Washington County, WI Ordinances (2026)

Washington County's Health Officer can order any owner to abate a human health hazard on their property within 30 days under County Code § 8-5. Owners who ignore the order face…

Washington County requires a license from the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department before anyone can operate a hotel, motel, tourist rooming house or bed-and-breakfast…

Washington County requires a Department license before anyone can operate a tattoo or body piercing establishment, under County Code § 8-6C(1). The county administers this licensing as…

Washington County bars anyone from encroaching on, under or over a county highway right-of-way with a fence, stand, building or other structure, and from dumping any substance in the…

In the unincorporated towns of Washington County, Wisconsin, new principal structures within the shoreland zone, land within 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a navigable river, must…

In the unincorporated towns of Washington County, Wisconsin, Chapter 275 caps building height within 75 feet of the ordinary high-water mark at 35 feet to protect wildlife habitat and…

Within 300 feet of a lake, pond or navigable stream in the unincorporated towns of Washington County, impervious surface is capped at 15% of the lot, rising to 30% for residential and…

Within the shoreland zone of Washington County, Wisconsin's unincorporated towns, Chapter 275 limits how much tree, shrub and ground cover an owner can clear near the water. Cutting in…

In the unincorporated towns of Washington County, Wisconsin, Chapter 275's floodplain article regulates all land shown on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map as Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30 or…

Washington County, Wisconsin defines flood protection elevation as 2.0 feet of freeboard above the regional flood, and Chapter 275 makes new residential construction in the Floodfringe…

Washington County requires an erosion and runoff control permit before any land-disturbing construction activity that disturbs 4,000 square feet or more, and the approved erosion…

Washington County requires a stormwater management plan for qualifying land development that holds post-development peak discharge rates to predevelopment levels for the one-, two…

Washington County requires any group of more than 100 people using a county park without a shelter rental agreement to file a special event request form with the Planning and Parks…

Washington County bars parking within four feet of an alley, private road or driveway entrance and requires vehicles on two-way streets to park parallel, headed in the direction of…

Washington County prohibits stopping or parking in a designated loading zone except while a licensed operator is actively loading or unloading goods or passengers and can move the…

Washington County deems any motor vehicle, trailer or mobile home left unattended on public or private property for more than 48 hours without the owner's permission to be abandoned…

Washington County bars parking or stopping a vehicle within four feet of the entrance to an alley, private road or driveway on any county highway. The Sheriff's Office enforces the…

Washington County limits noisy construction, demolition, alteration or repair work, including pile drivers, excavating equipment, pneumatic hammers and hoists, to between 6:00 a.m. and…

Washington County bans loud or disturbing noise near any public street, alley, park or private residence, and treats a radio, phonograph or similar device that is plainly audible at…

Washington County makes it unlawful to own, harbor or keep a dog that habitually barks or howls to the annoyance of others anywhere in the unincorporated towns. The rule sits among a…

Washington County requires every motor vehicle's exhaust to run through a muffler that prevents loud or explosive noise, caps horn use at three seconds, and separately bans squealing…

Washington County bars operating a loudspeaker, sound amplifier, public address system or similar device so loud it disturbs the peace or quiet of a neighborhood, under Code §…

Washington County bans drinking alcohol on any public property or public parking lot in the unincorporated towns, from parks and sidewalks to county-owned lots. Anyone who buys a drink…

Washington County bars loitering or prowling under circumstances that warrant alarm for the safety of people or property, and separately makes it a violation to block a street, bridge…

Washington County bars anyone from letting animals or fowl, including backyard chickens and livestock, run loose off the owner's property in the unincorporated towns. An animal counts…

Washington County requires dog owners to keep their animals off public property and other people's land unless the dog is on a leash, confined, or under direct control. A dog caught…

Washington County regulates dogs by behavior, not breed: § 172-13 defines a "vicious dog" as one that attacks, threatens or is kept for fighting, and requires leashing, muzzling…

Washington County does not ban wolf-dog hybrids outright but heavily regulates keeping one: § 172-14 requires an eight-foot, double-gated, locked wire enclosure of at least 500 square…

Washington County bans depositing solid waste on highways, in state waters or on any public or private property, and bars throwing waste from a moving vehicle or abandoning a vehicle…

Washington County closes all county-owned public parks and trails between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. under § 179-7B(5), unless a Planning and Parks Department permit authorizes entry or…

Washington County bans selling fireworks anywhere in the county and forbids possessing or using fireworks without a user's permit issued by the city, village or town where they will be…