Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee allows electric vehicle charging equipment in any legally established parking space, but in residential zoning districts it must serve only the property's owners, residents…

Milwaukee creates commuter-impacted residential permit parking areas by Common Council designation, letting resident permit holders park past posted time limits on their block.

Milwaukee only carves out curb space for loading and unloading zones through a Common Council permit: commercial owners apply for business zones, and disabled residents can get a…

Milwaukee bars overnight street parking from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. citywide unless the vehicle displays a special privilege permit.

Milwaukee bans street parking on any street posted with temporary No Parking signs during a declared snow emergency, plus overnight bus-route and through-highway limits from 10 p.m. to…

Milwaukee sets a flat $150 vehicle reclamation charge and $25 per day of storage to get a car out of a city secure impound lot, must mail the owner a reclamation notice within 72…

Milwaukee bans abandoning vehicles on any highway, or public or private property, and deems a vehicle abandoned after 72 hours on placarded public property or private property in plain…

Milwaukee bars semitrailers, truck tractors, and any vehicle over 3 tons from parking unattended on residential streets where heavy traffic is prohibited, with an exception for…

Milwaukee bans parking or standing that blocks a private driveway or garage entrance, or that obstructs traffic on a public street; each violation carries a $75 citation.

Milwaukee allows only one recreational vehicle per lot in single-family, two-family and multi-family districts, and caps any parked vehicle at 22 feet long, 10 feet tall, or six wheels.

Milwaukee's zoning code keeps parking spaces out of the front yard and street-side setbacks, confining off-street parking to the rear yard or the unrestricted portion of a side yard.

Milwaukee has no citywide spay/neuter mandate for pets generally. But once an animal is officially designated dangerous, the owner has 30 days to have it sterilized and prove it with a…

Milwaukee's exotic-animal possession ban exempts wildlife rehabilitators licensed by the State of Wisconsin, so a valid state license covers rescue work without a separate city…

Milwaukee requires every dog and cat kept in the city to be microchipped and registered with a nationally recognized pet recovery database, with narrow exceptions for short-term…

Milwaukee licenses pet shops rather than banning retail sales: stores need a city permit, must vaccinate dogs and cats before sale, keep year-long sale records, and cannot sell bats…

Milwaukee requires backyard bird feeders to sit on a rodent-proof pole at least 3.5 feet high and 6 feet from climbable objects, caps them at four per property, and bans feeding on the…

Milwaukee households may keep up to four dogs, cats, or rabbits in any combination without a permit; a fifth requires an animal fancier permit, and multi-family dwellings face the same…

Milwaukee requires a $150 annual permit from the Commissioner of Health before anyone can operate an animal grooming establishment.

Milwaukee allows up to 4 hens per residential property with a permit, neighbor notice, and a 25-foot coop setback.

Milwaukee regulates dogs by documented dangerous behavior, not breed. A declared dangerous animal must be muzzled, confined, insured for $1,000,000, and microchipped.

Milwaukee bans letting a dog run at large; off your property it must be on a leash no more than 6 feet long held by a capable handler.

Cats over 5 months must be licensed and microchipped under city code, and owners may not let cats run at large: violations carry real fines.

Milwaukee prohibits keeping, possessing, breeding, selling, transferring, or exhibiting exotic animals, including big cats, bears, primates, crocodilians, and venomous reptiles…

Milwaukee requires a beekeeper permit, neighbor notice, and mails objection rights before you can keep honey bees, capping hives at two per lot with strict setbacks.

Milwaukee's plumbing code permits rooftop rain barrels citywide as long as overflow is controlled and the barrel meets basic safety specs.

Milwaukee's nuisance code caps turf grass and weeds "of any kind" at 7 inches year-round, so native or pollinator gardens get no standing exemption: only a one-month "No Mow May"…

Milwaukee caps home compost bins at 5 feet tall and 125 cubic feet total, bans front-yard placement, and requires a 20-foot setback from any dwelling.

Milwaukee caps turf grass and weeds at 7 inches on any property, enforced year-round by the city, with escalating special charges starting at $75 for violations left unabated 72 hours…

Milwaukee property owners must trim tree, shrub, and vegetation branches that overhang streets, sidewalks, or alleys enough to block traffic, pedestrians, or street lighting, once…

Removing a protected tree from Milwaukee's River greenway overlay zone requires a conservation permit and replacement: non-native trees 1-to-1 on a diameter-equivalent basis, native…

Milwaukee requires private swimming pools and spas that reach a 36-inch depth or 3,965-gallon capacity to be enclosed by a non-climbable 48-inch fence with a self-closing…

Milwaukee requires a pool construction permit from the health commissioner before building any outdoor private pool at least 36 inches deep or holding 3,965 gallons, per Code of…

Milwaukee requires a building permit for any retaining wall supporting 32 inches or more of unbalanced fill; shorter walls are exempt unless they hold back liquids or carry a surcharge…

Milwaukee requires a construction permit to erect a fence, with a $25 construction fee plus a $35 processing fee charged for every fence permit issued.

Milwaukee's zoning code prohibits barbed wire, concertina wire and razor wire on fences in residential districts. The city allows chain link, wood, ornamental metal and similar…

Milwaukee caps residential fences at 4 feet in front and side street yards, 6 feet in side and rear yards, under the zoning code's design standards.

Milwaukee County sets no neighbor fence rules. Boundary-line fences on residential land follow municipal zoning, while Wisconsin's statewide partition-fence law governs shared fences…

Milwaukee cannot restrict short-term rentals to a host's primary residence. Wisconsin Act 59 (2017) and Wis. Stat. §66.1014 expressly bar municipalities from limiting rentals of six or…

Milwaukee places primary STR responsibility on the host and property owner, not the booking platform. Wisconsin's preemption framework constrains the city from imposing platform-level…

Milwaukee STR occupancy follows the state rooming house cap of two guests per bedroom plus two, and overall building occupancy limits set by the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code.

Milwaukee does not require an owner or host to be physically present during a short-term rental stay, since Wisconsin Act 59 (2017) preempts cities from forcing primary-residence or…

Milwaukee County does not issue short-term rental permits. Under Wisconsin law, a host operating more than 10 nights a year needs a state DATCP tourist rooming house license, plus any…

Milwaukee County does not impose a room tax. Short-term stays in the county carry a 3% basic room tax through the Wisconsin Center Tax District (7% additional in the City of…

Milwaukee County imposes no annual limit on rental nights. State law lets a municipality cap only rentals of 6 to 30 days, and only at no fewer than 180 days a year; rentals of 7 or…

Milwaukee home occupations can't generate traffic or parking demand beyond what a normal dwelling produces, capping client visits in residential zones.

Milwaukee bans any sign for a home-based business operating in a residential zoning district under the city's home occupation standards.

Home daycare in Milwaukee is licensed by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Family daycare (up to 8 children) and Group daycare (9 to 20 children) require state…

Milwaukee caps home-based businesses in residential zoning at 25% of floor area, family-only staff, and no signage or added traffic.

Milwaukee County does not regulate cottage food. Selling homemade foods is governed by Wisconsin state law and DATCP, including the Wis. Stat. 97.29 'pickle bill' exemption for…

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…

Milwaukee exempts lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other garden power tools from its community noise standards, but bans running them between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. under the nuisance…

Milwaukee Code § 101-20 bans unnecessary and annoying motor vehicle noise: squealing tires, excessive acceleration of the engine, unnecessary and loud muffler noises, and an unattended…

Construction sites and public works are exempt from Milwaukee's daytime noise limits only from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Milwaukee caps outdoor noise, including amplified music, at 55 to 65 decibels by day and 45 to 60 decibels at night depending on the zoning district, measured at the property line…

Milwaukee caps noise from sources in Industrial Districts at a noise rating number of 65 by day and 55 by night, measured at the lot line under the city's excessive-noise ordinance.

Milwaukee's noise code defines night as 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and cuts the allowable noise level in residential districts from 55 down to 45 on the Noise Rating Number scale during those…

Milwaukee bars owning or harboring any bird or animal whose frequent, habitual howling or barking seriously disturbs neighbors, but no prosecution can start without a signed written…

Milwaukee caps sheds at 150 sq ft, bars them from front yards, and sets a 4-foot rear setback and 8-foot sidewall height under the zoning code.

Milwaukee does not permit tiny homes on wheels as permanent dwellings. Tiny houses on foundations must meet the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code minimum 400 square feet.

Milwaukee allows one accessory dwelling unit per residential parcel, but only as a limited use tied to owner-occupancy and strict size and setback standards.

Milwaukee requires a smoke detector in the basement and on every floor level of pre-1983 residential buildings, placed within 6 feet of sleeping areas, tested annually by the owner…

Milwaukee requires open burning to happen only in an approved, covered metal, concrete or brick container kept at least 15 feet from any combustible construction, with a narrow…

Milwaukee allows open burning only in an approved container or metal, concrete or brick burner, kept 15 feet from combustible construction and watched until out.

Milwaukee bans selling, keeping, using or discharging fireworks anywhere in the city, with fines up to $1,000 and jail for violators or consenting parents.

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…

Milwaukee exempts vendors from its mobile seller's license inside a permitted street festival's barricaded area, but only if they're registered with the festival organizer, and the…

Parades, races, festivals and demonstrations on Milwaukee streets need a special event permit filed with the Department of Public Works.

Restaurants and bars in Milwaukee must obtain a sidewalk area dining permit before placing tables or chairs in the public right-of-way, with fees tied to square footage and a mandatory…

Milwaukee restaurants and bars need a public right-of-way occupancy permit before installing a parklet, plus any required liquor license extension and sidewalk dining permit, and can…

Milwaukee classifies a block party for residents of one contiguous block as a special event: organizers must file a Department of Public Works permit application at least 7 calendar…

Milwaukee lets the parks director grant exclusive-use permits for picnic and play areas on a specified date, and bars anyone from interfering with a permitted group's event or…

Milwaukee's Department of Public Works collects mixed domestic solid waste from residences under city ordinance; owners of 5-plus-unit buildings who opt out of city pickup must arrange…

Dumping refuse on public or private property without a permit is banned in Milwaukee; violators face a mandatory $5,000 forfeiture, with each dumping incident charged as a separate…

Milwaukee does not collect yard waste at the curb. Residents must haul grass clippings, leaves and garden debris to sites the commissioner designates, at least once every two weeks…

Milwaukee requires occupants of homes, condos, and businesses to separate standard recyclables, aluminum, glass, paper, and PETE/HDPE plastic containers, from trash under Chapter 79.

Milwaukee's DPW hauls bulky waste under one cubic yard for free, charges $90 to $250 for loads up to six cubic yards, and refuses anything larger outright.

A temporary dumpster in a Milwaukee street or alley needs a public-way permit, ID markings, and reflective safety tape or a barricade.

In Milwaukee, carts left at the curb or alley for recycling pickup must be pulled back to their storage spot by 10 p.m. on collection day, or owners face special charges.

Milwaukee requires households and businesses to separate recyclables from trash, with special charges for repeated noncompliance.

Milwaukee's Department of Public Works prints a no-collection list for the 2026-27 holidays: Thanksgiving on November 26 and 27, 2026, Christmas on December 24 and 25, 2026, and New…

Milwaukee requires garbage and recycling carts to sit immediately next to the alley (or the rear/side yard on alleyless lots), stay clear and accessible, and be wheeled back to storage…

Milwaukee closes all city parks and parkways daily from midnight to 5 a.m., except lakefront parks near Lake Michigan, which open at 4:30 a.m.; entry during closed hours is prohibited.

Anyone under 17 must be off Milwaukee streets by 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends and in summer, or face a fine.

Off-premise electronic billboards in Milwaukee can't change their message more than once every 8 seconds and must sit at least 400 feet from any residential district the sign faces.

Milwaukee caps temporary window signs at 25% of a window's glazed area and limits display to 30 days per calendar year under the zoning code's sign regulations.

Milwaukee's zoning sign code exempts holiday decorations, lights and displays from the permit, size and illumination limits that apply to commercial signs, so seasonal lighting can go…

Milwaukee exempts political signs from sign permits, but election and referendum signs must come down within 30 days after the campaign period ends, and residential-district signs are…

Off-premise signs near Milwaukee freeways face fixed setbacks, 500 feet in commercial districts, more in industrial zones, 1,000-foot spacing between signs, and an outright ban within…

Milwaukee lets you fix your own vehicle at home, but caps it at one car at a time and pushes teardown work into an enclosed garage.

Milwaukee requires tattoo artists, body piercers and their establishments to hold a health department license, meet sanitation and plan-of-operation standards, and bars licensing…

Milwaukee licenses massage establishments under Code Ch. 83, while individual therapists are credentialed by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services under Wis…

Milwaukee requires a city cigarette and tobacco license before selling cigarettes or tobacco products, with a $100 annual fee and a required plan of operation.

Milwaukee licenses secondhand article dealers and secondhand jewelry dealers under Code Ch. 90, requiring transaction reporting, holding periods, and police access to records to deter…

Milwaukee pawnbrokers must hold a secondhand dealer's license, hold every pawned item 30 days for police inspection, and issue a free, numbered pawn receipt for each loan.

Milwaukee licensed tow operators must use signed service order forms, photograph towed vehicles, and get police-confirmed tow reference numbers before non-consensual tows.

Milwaukee bans skateboards, roller skates and in-line skates on public sidewalks in eight named downtown and commercial districts, from the lakefront to Mitchell Street.

Milwaukee bans drinking or carrying open alcohol containers in any public parking structure or surface lot citywide, with narrow exceptions for licensed taverns, permitted events, and…

Milwaukee posts signs banning pedestrian crossing at specific hazardous locations; crossing there draws a $2-$50 forfeiture.

Milwaukee prohibits smoking and holding lit tobacco products within 30 feet of any public building the city owns or leases, and the public works commissioner can designate other…

Milwaukee Code Ch. 106 restricts loitering for narrow purposes: prostitution, drug activity, gang gatherings, and obstruction. State law Wis. Stat. §947.013 separately prohibits…

Milwaukee bans aggressive panhandling anywhere in the city and separately prohibits ordinary panhandling at bus stops, transit vehicles, parked cars, sidewalk cafes, and within 20 feet…

Smoking marijuana in public in Milwaukee draws a $250-$500 forfeiture, five times the $0-$50 fine for ordinary possession, under the city's controlled-substances ordinance.

Milwaukee bans running a compressor, air conditioner, or other noise-making device attached to a parked truck on a public street for more than 5 minutes if it disturbs nearby homes.

Milwaukee bars residential air conditioners from exceeding set decibel limits in a neighbor's sleeping room, with separate nighttime and daytime sound-pressure tables enforced by the…

Food peddler vehicles that run a generator in Milwaukee can't exceed an average of 80 decibels measured 4 feet from the unit, under the city's food peddler licensing chapter.

Anyone building, rebuilding, altering or repairing a dock on Milwaukee's navigable waterways must get Board of Harbor Commissioners approval and pay a $615 construction or $310 repair…

Milwaukee adopted the Climate and Equity Plan in 2023, committing to 100% renewable city operations by 2030 and community-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with…

New construction and substantial improvements in Milwaukee's flood fringe overlay zone must have the lowest floor built to or above the flood protection elevation: 2 feet of freeboard…

Milwaukee requires a floodplain development permit for any new construction, fill, or substantial improvement within a mapped 100-year floodplain, with elevation and flood-resistant…

Milwaukee requires a storm water management plan before any development disturbing one acre or more, or adding a half-acre of impervious surface, under Chapter 120.

Milwaukee requires a city permit before filling or grading any lot beyond 100 cubic yards, and bars blocking natural drainage ways or swales during the work.

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…

Milwaukee tenants who complain to the commissioner about code violations or use rent withholding are protected from eviction or retaliation for 12 months after the fix is certified.

Milwaukee's rental inspection program is opt-in: a landlord may request that the Commissioner examine a rental dwelling unit under Code section 200-51, and a compliant unit then…

In the Milwaukee River Greenway, native trees removed must be replaced 2-to-1 with Wisconsin-native stock, while invasive buckthorn and honeysuckle can be cleared without any permit at…

Milwaukee Forestry, operating under Code Chapter 116, targets a 40% citywide tree canopy with priority planting in north and near-south side neighborhoods that historically have lower…

Milwaukee requires a written permit from the Commissioner of Public Works before planting, pruning, or removing any tree or shrub in the public highway, including the parkway strip…

Milwaukee reconstructs failing sidewalks through the Department of Public Works and specially assesses the abutting owner for 50% of the cost: except walk sections damaged by city…

Milwaukee bans piling, building, or leaving obstructions on any sidewalk or public way that block free public passage, with narrow permitted exceptions.

Milwaukee requires a permit from the commissioner of city development, with a fee set in Code § 200-33, before erecting, altering, or removing any permissible sidewalk projection or…

Milwaukee caps illuminated sign and billboard lighting at 1 foot-candle at a residential property line, 5 elsewhere, with cut-off fixtures required.

Artificial light that spills onto a neighboring residential property, or glares or flickers into it, between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. is a declared nuisance under Milwaukee's code, enforced…

Milwaukee zoning code requires cut-off light fixtures on all on-site lighting in every zoning district, capping illumination at the property line to prevent glare and light spilling…

Milwaukee requires periodic inspections and reinspections for every class of elevator, lift, escalator and dumbwaiter, plus a $125 certificate of operation enforced by the Department…

Milwaukee zoning bars day care centers from residential structures in most districts and keeps every center at least 500 feet from adult retail establishments, per Zoning Code §…

Milwaukee requires a building permit for any deck attached to the house, and for any freestanding deck over 2 feet above grade.

Once Milwaukee's health department confirms a lead-based nuisance in a dwelling, it must notify the occupant and owner and post a visible hazard notice on the property under the city's…

When construction reaches 10 feet above grade in Milwaukee, a protective canopy roof over walkways is required, and if crews store materials or work on that canopy, it must be built…

Milwaukee requires a permit before any electrical equipment is installed, altered, renewed, replaced or connected, and adopts the state electrical code (SPS 316) as part of its own…

Milwaukee requires a permit from the commissioner of city development before any plumbing work, issued only to licensed, registered and bonded plumbers under the city's adopted state…

Milwaukee requires a cylinder deadbolt lock, minimum 1/2-inch bolt, on every dwelling-unit door in pre-1989 residential buildings and apartments citywide.

Milwaukee requires the permit holder to notify the building inspection commissioner at each construction stage, site survey, footing, framing, reinforcing steel, and lath, so…

Wisconsin has not legalized recreational or full medical cannabis; home cultivation remains a felony under Wis. Stat. §961.41(1h). Milwaukee's local deprioritization (MCO Ch. 106-35)…

Because Wisconsin has not legalized recreational or full medical cannabis, no licensed dispensaries exist in Milwaukee, so no operational buffer zones from schools or parks apply at…

Cannabis delivery is illegal in Milwaukee because Wisconsin has not legalized retail sales. Delivery is prosecutable as distribution under Wis. Stat. §961.41(1)(h).

Cannabis cultivation for recreational or medical purposes is illegal in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has not legalized recreational marijuana and has only a very limited CBD oil program under…

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

Milwaukee cannot regulate how landlords pass through utilities, taxes, or capital improvements to tenants. Wisconsin Stat. §66.1014 bans rent control, and Act 76 (2018) preempts local…

Milwaukee's property maintenance code requires landlords to keep rented dwelling units heated to at least 67°F during occupancy, with heating facilities properly installed and…

Milwaukee landlords follow Wisconsin's statewide security deposit framework. Wisconsin Act 76 (2018) and ATCP 134 require deposits to be returned within 21 days of move-out with an…

Rental property and rental units in Milwaukee must register with the city, but the ordinance limits what can be required to the owner's name, an authorized contact person, their…

Rent control does not exist in Milwaukee because Wisconsin state law (Wis. Stat. 66.1015) expressly preempts any local government from enacting rent control or rent stabilization…

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 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…

Wisconsin Act 21 of 2011 and Wis. Stat. §103.10 (2017 Act 67) preempt Milwaukee from mandating paid sick or family leave for private employers. Milwaukee's 2008 paid-sick-leave…

Wisconsin's minimum wage tracks the federal $7.25 floor under Wis. Stat. §104.035. Wis. Stat. §104.001 (2017 Act 21) preempts Milwaukee from setting a higher local wage. The city's…

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

Milwaukee restaurants must post their most recent health inspection placard within 5 feet of the front entrance, 4 to 6 feet off the ground, or risk closure.

Milwaukee requires a certified food manager on site whenever a shared commercial kitchen user handles potentially hazardous food, and the certificate must be produced to inspectors on…

Milwaukee property owners must remove rat harborage, ratproof buildings and foundations, and store food waste in rat-proof containers under the city's Chapter 80 Rat Control…

Milwaukee's health department must reinspect any food-code violation within 30 days of the original inspection or complaint investigation, and correct priority violations within 72…

When a city-designated or nationally listed historic building sits abandoned or condemnable, Milwaukee's building commissioner can order it stabilized rather than razed, capping the…

Dockless scooters and other shared mobility devices are banned on Milwaukee streets and sidewalks unless the operator joins the city's DPW-administered dockless mobility program and…

Milwaukee bars driving or parking an unauthorized motor vehicle in a marked bicycle or bus lane, allowing only narrow exceptions for crossings, turns, driveway access, and curbside…

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…

A photo, film or video shoot on Milwaukee streets or public premises is legally a "special event": producers must get a Department of Public Works permit before occupying or closing…

Milwaukee requires a special event permit before any photo, film or video shoot on public streets, sidewalks or other public right-of-way, filed with the Department of Public Works.

Milwaukee encourages solar energy adoption through its Milwaukee Shines program. Building permits are required for solar PV installations, but the city waives the permit fee for…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0401 strongly protects solar energy rights and limits the ability of HOAs and local governments to restrict solar panel installations. Restrictive covenants that…

Milwaukee HOA and condo assessments are enforced under Wisconsin Stat. 703.16 for condos, which grants a statutory lien priority. Unpaid assessments can lead to foreclosure.

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…

Milwaukee lets residents post a "Solicitors Prohibited" sign that bars door-to-door solicitors from knocking, and bans residential solicitation between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Milwaukee requires direct sellers, transient merchants and solicitors to hold a mobile seller's license, register with the district police station, and stay off doorsteps between 9…

Milwaukee's building commissioner can placard, close, and order the razing of any structure found unsafe or unfit for human habitation.

Milwaukee property owners must clear snow and ice from abutting sidewalks within 24 hours after snowfall stops, or face a $75 special charge plus escalating fees for continued…

The city can order owners of unsafe or unsightly vacant lots to clear debris, surface irregularities, and unfinished excavations within 3 to 30 days, or crews will do the work and bill…

Milwaukee's zoning code sets separate front, side and rear yard setback minimums for each residential district (RS1-RS6, RT1-RT5), with front setbacks in most districts pinned to a…

Milwaukee caps principal buildings in the RS1-RS6 single-family and RT1-RT3 two-family zoning districts at 45 feet, with no minimum height required on most single-family lots.

Milwaukee caps how much of a residential lot a house can cover, from 15% in RS1 single-family districts up to 60% in RS6, with corner lots and two-family zones allowed more.

Milwaukee cannot enforce a plastic bag ban or fee. Wis. Stat. § 66.0419 bars any 'political subdivision' from enacting an ordinance regulating, prohibiting, or fee-charging the use…

Milwaukee exempts charcoal and propane grills and smokers on one- and two-family properties from the 15-foot open-burning setback, though unenclosed burners elsewhere in the city must…

Charcoal and LP gas grills must sit at least 15 feet from combustible construction in Milwaukee, unless the property is a one- or two-family home, which is exempt from the rule…

Milwaukee confines food peddler vehicle sales to city-marked limited operation vending zones, bans right-of-way sales outside them, sets a citywide overnight sales window, and layers…

Milwaukee requires anyone selling food from a vehicle, cart, or carried container on a public street to hold a food peddler license, confines sales to the public right-of-way outside a…

Milwaukee requires a food peddler license for any vehicle selling food on public streets, with a $350 annual fee for motorized units.

Milwaukee's police chief can order any retail establishment tied to 3 or more crime incidents in a year to install security cameras covering the premises, entrance, and parking lot.

Milwaukee caps residential rummage sales at 2 per year, each lasting no more than 3 days, under the zoning code's accessory-use rules.

Milwaukee imposes a 9% room tax on lodging stays under 30 days, layered with the 5.5% Wisconsin sales tax for an effective rate near 14.5%. Wis. Stat. §66.0615 caps and structures…

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…

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 Working Lands Initiative under Statute 91 establishes farmland preservation zoning districts, certifies county and local plans, and offers income tax credits to farmers in…

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

Wisconsin Statute 134.66 bars selling cigarettes and tobacco to anyone under 18 and vapor products to anyone under 21. The federal Tobacco 21 law independently requires all tobacco and…

Wisconsin has not enacted a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or vapor products; sales of menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes remain lawful under Wis. Stat. 134.66 subject to…

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…