Kenosha, WI Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)

034, part of Chapter XI's offenses against good order, is built around 'manifesting the purpose' evidence rather than a blanket ban on standing around in public. The ordinance lists specific circumstances an officer can weigh: whether the person frequents a known area of illegal drug activity, repeatedly beckons to or stops known drug sellers or purchasers, transfers small objects or packages for currency in a furtive fashion, conceals an object that could be involved in drug activity, or flees when police appear. A 'known area of illegal drug activity' and a 'known drug seller or purchaser' both require a prior arrest that led to a conviction within the previous three years, within the collective knowledge of the Kenosha Police Department, so the ordinance is anchored to documented drug-crime history rather than an officer's general suspicion.

Before making an arrest, the officer must give the person a chance to explain their presence and conduct, unless flight or other circumstances make that impracticable, and no conviction can stand if the explanation given at trial was true and showed a lawful purpose. O begging clause cover those situations instead. E sets a distinct, elevated penalty for this one offense: a forfeiture of not less than $500 and not more than $5,000, plus prosecution costs, well above the standard $1,000 Chapter XI ceiling that applies to most other disorderly-conduct sections.