Moving to Green Bay, WI?

Green Bay regulates amplified music under the general noise ordinance. Sound amplification permits available for events. WI Stat. §947.01 applies.

Green Bay enforces quiet hours 10 PM to 7 AM in residential zones. Lambeau Field game days bring significant crowd noise to surrounding neighborhoods. The Broadway entertainment district has noise permits for events.

Green Bay considers excessive barking a nuisance. Animal control handles complaints. WI Stat. §174 covers dog regulation statewide.

Short-term rentals in Green Bay must comply with the citywide overnight parking ban from 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. under Section 40-29(I) of the Green Bay Municipal Code. Section 44-1580(j)(1)(c) requires every STR lease to include language requiring guests to comply with Green Bay parking ordinances. Wisconsin Statute 66.1014 preserves local parking authority even though it caps how restrictively Green Bay can regulate the rental itself.

Short-term rentals in Green Bay must comply with Section 27.203 of the Green Bay Municipal Code, which prohibits unreasonably loud noise and treats any A-weighted sound exceeding 80 dB(A) measured from neighboring property as presumptively unreasonable. Daytime hours run 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and nighttime hours run 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Section 44-1580(j)(12) makes a tenant noise disturbance an STR permit violation enforceable against the host.

Wisconsin state room tax is 5% (WI Stat. §77.98). Green Bay levies additional local room tax. Platforms auto-collect in many jurisdictions. Total 10 to 14% typical.

Green Bay regulates but cannot ban STRs under WI Act 59 (2017). DATCP tourist rooming house license may be required. WI Stat. §66.1014.

Green Bay allows recreational fires in approved containers on private property. Fire pits must be at least 25 feet from structures. Open burning of yard waste prohibited within city limits. Campfires require a fire ring or pit.

Wisconsin bans all aerial and explosive consumer fireworks. Only non-explosive types legal (sparklers, snakes, smoke devices). WI Stat. §167.10.

Green Bay has strict parking rules especially around Lambeau Field on game days. Winter overnight parking ban November through March for snow removal. Residential permit zones protect Lambeau Field area neighborhoods from game day overflow.

Green Bay requires vehicles parked on improved surfaces. Front lawn parking prohibited. Driveway modifications require permits.

Green Bay restricts commercial vehicle parking in residential zones. Weight, size, and signage limits apply. Overnight heavy truck storage prohibited.

Under Green Bay's zoning ordinance (historically Code 1984 Sec. 13.602, now codified in Chapter 13/Chapter 44 Article V Division 6 of the Code of Ordinances), fences and walls in residential areas may generally be built up to 8 feet tall. Within a required front yard or corner side yard setback, a solid fence may not exceed 3 feet, but it may be increased to 4 feet if the fence is open, decorative, ornamental fencing material that is less than 50% opaque, and to 5 feet if it is less than 20% opaque. Barbed wire and similar dangerous materials are prohibited on residentially zoned property and within 4 feet of any public street, sidewalk, or alley. A city fence permit is required before construction.

WI Stat. §90.02 to 90.14 provides line fence cost-sharing for rural/agricultural land. Urban residential fences: each owner responsible for their own.

Green Bay requires dogs on leash in public. Off-leash in designated parks only. Dog licensing required statewide under WI Stat. §174.

Green Bay may allow residential beekeeping with hive limits and setbacks. Registration with WI DATCP required. WI Stat. §94.76.

Wisconsin does not preempt local breed-specific legislation. Some WI cities have breed bans. WI Stat. §174.042 covers dangerous dogs based on behavior.

Green Bay enforces maximum grass and weed height, typically 8 to 12 inches. Overgrown properties subject to code compliance action and city abatement.

Green Bay enforces weed abatement under WI Stat. §66.0407. WI DNR NR 40 governs invasive species. County enforcement also applies.

Green Bay allows home occupations as accessory use in residential zones. Home occupation permit required. WI cottage food law applies for home bakers.

Green Bay requires building permits for pools, spas, and hot tubs. WI Uniform Dwelling Code governs. Inspections required.

Green Bay requires pool barriers to prevent unsupervised child access. Minimum 48-inch height. Self-closing, self-latching gates. WI Stat. §145.17.

Green Bay enforces pool safety requirements including anti-entrapment drain covers (VGB Act), barriers, and depth markers. WI Stat. §145.17 governs.

Sheds in Green Bay are detached residential accessory structures regulated under Section 44-590 and Table 44-4 of the Green Bay Municipal Code. Sheds under 50 square feet are exempt from a building permit but must still meet zoning. Detached sheds in one- and two-family districts must sit behind the principal building (or in the side yard not abutting a street) with a 4-foot side and 4-foot rear setback (2-1/2 feet on narrow lots), a 55-foot front setback, and at least 3 feet between accessory structures.

The City of Green Bay regulates accessory dwelling units under Chapter 44 of the Code of Ordinances (Zoning), adopted under the city's zoning authority in Wis. Stat. Sec. 62.23. Following a December 2025 rewrite of the zoning code (the first major update since approximately 2006), accessory dwelling units are allowed in all residential districts with an approved Conditional Use Permit (CUP). An ADU on the same parcel as a single-family, two-family duplex, or two-family semi-detached dwelling provides complete independent living facilities for one family consistent with the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code. With an approved CUP, the ADU does not count as an additional accessory structure for the lot.

The City of Green Bay participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and regulates floodplain development through Article XIII (Floodplain Overlay District) of its zoning code, adopted under Wis. Stat. Sec. 87.30 and the minimum standards of Wis. Admin. Code Chapter NR 116. Primary flood sources are the Bay of Green Bay, the Fox River, the East River, and Mahon Creek. FEMA issued updated Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Brown County that became effective May 9, 2023, and these are the maps now used to delineate Special Flood Hazard Areas. New residential structures are prohibited in the regulatory floodway, and floodplain development requires zoning approval before any building permit is issued.