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

Sec. 14-61 of the Jefferson County Code prohibits possessing 25 grams or less of marijuana, using the state's own definition of marijuana at Wis. 01(14) and carrying forward the exceptions listed in Wis. 41(3g). The ordinance is deliberately narrow: it stops applying the moment a person is instead charged with possessing more than 25 grams, or is charged with possessing any amount after already having a marijuana possession conviction, either of which routes the case to state prosecution rather than a county forfeiture citation. Violating the section is penalized under the general penalty procedure of Sec.

00, plus court costs and any statutory surcharges under Wis. ch. 814. Because Sec. 14-61 targets possession rather than a location, it reaches marijuana found on a person anywhere within unincorporated Jefferson County, including in county parks and along roadways, and is enforced by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office through the uniform citation procedure. A defendant who does not pay the forfeiture and costs can be held in the county jail until it is satisfied, the same collection mechanism used for the code's other citable offenses in Chapter 14.