Madison, WI

Madison lets residents on commuter-impacted streets buy an annual permit that exempts them from posted time limits or reserves spaces for residents only. MGO § 12.138 requires a street…

Madison doesn't ban overnight parking outright: it bans using a public street for long-term vehicle storage. Under MGO § 12.128(3), leaving any vehicle standing on the same street…

MGO § 12.1335 runs alternate-side overnight parking (1-7 a.m.) from November 15 to March 15 citywide, suspended inside a mapped Snow Emergency Zone unless the Street Superintendent…

Madison bans parking next to any curb painted yellow. MGO § 12.128(15)(e) prohibits stopping, standing, or leaving a vehicle adjacent to a curb marked with yellow paint authorized by…

Leaving a vehicle unattended on any Madison street or on private or public property for more than 48 hours without permission makes it a deemed-abandoned public nuisance under MGO §…

Madison bans parking within 30 feet of a stop sign, beacon or signal, within 15 feet of a bicycle way intersection, on bridges and overpasses, and on any street or alley under 18 feet…

New or 10,000-square-foot-plus expanded parking facilities in Madison must build a rising share of electric-vehicle-ready and EV-installed spaces under MGO § 28.141(8)(e). For…

Madison regulates the non-consensual tow in two layers. Sec. 23.561 turns four private-lot towing practices into City offenses punishable by $100 to $1,000 with $400 cash deposits…

Madison reserves posted truck loading zones for vehicles actually registered as trucks, farm trucks, or dual-purpose farm trucks or motor homes under MGO § 12.128(10), and even those…

Madison zoning bars parking within front and street-side yard setbacks except on a conforming driveway, and caps paved front-setback area at 40% for lot coverage. MGO § 28.141(8)(c)…

Madison's zoning code limits what residents can park outdoors at home. MGO § 28.141(10) caps commercial vehicles at one per dwelling (under 10,000 lbs./21 feet), bans construction and…

Madison keeps heavy trucks off residential streets. MGO § 12.129 bars parking any truck, tractor, trailer, semitrailer, or motor home registered at 10,000 pounds gross weight or more…

Madison allows up to eight chickens as an accessory use on residential lots with up to four dwelling units under Zoning Code § 28.151, but every keeper must also hold an annual $10…

It is unlawful to injure, attempt to injure, or destroy any wild bird within the City of Madison, under Madison General Ordinances § 23.19. The rule carries a flat $300 forfeiture on…

Madison doesn't require every dog to be fixed, but Public Health Madison & Dane County can order a specific dog spayed or neutered once it triggers three running-at-large citations, an…

Madison requires every cat over five months old to carry an annual license and tag under MGO § 9.31, with the fee set to match the City's dog license tax, plus a $5 late fee after…

Madison prohibits feeding birds on any public property in the city, and separately on Henry Vilas Zoo grounds, unless the Parks Department or Zoo Director specifically authorizes it…

Madison bars every retail pet store from selling, bartering or otherwise transferring cats or dogs under MGO § 23.65, adopted December 2025. Stores may still host shelters or rescues…

Madison classifies pet grooming shops as an 'Animal Grooming Facility' land use under Madison General Ordinances § 28.211, permitted by right in most mixed-use and commercial districts…

Madison bans possessing, selling or buying wild or exotic animals outright under MGO § 23.49, covering primates, big cats, wolves and coyotes, alligators, large constrictor snakes and…

Madison bars letting a dog or cat run at large off its owner's premises unless it's restrained on a chain, rope or cord no longer than six feet, under MGO § 23.32(1). Penalties…

Dane County has no general pet-microchipping mandate, but ch. 47.18(9)(b) requires an owner whose animal has been declared dangerous to provide written veterinary proof that a…

Dane County's zoning code defines a veterinary clinic as an establishment for medical or surgical treatment of animals, with boarding limited to patients under active treatment. In the…

Beekeeping is permitted as an agricultural use in Dane County. Wisconsin DATCP apiary registration (Wis. Stat. §93.45) is required. County zoning (Chapter 10) classifies domestic…

Dane County's Public Health Department for Madison and Dane County can formally declare any animal dangerous under Code ch. 47.18 after it bites, attacks, or menaces a person or…

Madison confines amplified music and voice on city streets to two daily windows, noon to 1:30 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., under MGO § 24.04(3)(a). Downtown State Street Mall performers need…

Madison caps stationary noise at 65, 70, or 75 dBA depending on the receiving property's zoning district, under MGO § 24.08(6)(a). Residential and conservancy districts get the…

MGO § 24.09 caps light motor vehicle noise at 80 dBA measured from 15 feet, bans excessive noise from modified exhausts or unnecessary revving, and bars playing a car stereo audible…

Madison has no clock-based curfew for everyday noise; instead MGO § 24.04(1)-(2) bans any noise that 'unreasonably disturbs the peace and quiet' of neighbors at any hour, day or night…

Madison restricts noisy construction equipment to 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday under MGO § 24.08(3)(f). Running equipment outside those windows in…

Madison makes it unlawful under MGO § 24.04(4) for anyone in charge of a building or premises to keep an animal or bird that 'habitually' disturbs neighbors' peace and quiet with its…

Madison caps how many guests a licensed Tourist Rooming House can sleep: Sec. 28.151(k), MGO limits maximum tourist occupancy to the lesser of two times the number of legal bedrooms or…

Madison caps non-owner-occupied short-term rentals at 30 nights per calendar year under WI Stat. 66.1014 and MGO Chapter 32. Owner-occupied primary residences have no night cap but the…

Operating a short-term rental in Madison, a tourist rooming house (TRH), is unlawful without a permit from the Zoning Administrator under MGO § 9.29. The Administrator inspects the…

Madison Sec. 28.131 requires that tourist rooming houses be located within an owner-occupied dwelling unless the operator obtains a separate conditional use permit. Hosts generally…

Wisconsin Act 55 (2019) requires lodging marketplaces like Airbnb and Vrbo to collect state and local room taxes for Wisconsin listings. Madison enforces room tax under MGO Sec. 4.21…

Madison treats short-term rentals as accessory uses to a primary residence. Operators must demonstrate that the dwelling is their principal place of habitation, typically through tax…

Madison charges tourist rooming house operators a nonrefundable $300 application fee up front and a $100 annual permit fee under MGO § 9.29. Renewal permits are due by June 30 each…

Tiny homes on foundations are allowed in Madison if they meet WI Uniform Dwelling Code and zoning minimum dwelling size. Tiny houses on wheels are treated as RVs and not allowed for…

Madison caps the total footprint of sheds and other accessory buildings on residential and mixed-use lots at 1,000 square feet under MGO § 28.131(1)(a), with a conditional use permit…

Madison lets a zoning lot carry one attached accessory dwelling unit or up to two detached ADUs under Madison General Ordinances § 28.151, so long as the principal building has no more…

Madison prices an accessory dwelling unit at the Multi-Family park impact fee rate, not the higher Single-Family rate. The Park-Infrastructure Impact Fee is $1,032 per unit in 2016…

Dane County's zoning code flatly bars turning a garage or other accessory building into living space. Section 10.004(2) defines an accessory building as incidental to the main building…

Fences in Madison's front or street side yard setbacks must be built of wood, ornamental metal, brick, vinyl-coated chain link or stone under MGO § 28.142(11)(e); uncoated chain link…

Madison treats any retaining wall built on City-owned or leased greenways or park land as a public nuisance unless the owner first gets a Greenway Privilege from the City Engineer…

Madison's zoning code caps screening fences and hedges at six feet in required interior side and rear setbacks, eight feet where a residential lot backs onto a mixed-use, commercial…

Wisconsin's partition fence statute (WI Stat 90.03) requires adjoining rural/agricultural landowners to share cost of boundary fences. In urban Madison, the line fence statute rarely…

Madison requires a written Board of Public Works permit before anyone plants, cuts, prunes, removes or chemically treats a tree in a public highway, and separately bans breaking…

Madison caps grass, lawn vegetation and terrace plantings at eight inches tall and requires every property to stay free of noxious weeds, under MGO § 27.05(2)(b), (f). On abandoned…

Madison caps home compost piles at 125 cubic feet and 5 feet tall unless they hold only yard waste, and any bin has to sit at least 3 feet from a property line or building, in the rear…

Madison's Water Utility General Manager can impose voluntary or mandatory outdoor water restrictions on every water user in the utility's service area, either on all properties or on…

Madison General Ordinances § 10.101 requires anyone trimming, pruning or removing a tree standing in a public street, alley, highway or greenway to get a permit from the City Forester…

Wisconsin has no statute banning rainwater harvesting. Under Wis. Stat. 145.01(10)(br)1, a rainwater gutter or downspout is expressly excluded from the legal definition of "plumbing"…

Madison family daycare homes (up to 8 children) are allowed as a home occupation in residential zones with state licensing through WI DCF. Group daycare homes (9-12 children) require…

Madison lets residents run a home occupation inside their dwelling without a separate permit, but Sec. 28.151, MGO caps it tightly: only household members may work there, no on-site…

Madison restricts home-business signage to almost nothing: Sec. 28.151(l), MGO says the only exterior sign a home occupation may display is a non-illuminated nameplate no larger than…

Madison's home occupation standard keeps client-facing activity minimal: no on-site wholesaling, manufacturing, limousine, towing or auto-repair business, no products sold except those…

Wisconsin has only one cottage food exemption written into its statutes, and it is narrow. Wis. Stat. § 97.29(2)(b)2. lets you sell home-canned pickles and other processed fruits or…

Wisconsin has never created a microenterprise home kitchen permit, and it has no exemption that lets you cook meals in your own kitchen and sell them. Wis. Stat. § 97.30(2)(a) requires…

Madison's Peter Talen Smoke Alarm Ordinance, MGO § 34.907, requires smoke alarms in every bedroom, sleeping area, and within six feet of each bedroom door, on every floor of nearly all…

Madison bans nearly all consumer fireworks under MGO 23.05, following WI Stat 167.10 which allows cities to further restrict. Only sparklers, snakes, smoke bombs, and stationary cone…

Madison bans open burning without a license from the Fire Chief. MGO § 34.307 prohibits burning rubbish, leaves and construction waste outright and adds a Dane County DNR air-quality…

Madison allows outdoor fireplaces and fire pits without a license under MGO § 34.307(6), but only if they sit at least 15 feet from any building or lot line, on a stable…

Wisconsin uniformly regulates propane storage, installation, and handling under Wis. Admin. Code SPS 340, adopting NFPA 58 statewide and preempting inconsistent local rules through…

Wisconsin DNR designates statewide Fire Protection Areas under Wis. Stat. § 26.11 where the agency holds primary wildfire suppression authority and enforces stricter ignition rules…

Madison requires every public swimming pool to hold a Public Swimming Pool license before opening, issued jointly by Public Health Madison and Dane County under Sec. 7.44, MGO. The…

Madison's Building Code lets homeowners skip the 48-inch fence otherwise required around a private swimming pool when the pool is an aboveground portable unit. Sec. 29.27(2), MGO…

Madison's Building Inspection Division Director is ordinance-bound to conduct systematic inspections of buildings, structures and land to enforce the Minimum Housing Code, with fees…

Madison tenants who complain about code violations to their landlord, the city's Building Inspection Division, or Public Health Madison and Dane County, the joint city-county health…

Madison's version of a parklet is the Roadway Cafe Expansion License, an add-on that lets a licensed sidewalk cafe extend seating into a parking lane (also called a 'Streatery'), but…

Outside the State Street Mall/Capitol Concourse, MGO § 9.135(7)(b)6 requires a citywide sidewalk cafe to be enclosed on at least three sides, with the building face allowed to serve as…

A neighborhood block party that closes a Madison street runs through the same Street Use Permit at MGO § 10.056 as any other event. A one-day block party reviewed under § 10.056(5)(b)5…

Outdoor heaters at a Madison sidewalk cafe need Madison Fire Department approval before use under MGO § 9.135(5)(h), and propane heaters additionally need an approved tank-storage…

A festival or street fair vendor working inside a Madison Street Use Permit event needs coverage under the event sponsor's Special Event Umbrella Vending License, required by MGO §…

Madison regulates parades separately from general street closures under MGO § 12.87. Anyone forming, leading or joining a parade on a street or sidewalk needs a Chief of Police permit…

Madison requires a temporary land use permit under MGO § 8.10 before anyone uses or occupies park land, greenways or other City-owned land for 90 days or less. Application fees run…

Madison regulates outdoor lighting on every residential and commercial site in the city under Sec. 29.36, MGO. The ordinance doesn't require anyone to install outdoor lighting, but any…

Madison caps how much light a building-illuminating fixture can throw and specifically bars aiming it at the sky. Sec. 29.36(4)(b), MGO, limits building floodlighting to 5 watts per…

Dane County caps how signs, including billboards, may be lit: external fixtures must aim only at the copy from a downward angle, no up-lighting is allowed, and glare toward roadways is…

Madison's Conveyance Code requires every elevator, escalator, moving walk, and similar lift device in the city to be kept maintained and operational at all times, with periodic…

Madison's Building Code adopts Wisconsin's SPS 328 (Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors) by reference under MGO § 29.22, applying it to all new one- and two-family homes plus…

Anyone painting or remodeling a Madison building built before 1978 must follow lead-safe work practices: no open-flame burning, machine sanding or abrasive blasting without…

Madison's Building Inspection Division requires three staged inspections during construction, foundation, structure and insulation, plus a basement floor inspection for sleeping space…

Any plumbing work in Madison needs a permit filed with the Building Inspection Division before work starts, under Madison General Ordinances § 18.08. Only a plumber licensed with the…

Madison requires a building permit from the Building Inspection Division before anyone erects, adds to, alters, converts, or demolishes any building or structure, per Section 29.07(1)…

Madison requires a permit from the Building Inspection Division before any electrical installation, alteration, or wiring change begins, under Madison General Ordinances § 19.09. The…

Madison's building code requires self-closing, locking doors on shared basement storage rooms in residential buildings, under Section 29.23(10)(b)1, MGO. The lock must let occupants…

Madison's building code requires automatic sprinklers in shared basement storage areas of multi-family residential buildings once those storage spaces exceed 2,500 square feet, under…

Madison General Ordinances § 29.40 requires owners of large commercial buildings to annually benchmark energy use through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and to complete periodic…

Madison makes single-family occupants responsible for exterminating pests, vermin, or rodents in their own unit, but shifts that duty to the owner if the unit wasn't clean at move-in…

Dane County backs Wisconsin's certified food manager requirement with a financial penalty: sec. 46.34(4) of the county code lets Public Health Madison and Dane County charge a…

Madison General Ordinances § 10.09 adopts Wisconsin's sidewalk-repair statute, Wis. Stat. § 66.0907, and lets property owners repair or rebuild defective public sidewalks, curbs and…

Madison General Ordinances § 10.23 makes it unlawful to unnecessarily obstruct any street, alley, crosswalk, terrace or sidewalk so as to interfere with public traffic or access…

Any awning, vault, sign, or other fixture that projects past a Madison property's lot line into the street right-of-way needs a 'privilege in streets' permit under MGO § 10.31. The…

Madison's loitering ordinance, MGO § 26.08, is narrow: it only bans loitering in public in a manner manifesting intent to solicit prostitution, not general loitering. Violators face a…

Madison bans possessing an open container of alcohol or drinking on any public street, sidewalk or alley citywide. The only carve-outs are a Street Use Permit picnic license or a…

Madison lets adults 18 and older consume cannabis or cannabis derivatives only on private property with the occupant's permission, or on public property with the owner's, landlord's or…

Madison bans smoking and tobacco use within 25 feet of any entrance, air intake, or operable window of a City-owned building, in posted City parks and beaches, within 5 feet of City…

Madison's Urban Forestry Section, under the City Forester, controls all planting of street trees in the terrace between sidewalk and curb under MGO § 10.10. New street tree…

Madison General Ordinances § 10.19 makes it unlawful to dump rubbish or refuse in any street, alley or public place, and bars dumping brush, yard waste or other refuse on private…

Madison bans mixing yard waste or brush into your trash cart or hauling it to a landfill, but you can compost it, drop it at an authorized site, or set grass clippings, leaves and…

Madison General Ordinances § 10.18(5) requires everyone who disposes of recyclable materials in the city, single-family owners, multi-family landlords, and commercial, retail…

Madison's Streets Division runs curbside trash and recycling collection only for certain smaller residential and commercial properties, with the Streets Division Manager setting each…

Madison residents may not set trash or recycling at the curb more than 12 hours before their designated collection day under MGO § 10.18(3)(c), and carts must come off the terrace…

MGO § 27.05(2)(cc) requires trash and recycling carts to be stored in the garage or adjacent to and behind the building's front wall when not out for collection; § 10.18 limits…

The Streets Division runs curbside large-item pickup under a published Large Item Collection Policy, and property owners may not set furniture, mattresses, appliances or similar bulky…

Madison's Streets Division runs curbside trash and recycling collection under MGO § 10.18(3) for eligible small residential and some small commercial properties; everyone else must…

MGO § 31.045(3)(j) bans any sign, including hand-carried signs, on a bridge or overpass over a freeway, expressway or controlled-access highway posted above 40 mph if the sign is…

Window signs in Madison's Group 2 and 3 zoning districts don't need a permit, but MGO § 31.10 caps their coverage: letters or numerals without a background can cover up to 30% of the…

Madison allows electronic changeable copy signs, LED reader boards, digital marquees and message centers, on walls, roofs, ground and projecting signs in Group 2 and 3 zoning districts…

Madison's sign code treats most inflatable displays as regulated signs, but MGO § 31.046(3)(c)3 carves out an exception: inflatable noncommercial displays such as seasonal or holiday…

Madison bars placing political, commercial, or promotional advertising material on public property, public telephone booths, streets, alleys, public grounds, or the exterior of private…

Dane County treats a garage-sale sign as a temporary sign under its zoning ordinance: only one sign per parcel, capped at 32 square feet and 12 feet tall, and displayable for just 60…

Madison caps single-family, two-family, and twin dwellings in the SR-C1 district at two stories and 35 feet under Madison General Ordinances § 28.035(2). Nonresidential buildings in…

Madison's SR-C1 single-family district requires a 30-foot front yard setback, 6-foot side yards, and a rear yard equal to the lesser of 30 percent of lot depth or 30 feet, per Madison…

Madison limits lot coverage for single-family, two-family, and twin dwellings in the SR-C1 district to 50 percent of the lot under Madison General Ordinances § 28.035(2), rising to 60…

Madison bars street vending in specific zones: on arterial or collector streets with speed limits over 25 mph directly next to a school, on any bicycle path or recreational trail, and…

Madison makes it unlawful to sell goods, food, or services from any highway, street, alley, sidewalk, or public square without a street vending license under Sec. 9.13. A Basic annual…

Madison food trucks operate under a Basic Street Vending License, not a separate food-truck permit, but MGO § 9.13(13) still caps the vehicle at 8'6" wide, 13'6" tall and 28 feet long…

Madison has no cannabis dispensary buffer zones because Wisconsin has not legalized recreational or full medical cannabis; any future buffer rules would require state legalization…

Because Wisconsin has not legalized recreational or full medical cannabis, no licensed delivery system exists, and any commercial cannabis transport in Madison violates Wis. Stat…

Wisconsin has not legalized recreational or full medical cannabis, so personal cultivation remains a felony under Wis. Stat. §961.41(1)(h), regardless of Madison's $1 possession…

Home cannabis cultivation remains illegal in Wisconsin under WI Stat. 961. Madison decriminalized small-amount possession in 2020 (MGO 23.20) but this does not authorize cultivation…

Wisconsin has no legal recreational or medical marijuana dispensary program. State law prohibits cannabis sales, so no municipality can authorize dispensary operations through zoning…

Madison cannot mandate that restaurants provide single-use utensils only upon request, because Wis. Stat. §66.0419 preempts local rules on auxiliary food-service items, leaving the…

Wisconsin Act 302 (2016), codified at Wis. Stat. §66.0419, preempts any Madison ordinance regulating, banning, or charging fees on single-use plastic carryout bags, blocking the kind…

Madison cannot impose a straws-on-request mandate because Wis. Stat. §66.0419 preempts local container and accessory regulation; Madison restaurants may voluntarily adopt the practice…

Wisconsin Act 21 (2018), codified at Wis. Stat. §66.0419(2)(a), expanded auxiliary-container preemption to expressly cover polystyrene foam, blocking Madison from banning foam takeout…

Madison can restrict flavored tobacco and vape sales through its Ch. 41 retail-licensing authority, but a full flavor ban faces preemption questions under Wis. Stat. §134.66 and…

Madison enforces Tobacco 21 under Wis. Stat. §134.66 as amended to match the federal minimum age, prohibiting the sale of cigarettes, vapes, and nicotine products to anyone under 21…

Wisconsin's minimum wage matches the federal $7.25 per hour. Wis. Stat. 104.001 (2017 Act 21) preempts Madison and other cities from setting any higher local minimum wage.

Wisconsin Act 67 (2017) blocks cities from requiring private employers to provide paid sick leave, paid family leave, or other paid time-off benefits. Madison's earlier paid-sick-leave…

Wisconsin preempts local predictive scheduling and fair workweek ordinances under Wis. Stat. 103.007, ensuring statewide uniformity for employer scheduling practices and forbidding…

In Urban Design District 8 along East Washington Avenue, Madison lets buildings rise two to four stories above the base zoning height if the developer delivers a public benefit the…

In Madison's DC Downtown Core district, minor building facade changes are reviewed and approved by the Secretary of the Urban Design Commission, a staff member of the Department of…

Madison permits rooftop and ground-mount solar by right under MGO 28.151. Building and electrical permits required; typical fee $100-$300. Focus on Energy and MGE offer rebates. WI…

Wisconsin does not merely limit what a homeowners' association may say about solar. Wis. Stat. § 236.292(2) declares that all restrictions on platted land that prevent or unduly…

Madison names automatic license plate readers as regulated 'Surveillance Technology' under MGO § 23.63 and requires Common Council approval before any city department buys, funds or…

Madison requires an erosion control permit before most land-disturbing activity of 4,000 square feet or more, or that moves over 400 cubic yards of material. The Administrative…

New construction in Madison's AO floodplain zone must elevate its lowest floor at least two feet of freeboard above the flood depth shown on the FIRM, per Madison General Ordinances §…

Madison requires Park Commission authorization before anyone builds or maintains a pier, boat hoist, or boat storage facility extending from City park or other publicly owned shoreline…

Madison caps engine idling at five consecutive minutes while a vehicle is stopped, standing, or parked on any street. MGO § 12.1291 makes the registered owner solely liable regardless…

Once a project trips the permit thresholds in Chapter 37, Madison requires an engineer-sealed stormwater management plan under MGO § 37.09 that documents runoff-control measures, pre…

Any structure, fill, or land-use change within Madison's mapped floodplain needs a zoning certificate from the Zoning Administrator before work starts, per Madison General Ordinances §…

Wisconsin's NR 115 sets minimum shoreland zoning standards along navigable waters, and the Public Trust Doctrine protects Great Lakes shores. Counties must adopt rules at least as…

Madison's Minimum Housing Code, MGO § 27.04, sets hard habitability minimums for every rental unit: a working kitchen sink, flush toilet, lavatory and bathtub or shower connected to…

Wisconsin Act 76 (2018) preempts Madison from imposing tougher local security deposit caps. Landlords must follow the statewide ATCP 134 framework, including a 21-day return clock and…

Wis. Stat. Sec. 704.17 sets the pre-eviction notice. For nonpayment of rent on a month-to-month tenancy or a lease of one year or less, the landlord gives a 5-day notice to pay or…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0104 and Act 317 prevent municipalities from limiting landlord-tenant relationships beyond state law, including any local just-cause eviction requirement. Eviction…

Wis. Stat. Sec. 704.05(2) lets a landlord enter only on advance notice and at reasonable times to inspect, repair, or show the unit. Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.09(2) makes that…

Under Wis. Stat. Sec. 704.19, either the landlord or tenant may end a month-to-month or other periodic tenancy with at least 28 days' written notice. If rent is payable on a basis less…

Wisconsin prohibits rent control statewide. Wis. Stat. § 66.1015 bars every city, village, town, and county from regulating the amount of rent charged for a residential rental unit…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0104 bars municipalities from requiring rental registration or licensing and limits inspection programs to designated districts with blight or code problems…

Wisconsin recognizes three adverse-possession tracks. The default under Wis. Stat. Sec. 893.25 is 20 years of uninterrupted possession with no written instrument. Sec. 893.26 shortens…

Madison secondhand dealers and pawnbrokers must license under MGO Ch. 9.49 and report transactions to police via Wisconsin's Leads Online system to deter trafficking in stolen goods.

Madison requires a City license before anyone can operate an adult book or video store, adult motion picture theater, or adult entertainment tavern. MGO § 9.05 sets an application and…

Madison requires anyone who tattoos or body-pierces, or any establishment offering it, to hold a license from Public Health Madison & Dane County before opening. Applicants must pass a…

Madison requires every vape and e-cigarette retailer to hold a Cigarette and Tobacco Products Retailer license under Madison Ch. 41 and Wis. Stat. §139.34, with annual renewal and…

Madison licenses massage establishments and therapists under MGO Ch. 9.06, requiring background checks, state-licensed therapists, and inspections to deter illicit operations while…

Madison imposes a 9% room tax on hotel and short-term lodging stays under MGO Ch. 4.21, on top of Wisconsin's 5.5% sales tax, for an effective tax rate of about 14.5% on hotel rooms.

MGO § 10.28 requires property owners to clear snow and ice from abutting sidewalks by noon the day after it accumulates, regardless of source, and to sand icy walks that can't be…

A vacant, unsecured building in Madison is a declared public nuisance the owner must abate by securing it, boarding openings, clearing trespassers and animal debris, and fire- or…

Madison has frozen new zoning certificates for data centers and telecommunications centers larger than 10,000 square feet under MGO § 28.140, adopted January 23, 2026 (ORD-26-00002)…

Madison's Common Council may designate a building, structure, site, or improvement as a protected landmark when it carries significant cultural, historical, archaeological, or…

Madison treats grilling or smoking food outdoors as an accessory use of a restaurant, grocery store, catering business, or similar food seller. Under Sec. 28.151 it is a permitted use…

Madison's A district under Sec. 28.092 covers rural farmland outside the Central Urban Service Area, where there is no municipal sewer or water. Agricultural uses need a 5-acre lot…

Wisconsin Statute 823.08 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits by neighbors, requiring courts to dismiss claims unless the farm substantially threatens…

Under Madison General Ordinances § 28.151, a yard sale cannot run longer than four days, and no more than one sale can be held in any three-month period. Section 28.211 defines a yard…

Madison requires anyone who goes house to house soliciting contributions, canvassing for orders, or offering goods and services to first obtain a Solicitor's Permit from the City Clerk…

Madison closes its public parks overnight. MGO § 8.21 makes it unlawful to be in most City parks between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., with tighter or looser hours at a handful of named…

Dane County Code § 34.08 bars anyone under 15 from public streets, alleys, or areas between 10 p.m.–5 a.m. Sunday–Thursday and 11 p.m.–5 a.m. Friday–Saturday, and bars…

To report an unsanitary or nuisance condition in unincorporated Dane County, you file with the health department under ch. 46.26: the department must inspect any premises complained of…

In Dane County parks, bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles must stay on trails or grounds the parks division has designated for that use: riding elsewhere isn't allowed without a…

Wisconsin splits these two machines apart in the definitions and then treats them completely differently. A low-speed vehicle has a statewide right of the road: under Wis. Stat. s…

Wisconsin commercial drone operators follow FAA Part 107. Wis. Stat. 114.045 sets state no-fly zones over prisons, schools, and utilities, and local governments cannot regulate flight…

Wisconsin has a partial drone framework: local governments generally cannot regulate drone flight, but Wis. Stat. 114.045 sets state no-fly zones over prisons, schools, and utilities…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0409 broadly preempts local firearm regulation, barring cities, villages, towns, and counties from enacting ordinances stricter than state law on possession…

Wisconsin permits adults at least 18 who are not prohibited persons to openly carry firearms in public without a permit, with statewide preemption blocking local restrictions on lawful…

Wisconsin Statute 941.23 makes carrying a concealed handgun in a vehicle without a CCW license a misdemeanor, while open carry and licensed concealed carry inside vehicles are lawful…

Wisconsin requires footings and foundations to sit below the frost penetration level or at least 48 inches below adjacent grade, whichever is deeper, so 48 inches is a floor, not a…

Wisconsin's dwelling code sets minimum roof snow loads from a state zone map and does not state a ground snow load at all, which is the opposite of how most states publish the figure.

Wisconsin bans gambling as a crime, but Wis. Stat. § 563.11(1) lets bona fide religious, charitable, service, fraternal, or veterans organizations apply to the Department of…

Wisconsin's gambling code has no carve-out for private social games. Wis. Stat. § 945.01(1) defines 'bet' and lists eight exceptions, business deals, contest prizes, bingo, pari-mutuel…

Wisconsin has no commercial sportsbook law. Wis. Stat. § 945.02 makes placing any bet a Class B misdemeanor unless it fits a listed exception, and § 945.01(1)(h), added by 2025…

Wisconsin has no comprehensive non-condo HOA act. Condominium associations get a statutory assessment lien under Wis. Stat. § 703.165 that is foreclosed like a mortgage. Non-condo HOAs…

Wisconsin condominiums run through an association of unit owners under Wis. Stat. § 703.15, which sets meeting-notice, proxy, and voting rules. Non-condo HOAs are governed as nonstock…

Wisconsin overrides anti-solar and anti-wind HOA restrictions by statute. Wis. Stat. § 236.292 voids restrictions on platted land that prevent or unduly restrict solar or wind energy…

Wisconsin protects flag display through two separate statutes, and which one applies depends on whether you own a condominium unit or a lot in a covenanted subdivision. Wis. Stat. §…

Wisconsin sets no dollar cap on association fines and requires no hearing before one is imposed. For condominiums, Wis. Stat. § 703.24(2) makes a unit owner liable for any charges…

Only Wisconsin condominium associations hold a statutory collection lien. Wis. Stat. § 703.165(3) gives the association a lien for unpaid assessments if it files a statement of…

Wisconsin runs the opposite way from states that shield owners who lease. Wis. Stat. § 703.10(3) expressly authorizes condominium bylaws to carry any restriction on the use of the…

You will not meet an OWI checkpoint in Wisconsin. Wis. Stat. § 349.02(2)(a) forbids a police officer, sheriff, deputy sheriff, traffic officer or motor vehicle inspector from stopping…

Wisconsin is a one-party consent state. Wis. Stat. § 968.31(2)(c) makes it lawful for a person not acting under color of law to intercept a wire, electronic or oral communication when…

Wisconsin has no general stop-and-identify offense. Wis. Stat. § 968.24 lets an officer who has first identified himself or herself as law enforcement stop you in a public place, for a…

Wisconsin is unusual in codifying the grounds for a search at all. Wis. Stat. § 968.10 says a search may be made and things seized only when it is incident to a lawful arrest, with…

Wisconsin's rule on extra lighting is a colour rule with a count attached. Wis. Stat. § 347.07(2) bars operating any vehicle on a highway displaying a colour other than white or amber…

Wisconsin never legislated dash cams, so the governing rule is the windshield rule, and Wisconsin's version is a closed list. Wis. Admin. Code § Trans 305.34(6) bars any posters…

Wisconsin has never legislated lane splitting in either direction. The phrases "lane splitting" and "between lanes" appear nowhere in chs. 340 to 351, the whole Wisconsin Vehicle Code…

Wisconsin attacks plate covers from two directions. Wis. Stat. s. 341.61 (3) makes it an offence carrying a forfeiture of up to $500 to place any substance on a plate that hinders its…

A radar detector is lawful in a private car in Wisconsin. The phrase "radar detector" appears nowhere in the Wisconsin Statutes or the Wisconsin Administrative Code, and the equipment…

Wisconsin gives ordinary drivers no studded-tire season at all. Wis. Stat. s. 347.45 (2) bans any block, stud, flange, cleat, spike or other non-rubber protuberance that projects…

Wisconsin puts its tint numbers in the Department of Transportation's equipment rules, not in the statute book. Aftermarket film on the vent and front side windows must still pass at…