Sheboygan, WI Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Core section
- § 70-152, misconduct on public grounds
- Student rule
- Students cannot loiter on school ground outside assigned areas without approval
- Cemetery
- No loitering on city cemetery grounds after sunset (§ 34-37)
- Public toilets
- No loitering immediately adjacent to or within (§ 74-49)
- Exitways
- No congregating that interferes with use of an exitway (§ 50-122)
- Forfeiture for § 70-152
- $25.00 to $100.00 plus costs (§ 70-5(1))
Summary
Sheboygan ties loitering to specific places. Section 70-152 bars any act in a public building or on public grounds that interferes with the peaceful conduct of activities there and makes it unlawful for a student to loiter on school grounds without approval. Separate sections cover the city cemetery after sunset, public toilet facilities and exitways in public halls.
(a) No person shall commit any act in a public building or on public grounds which interferes with the peaceful conduct of activities normally carried on in such building or on such grounds. ... (c) It shall be unlawful for any student to remain or loiter upon any portion of the school ground or building, except those specifically designated by assignment, without prior approval of the school principal or other faculty members. (d) Any person violating subsections (a), (b) or (c) of this section who refuses to leave such building or grounds upon request by the proper official or any person aiding, counseling or abetting another to violate subsections (a), (b) or (c) of this section may be fined double the amount in section 70-5 (5). (e) In this section the term "public building" means any building that is a part of the University of Wisconsin system or state universities system and used for any university purpose and any building owned by the state or any county, city, school district or other political subdivision of the state and used for any public purpose. (f) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit peaceful picketing or distribution of handbills.
Full Breakdown
The Municipal Code contains no general street-corner loitering ordinance. The word appears in a handful of place-specific sections, and the widest is Municipal Code § 70-152 (Misconduct on public grounds), in Article V (Offenses Against Peace and Quiet) of Chapter 70. Subsection (a) provides that no person shall commit any act in a public building or on public grounds which interferes with the peaceful conduct of activities normally carried on in such building or on such grounds. Subsection (e) defines "public building" as any building that is part of the University of Wisconsin system or state universities system and used for any university purpose, and any building owned by the state or any county, city, school district or other political subdivision of the state and used for any public purpose.
Subsection (b) keeps people out of school buildings: no person other than a student, member of the faculty, custodial staff or other person entering for a school-related purpose may enter or be on the premises without the express authorization of the principal or a faculty member. Subsection (c) makes it unlawful for any student to remain or loiter upon any portion of the school ground or building, except those specifically designated by assignment, without prior approval of the school principal or other faculty members. Subsection (f) protects peaceful picketing and the distribution of handbills.
Three other sections carry the same idea. Section 34-37 states that no person shall loiter on the grounds of the city cemetery after sunset. Section 74-49 states that no person shall loiter immediately adjacent to or within any public toilet facility. Section 50-122 provides that no persons shall be allowed to congregate in or about an exitway in any public hall, theater, opera house, schoolhouse, church, place of assemblage or place of public resort during a public performance, program, service or entertainment so as to interfere with free use of the exitway when the audience is dismissed. Disorderly conduct in a public or private place is covered separately by § 70-151(a), and curfew loitering by minors by § 70-77.
Violations & Fines
Section 70-5(1) lists § 70-152 at a forfeiture of not less than $25.00 and not more than $100.00, together with costs of prosecution, with county jail not to exceed 20 days in default of payment. Under § 70-152(d), a person who violates subsection (a), (b) or (c) and refuses to leave on request of the proper official, or who aids, counsels or abets another to violate them, can be fined double the amount in section 70-5(5). Sections 34-37, 74-49 and 50-122 print no forfeiture in their own text; for such sections the Code's general penalty in § 1-12(a) is $50.00 to $500.00 plus costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sheboygan have a general loitering law?
What does Section 70-152 prohibit in Sheboygan?
Can I stay in Sheboygan's city cemetery after dark?
What is the penalty for refusing to leave public grounds in Sheboygan?
Is it illegal to crowd an exit at a Sheboygan theater or church?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sheboygan
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