Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules in Wisconsin (2026)

Property owners are responsible for keeping the public sidewalk in front of their lot safe, and Beloit Code of…

Burlington's Department of Public Works inspects sidewalks in Common Council-designated areas every year and orders…

De Pere Code § 22-6 puts sidewalk repair on the abutting property owner once the board of public works orders it, with…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin's housing code puts sidewalk repair on notice, not a fixed calendar: once the building inspection…

State law puts the job of fixing broken or defective public sidewalks on the abutting property owner, and Green Bay's…

Kenosha's declared policy puts the cost of keeping public sidewalks in repair on the abutting property owner, not the…

Property owners in Little Chute must repair or replace an unsafe or defective sidewalk fronting their lot once the…

Madison General Ordinances § 10.09 adopts Wisconsin's sidewalk-repair statute, Wis. Stat. § 66.0907, and lets property…

Middleton puts the duty to build, repair and perpetually maintain public sidewalks on the abutting property owner, who…

Milton Code § 66-91 puts the duty to build and perpetually maintain an abutting sidewalk on the property owner, at the…

Milwaukee reconstructs failing sidewalks through the Department of Public Works and specially assesses the abutting…

In the City of Mosinee, section 70-73 puts the duty to build, repair and perpetually maintain the sidewalk fronting a…

The Village of Rothschild pays the full cost of building a new sidewalk, but after that the Village and the abutting…

The property owner abutting a public sidewalk in Sun Prairie must build and perpetually maintain it at their own cost…

Waukesha pays to replace a public sidewalk it decides needs replacing, but abutting property owners pay for the…

Wausau puts the job and the cost of building, replacing, and repairing sidewalks on the owner of the abutting property…

In Wauwatosa, the owner of every lot or tract of land adjoining a public sidewalk must keep that sidewalk in good and…

West Allis places maintenance of the public strip between a property line and the street, including the sidewalk, on…

In Neenah, the City, not the abutting property owner, pays to fix a hazardous sidewalk caused by cracking, unevenness…

No one may block a Green Bay street, alley, or sidewalk with equipment, dumpsters, or materials without an obstruction…

Little Chute bans encroaching on or obstructing any village street, alley, sidewalk, or public ground, with narrow…

County trunk highway rights-of-way in Racine County cannot be blocked with landscaping, crops, debris, or altered…

No one may build steps, platforms, fences, or other encroachments into a Waukesha street, alley, or sidewalk without…

Appleton bans standing, sitting, lying down or otherwise occupying a street or sidewalk in a way that obstructs…

Ashwaubenon bars anyone from encroaching on, obstructing, or encumbering a street, alley, sidewalk, or other public…

Placing anything in a Beloit street, sidewalk or terrace that blocks or encumbers it is prohibited under Beloit Code of…

Burlington's Code bars anyone from piling rubbish, wood, dirt, or any other impediment on a sidewalk, street, or alley…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin defines obstructing a street or sidewalk right-of-way as placing any object there that hinders…

Kenosha caps how far a permitted sidewalk obstruction, such as a display rack or outdoor table, can intrude into the…

Madison General Ordinances § 10.23 makes it unlawful to unnecessarily obstruct any street, alley, crosswalk, terrace or…

Middleton bars anyone from obstructing, encroaching on or encumbering a public street, alley, sidewalk or other public…

Milton Code § 66-171 bars anyone from encroaching on or obstructing any street, alley, sidewalk or public ground in the…

Milwaukee bans piling, building, or leaving obstructions on any sidewalk or public way that block free public passage…

Milwaukee County requires a director-of-public-works permit before anyone places material, equipment, sheds, fences, or…

Sec. 54-40 bars blocking a Mosinee sidewalk or street so a pedestrian or vehicle cannot pass. Standing, sitting or…

Neenah bars standing, sitting, loafing or loitering on any street, sidewalk, bridge or public ground when it blocks…

New Berlin bars anyone from encroaching on or obstructing a street, alley, sidewalk, or other public ground, including…

Oneida County bans placing or leaving any obstacle, structure or material on a public highway or highway right-of-way…

Rothschild bans placing building materials, rubbish, or displayed goods on a public sidewalk or street without a…

Sun Prairie bans encroaching on or obstructing any street, alley, sidewalk or public ground, including letting an…

Washington County bars anyone from encroaching on, under or over a county highway right-of-way with a fence, stand…

Wausau bans encroaching on or obstructing any street, alley, sidewalk, or public ground under Wausau Municipal Code §…

Wauwatosa's disorderly conduct chapter makes it unlawful to obstruct or interfere with the free use of or travel on…

West Allis bars blocking a public sidewalk with vehicles, chutes or ramps, and requires overhanging tree branches to…

Winnebago County's Highway Department can remove any object or obstruction placed in the right-of-way next to a…

Anyone who wants to excavate, construct in, or otherwise occupy Appleton's public right-of-way needs a permit from the…

Anyone digging, placing facilities, or otherwise using the Village right-of-way in Ashwaubenon must register with the…

Building a canopy, railing or other structure that projects into a Beloit street beyond what the Building Code allows…

Anyone who wants to dig, build, or place equipment, a dumpster, or a construction vehicle in a Burlington street…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin bars any sign from sitting within or over a public street right-of-way unless the applicant first…

Placing any banner, sign, decoration or physical obstruction in a Kenosha public right-of-way requires written…

Milwaukee County requires a special privilege from the county board plus a director-of-public-works permit before any…

The City of Mosinee requires a special privilege permit from the common council before anyone builds a private…

Placing poles, wires, pipes, conduits or other equipment in a Rothschild street, sidewalk or other public right-of-way…

West Allis requires a City Engineer temporary occupancy permit, or a Common Council 'privilege' for anything lasting 90…

Placing anything in De Pere's street right-of-way that is not already covered by another city permit requires a…

In unincorporated Fond du Lac County, no structure, object or growth may be built, placed or planted within a county…

Digging up the curb strip, running a utility line, or connecting a service pipe under a Green Bay street or sidewalk…

Placing fixtures on a sidewalk next to a Little Chute business requires a permit from the building inspector, limited…

Any awning, vault, sign, or other fixture that projects past a Madison property's lot line into the street right-of-way…

Placing construction machinery, materials, or a moving or storage container in a Middleton street, alley or other…

The City of Milton lets a property owner temporarily occupy a street, alley or sidewalk for construction or…

Milwaukee requires a permit from the commissioner of city development, with a fee set in Code § 200-33, before…

Occupying a Neenah sidewalk for construction requires a joint permit from the Director of Public Works and the Chief of…

Racine County requires a written access permit before anyone builds a driveway, excavates, or installs a culvert in a…

Property owners in Sun Prairie's B-4 business district can get a director-of-public-works permit to place a temporary…

No one may excavate, alter a highway or bridge, run utility lines, or build or change a driveway within a Walworth…

Before contractors place building material or equipment such as scaffolding, cranes, or hoisting machines on a Waukesha…

Nobody may build a driveway or alter ditches, culverts, signs, berms, fences, landscaping or retaining walls inside a…

Placing a canopy, sign, artwork, planter, statue or similar obstruction on a Wausau public street, sidewalk or…

No one may encroach on Wauwatosa city land, a right-of-way or an easement, including the strip behind the curb where…

Winnebago County requires a Highway Commission permit before any utility line is installed, reinstalled, or run under…