Kenosha County, WI Public Conduct: Public Urination (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 8.02(6)(c)
- Applies to
- County-licensed cabarets, unincorporated county only
- Penalty
- $250-$500 forfeiture per offense, § 8.02(11)
- Jail default
- Up to 60 days if unpaid
- License risk
- Revocation hearing under § 8.02(7)
- Appeal window
- 15 days to Board of Supervisors
Summary
Kenosha County Code § 8.02(6)(c) requires every county cabaret licensee to maintain "good order," and defines a lack of good order to include patrons urinating in public, persistent loud noise, profanity, and fighting. The rule binds Class B liquor or beer license holders that hold a county cabaret license in the unincorporated county; it is a licensing condition, not a general public-urination ban covering the City of Kenosha or the public generally.
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, using profane language or fighting.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 37 (2026), passed March 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
02(1). 02(6) lists the operating conditions attached to that license. Subsection (c) requires the licensee to maintain "good order" at all times and defines, without limiting the term to only these examples, a lack of good order to include persistent loud noises to the annoyance or detriment of surrounding property owners, patrons urinating in public, profane language, or fighting. Because the clause sits inside the cabaret chapter, it functions as a license condition rather than a general public-urination offense reaching every county resident or location; it applies to licensed cabaret premises in the unincorporated county, not to the City of Kenosha or the villages, which run their own liquor and entertainment codes.
02(7): a recorded hearing before the county Judiciary and Law Enforcement Committee, preceded by ten days' written notice, with the licensee's fee forfeited if the license is revoked. A revoked licensee can appeal in writing to the Board of Supervisors within 15 days, and may reapply after one year on a first revocation, or after five years on a second.
Violations & Fines
Section 8.02(11) sets the cabaret ordinance penalty at a forfeiture of not less than $250 nor more than $500 per offense, plus costs of prosecution; unpaid forfeitures and costs can mean up to 60 days in the county jail. Beyond a straight fine, the county can revoke the cabaret license itself after a hearing under § 8.02(7), forfeiting the license fee and barring reapplication for one to five years depending on the violation history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is public urination illegal everywhere in Kenosha County?
What happens if a cabaret lets patrons urinate in public?
Does this rule apply inside the City of Kenosha?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha County
Compare Kenosha County to another location·View the Wisconsin public conduct overview
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