Sun Prairie, WI Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

090 governs how pedestrians can lawfully cross a street. 2 requires anyone using a marked crosswalk to stay on the right half of it whenever practical, and bars walking along an adjacent roadway if a sidewalk exists unless that sidewalk is unsafe, obstructed, or closed. Subsection B is the city's core jaywalking rule: a pedestrian may not cross between adjacent intersections unless an official traffic control device expressly permits it. A separate and stricter rule under subsection C targets the city's busiest streets, listed by name as 'covered highways,' including West Main Street, Grand Avenue, Grove Street, Windsor Street, and dozens of others, plus the first 200 feet of any median street that intersects one of them.

On those roads, no pedestrian may approach a vehicle in operation, and no one may stand on a raised median except while actively crossing in a marked crosswalk or safety zone; staying through two consecutive chances to cross is treated as proof of a violation. The covered-highways rule took effect October 16, 2017, and exempts people on a sidewalk, those using a crosswalk to cross, emergency responders, invited taxi passengers, and city or state road crews. The police chief, traffic engineer, and city attorney were required to file an education plan with the council within three weeks of passage, and the chief had to report citation data back to the council within eight months of the effective date.