Middleton, WI Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- Section 7.13(1)(g)4 "good order"
- Scope
- Licensed adult-entertainment premises only
- Citywide offense
- None found for general public urination
- Forfeiture range
- $150 to $2,000 per offense
- License risk
- Suspension or revocation for repeat breaches
Summary
Middleton's public-urination rule lives inside its adult entertainment ordinance rather than a general nuisance chapter: Section 7.13(1)(g)4 lists patrons urinating in public as a breach of the "good order" every licensed entertainment venue must keep. Outside of licensed adult-entertainment premises, the City Code does not separately criminalize public urination.
4.Good order shall be maintained at all times. Without limitation due to enumeration, a lack of "good order" for purposes of this Section shall be deemed to include persistent loud noises to the annoyance or detriment of surrounding property owners, patrons urinating in public, profane language and/or fighting.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 3 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
13(1)(g) sets the operating standards every establishment licensed for live adult entertainment must follow in Middleton, covering everything from dancer distance from patrons to closing hours. Item 4 of that subsection requires the license holder to maintain "good order" at all times and defines a lack of good order, without limiting the term to only what is listed, to include persistent loud noise that annoys neighboring property owners, patrons urinating in public, profane language, and fighting. That means the specific ban on public urination is written into the good-order standard for licensed venues such as adult cabarets, adult motion picture theaters, or premises hosting live nude or semi-nude performances, not as a freestanding citywide offense that applies on a public sidewalk, park or street corner outside those licensed premises.
08, addresses animal defecation on public sidewalks and terraces, but the Municipal Code contains no comparable general provision addressing human public urination or defecation outside the adult-entertainment good-order rule. 13, exposing the establishment to the Section's penalty and license-discipline provisions.
Violations & Fines
A licensed adult entertainment establishment that allows patrons to urinate in public as part of a good-order failure under Section 7.13(1)(g)4 is subject to the Section's forfeiture, not less than $150.00 nor more than $2,000.00 per offense, and repeat violations can trigger suspension, non-renewal or revocation of the license by the Common Council after a hearing under Section 7.13(1)(j).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Middleton have a law against public urination?
What happens if a bar patron urinates in public in Middleton?
Is there a City rule for animal waste but not human public urination?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Middleton
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Public Urination in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dane County handle public urination.