Wausau, WI Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

035(a) prohibits riding, pushing, or traveling on roller skates, skateboards, or foot scooters across several defined zones. The first is the entire downtown business district, bounded by the sidewalk north of Grant Street between Fifth and First Streets, the sidewalk west of First Street between Grant and Forest Streets, the sidewalk south of Forest Street between First and Fifth Streets, and the sidewalk east of Fifth Street between Forest and Grant Streets, meaning both the streets and every sidewalk ringing that core are off-limits. The ban also covers four City-operated parking ramps by name (the Sears, Penneys, McClellan Street, and Jefferson Street ramps), any private property without the owner's or lessee's permission, City streets outside downtown, park buildings and facilities not intended for that use such as tennis courts, benches, bleachers, and docks near boat landings, and the transit center property bounded by Jefferson, North Sixth, Washington, and North Fifth Streets.

Subsection (a)(4) carves out one narrow exception for in-line skates ("Rollerblades"): they may be used on City streets outside downtown where no sidewalk is available, a leeway the ordinance does not extend to skateboards or push scooters. Subsection (b) defines "roller skate" to include Rollerblades and in-line skates, "skateboard" as a board on wheels a rider stands on and propels with a foot, and "scooter" as a narrow footboard between two wheels with an upright steering handle. The ordinance traces back to Ordinance 61-4620 (1987) and was last amended by Ordinance 61-5293 in 2006.