland Park for two consecutive…

A race, walk, tour, or other event that takes place on or significantly affects a Walworth County highway needs a special event permit from the Highway Commissioner under Section…

Any public gathering, rally, assembly or festival in unincorporated Walworth County drawing more than 5,000 people needs a special sanitary permit under County Code Sec. 26-242…

Walworth County lets conservation subdivisions in the A-2, C-2, C-3, R-1, R-2, R-2A, and R-3 districts earn density bonuses for extra shoreyard setbacks, wetland buffers, public trail…

Walworth County's A-1 Prime Agricultural Land District is a Farmland Preservation District built to keep highly productive farmland in food and fiber production. Section 74-51 declares…

Walworth County limits signage for a minor home occupation or professional home office to two square feet total. Section 74-45(11) applies in every unincorporated town under county…

Walworth County lets residents run a minor home occupation from their house but bans anything that draws customers to the property. Section 74-45 forbids on-site retail sales or…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, a minor home occupation or professional home office is a permitted accessory use under Code § 74-45 as long as it stays inside the house…

When Walworth County requires a vegetated buffer as a shoreland mitigation measure, the Zoning Division can insist the buffer be planted in native species under County Code Sec…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, cutting trees, clearing shrubs or moving earth requires a zoning permit and an approved conservation plan under Code § 74-41, unless the work…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, a food truck can serve a residential gathering without a permit under Code § 74-38(11), but only between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., only once…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, Sec. 74-78(d) bars illuminating any sign except where sections 74-82, 74-85 or 74-86 specifically allow it. Sec. 74-86(a) grants illumination…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, Sec. 74-96 bars any activity from emitting glare or heat that can be seen or measured at the property line. Operations producing intense…

Walworth County's zoning code does not cap how many rummage or garage sales a resident in the towns under Walworth County zoning can hold each year. What it regulates is the sign…