Waukesha County, WI Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew hours
- 10:00 p.m. to sunrise
- Applies to
- all parks, lake access, greenways
- Camper exception
- registered campers en route/onsite
- Boater exception
- watercraft to/from landings any hour
- Penalty
- $10 to $600 forfeiture per offense
- Jail default
- up to 90 days
- Enforcement
- county and municipal law officers
Summary
Waukesha County closes every park, lake access site and greenway at 10:00 p.m. each night until sunrise, and no one may remain inside during those hours. Registered campers heading to a designated campground and anyone hauling a boat to or from a designated landing may pass through at any hour. The Parks and Land Use Department can post different closing hours for individual parks or suspend the curfew outright.
(a) Except for vehicular traffic moving through streets or roadways, and except when the department publishes general permission or permission through permit to use all or certain parks the parks shall be closed at 10:00 p.m. each night until sunrise the following morning, and no person shall remain therein during those hours, except for registered campers in or en route to designated campgrounds and persons transporting watercraft to and from designated boat landings are permitted at any hour. The department may from time to time, in all or any of the parks, publish or post closing hours different from the above, or discontinue closing hours, as in the exercise of the judgment of the director may appear reasonable and necessary. (b) In case of an emergency, or when in the judgment of the department the public interest demands it, any portion of the parks or buildings therein may be closed to the public or to designated persons until permission is given to return.
Full Breakdown
Section 14-144 of the Waukesha County Code sets the closing time for the entire county park system, a term the code defines broadly at Sec. " That sweeps in facilities like the Retzer Nature Center and the Eble and Naga-Waukee Ice Arenas, not just picnic-ground parks. cutoff for particular parks or events. A second provision, Sec. 14-144(b), lets the department close any portion of a park or its buildings entirely, to the public or to named individuals, during an emergency or whenever the public interest requires it, until permission to return is given.
Enforcement runs through the county's general parks penalty scheme in Sec. 14-140: any county or municipal law enforcement officer may arrest a curfew violator without a warrant, and employees the director designates under Sec. 13-101 may issue citations directly. A related provision, Sec. 14-145, separately makes it unlawful to give a park employee false information to avoid a curfew citation.
Violations & Fines
A curfew violation falls under Sec. 14-140's general parks penalty: a forfeiture of not less than $10 nor more than $600 per offense plus taxable court costs, with default of payment punishable by up to 90 days in the county jail at the court's discretion. Any law enforcement officer of the county or a municipal subdivision may arrest an offender without a warrant and bring the person before a magistrate, and the department's own designated employees may issue citations. The District Attorney prosecutes referred violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do Waukesha County parks close for the night?
Can I stay in a county park after 10 p.m. if I am camping?
What happens if I am cited for being in a park after closing?
Can I launch or retrieve a boat at a county landing after 10 p.m.?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waukesha County
Compare Waukesha County to another location·View the Wisconsin curfew laws overview
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