Walworth County, WI Curfew Laws: Park Curfew (2026)

Section 42-1(a)(1) sets the daily window for every county park and trail: one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. The rule sits inside a long list of general park rules in the same subsection covering leashed pets, litter removal, a ban on firearm and fireworks discharge, restricted fires, no swimming or wading, and a prohibition on unpermitted sales. The only ways around the closing time are a special permit or the authorization built into subsection 42-1(b)(1), which lets the White River State Recreation Trail stay open 24 hours a day for snowmobiles once the Walworth County Snowmobile Alliance declares snowmobile trails open for the season.

Overnight camping is otherwise barred everywhere except Natureland Park under the separate permit process in Section 42-2. The rules apply county-wide to every County-owned park and trail in the unincorporated towns; they do not reach city or village parks, which set their own hours. The Walworth County Sheriff's Office and the Public Works Department, which administers park permits and posts the closing hours on-site signage, are responsible for day-to-day enforcement. A person found in a park after hours without authorization can be cited on the spot, and repeat violations escalate quickly under the chapter's forfeiture schedule.