Madison cannot impose a straws-on-request mandate because Wis. Stat. §66.0419 preempts local container and accessory regulation; Madison restaurants may voluntarily adopt the practice but face no city requirement.
California and Washington require restaurants to give straws only upon request, and Seattle banned plastic straws outright. Madison cannot adopt either approach because Wisconsin's auxiliary-container preemption sweeps broadly enough to cover straws and stirrers as accessory items. Many Madison restaurants, especially downtown and on State Street near UW-Madison, have voluntarily switched to paper straws or by-request models. ADA accommodations for diners who need flexible straws remain a federal civil-rights matter regardless. Sustainability Madison promotes voluntary commitments through its Sustainable Madison Committee, and large university dining services on UW-Madison's campus follow their own Office of Sustainability rules that are stricter than the city's.
There are no enforceable straw violations because Madison has no straw ordinance; any future mandate would conflict with Wis. Stat. §66.0419 and be invalid under standard preemption analysis.
Madison, WI
Wisconsin Act 302 (2016), codified at Wis. Stat. §66.0419, preempts any Madison ordinance regulating, banning, or charging fees on single-use plastic carryou...
Madison, WI
Madison cannot mandate that restaurants provide single-use utensils only upon request, because Wis. Stat. §66.0419 preempts local rules on auxiliary food-ser...
See how Madison's plastic straw rules rules stack up against other locations.
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