Dodge County, WI Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

Dodge County's code does not single out public marijuana use as its own offense. Section 9.01 adopts by reference the Wisconsin Statutes it lists with a "9" prefix, including "9.961.41(3g), Possess or attempt to possess marijuana (25 grams or less)," so § 961.41(3g), Wis. Stats., becomes enforceable as a county peace-and-order offense covering possession anywhere in the unincorporated area, not only in public places. Under § 9.01, the penalty for any of these adopted offenses is capped at a forfeiture imposed under § 30.04 rather than the criminal penalty the state statute otherwise carries when charged directly by the state.

The county's cash deposit schedule at § 30.04(4)(b) sets a $500.00 base deposit for a 9.961.41(3g) violation, which totals $767.50 once the $25.00 court cost, a $130.00 penalty surcharge computed at 26 percent, a $10.00 jail surcharge, $13.00 for the crime lab and drug fund, $68.00 in court support fees, and $21.50 for justice information are added. That $500.00/$767.50 tier is the same level the schedule uses for battery and carrying a concealed weapon, among the highest in the deposit table. A related offense, possession of synthetic cannabinoids under § 9.961.41(3g)(em), carries an identical $500.00 deposit and $767.50 total.

Because this is a county-level forfeiture adopted from a state statute, Dodge County Sheriff's Office deputies issue the citation, and the case proceeds through the county's non-criminal citation and deposit process rather than a criminal court docket, so long as the offense is charged at the county level.