Rothschild, WI Public Conduct: Loud Party Ordinance (2026)

Village Code Article II of Chapter 357 was adopted March 26, 2012 specifically to hold hosts civilly and criminally responsible for underage drinking events. Section 357-10 makes it unlawful for any person to host or allow an event or gathering, defined in § 357-9 as three or more people assembled for a social occasion, at any residence, premises, or other public or private property where alcohol is present, if the host knowingly permits underage consumption or possession and fails to take reasonable steps to stop it.

The host need not be present or have supplied the alcohol to be liable; control over the property or the event is enough. C. Section 357-11 carves out three exceptions: conduct solely between an underage person and a present, controlling parent, legally protected religious observances, and situations where underage possession happens lawfully during the course of employment. Penalties under § 357-12 are steep for a village this size: a forfeiture of not less than $1,000 nor more than $5,000, plus costs of prosecution, for each violation.

The ordinance defines PARENT to include natural, adoptive, and stepparents as well as legal guardians, and defines PREMISES broadly to reach public property, parks, and rented hotel or motel rooms, not just private homes.