Wausau, WI

Wausau allows up to four hens per residential lot with a City Clerk permit, but bans roosters outright and restricts keeping to specific zoning districts. Coops must sit in the rear…

Wausau bans pet stores from selling, bartering, or giving away any dog or cat under Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.115, a "puppy mill" ordinance adopted in 2023. Stores may still host…

Wausau caps ordinary households at two dogs and three cats over five months old under Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.120(a), but a City Clerk "pet fancier" permit raises the ceiling to…

Wausau bans feeding or baiting deer anywhere in the City under Section 8.08.255, with each day of continued feeding counted as its own violation. The only exception is feeding…

Wausau requires a City Clerk beekeeper permit before keeping any honey bees. Section 8.08.011(c) caps hives at two per premises, requires a minimum one-third acre lot, and sets…

Wausau outlaws keeping dangerous or wild animals, insects and reptiles within the City. Section 8.08.010(a) names bears, wolves and coyotes, big cats, primates, and reptiles over ten…

Wausau has no general pet microchipping law; the only microchip requirement in the Wausau Municipal Code sits inside the dangerous-animal ordinance, § 8.08.200(d)(4) and (e)(1), which…

Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.190 bans letting a dog, cat, or other animal run at large in the city; an animal off its owner's property must be on a leash no longer than six feet, or 16…

Wausau has no breed-specific dog ban; instead, Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.200 lets the Chief of Police declare any individual animal "dangerous" after an unprovoked bite, attack, or…

Wausau caps most residential units at three cats and two dogs over five months old, with a City Clerk pet fancier permit allowing more. Registered feral cat colony caregivers under a…

Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.255 bans feeding or baiting deer anywhere within city limits, a rule aimed at reducing urban deer conflicts in this Marathon County, Wisconsin city. The…

Wausau requires branches overhanging a public street to be trimmed to a 14-foot clearance and branches over a public sidewalk to a 10-foot clearance, and the rule applies to trees on…

Wausau caps grass, weeds and brush at one foot on every property in the City. Section 6.48.010 requires owners and occupants to mow anything taller, folds in the state noxious-weed…

In Wausau, no one may remove, cut down, or otherwise disturb a tree or shrub growing in a public area, street terrace, park, or other City land without a written permit from the City…

Wisconsin has no statute banning rainwater harvesting. Under Wis. Stat. 145.01(10)(br)1, a rainwater gutter or downspout is expressly excluded from the legal definition of "plumbing"…

Wausau requires a building permit before any retaining wall is built or rebuilt, and the Building Inspector can demand engineer- or architect-approved plans before signing off. Owners…

Wausau caps residential fences at four feet in the front or street yard and six feet in the side or rear yard across most residential districts, with eight feet allowed in RH-35 and…

Wausau's zoning code bans rope, wire netting, broken glass, corrugated or galvanized sheet metal, plywood, pallets, and plastic panels in any fence, and forbids permanent chicken wire…

Every fence in Wausau needs the Zoning Administrator's review and approval plus a building permit, unless the design instead triggers a conditional use permit. The only exception is…

Wisconsin Chapter 90 governs partition (line) fences between adjoining owners of farming or grazing land. Adjoining owners generally share the cost equally, and town fence viewers…

Wausau bans consumer fireworks by adopting Wisconsin's fireworks statute, Wis. Stat. § 167.10, into the Municipal Code, so anyone who sets off fireworks without a state permit inside…

Wausau allows recreational fires at single-family and two-family homes only inside a fire pit under Municipal Code § 17.24.020(b), capped at a three-foot diameter and two feet of flame…

Every building in Wausau with one or more residential occupancies or dwelling units must have the minimum smoke detectors required by state law in each occupancy or unit. Municipal…

Wausau bans open burning, refuse burning, burn barrels and outdoor wood boilers citywide under Municipal Code § 17.24.010, with narrow exceptions for grills, propane or gas outdoor…

Wisconsin uniformly regulates propane storage, installation, and handling under Wis. Admin. Code SPS 340, adopting NFPA 58 statewide and preempting inconsistent local rules through…

Wisconsin DNR designates statewide Fire Protection Areas under Wis. Stat. § 26.11 where the agency holds primary wildfire suppression authority and enforces stricter ignition rules…

Wausau deems any vehicle, trailer or mobile home abandoned, and a public nuisance, once it sits unattended on public or private property without the owner's permission for more than 48…

Wausau limits outdoor commercial-vehicle parking on residential lots to one vehicle per dwelling unit, and only if it is used by a resident, weighs 10,000 pounds or less, and runs…

Wausau requires institutional, commercial, industrial, and storage buildings to provide off-street loading space set back at least 50 feet from any residential district and 25 feet…

Wausau bans painting, staining, or marking curbs, pavement, or anything else in the street right-of-way under City of Wausau Municipal Code Section 23.09.30(2)(e). The Common Council…

Wausau bars parking across a marked parking line, so every vehicle must fit entirely within its painted or marked space, under Municipal Code Section 10.20.036, and separately bans…

Wausau bars parking between a house and the street on single- and two-family lots except in a driveway leading to a legal parking space, and front-yard parking outside a driveway is…

Wausau's zoning definition of 'recreational vehicle' covers boats along with travel trailers and motor homes, and section 23.06.06(23)(c) lets an RV or boat sit in a residential yard…

In Wausau, Marathon County, the Police Chief or Director of Public Works can declare a snow removal emergency under Municipal Code § 10.20.040, banning parking wherever parked cars…

Between 2:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., Wausau requires alternate-side parking citywide: vehicles must park on the even side of the street on even-numbered calendar days and the odd side on…

Wisconsin caps what a towing service may charge you after a nonconsensual tow from private property. Wis. Admin. Code § Trans 319.03(1) limits removal to $150 regardless of the…

Wausau lets residents run a home-based business under Municipal Code § 23.03.28(4), but only inside the dwelling or garage, with no more than two clients on-site at a time and a 20…

Wausau caps home-based businesses at two clients on site at any given time, and bars client visits between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., under City Code Section 23.03.28(4)(c)-(d). The rule…

Wausau zoning allows licensed in-home daycare for four to eight children as an accessory use permitted by right in residential districts under Municipal Code § 23.03.28(5). Care for…

Wausau bars any exterior sign or visible trace of a home-based business. Municipal Code § 23.03.28(4)(e) requires 'no exterior evidence of the home occupation' and no exterior…

Wisconsin has only one cottage food exemption written into its statutes, and it is narrow. Wis. Stat. § 97.29(2)(b)2. lets you sell home-canned pickles and other processed fruits or…

Wisconsin has never created a microenterprise home kitchen permit, and it has no exemption that lets you cook meals in your own kitchen and sell them. Wis. Stat. § 97.30(2)(a) requires…

Wausau allows accessory dwelling units on a single-family lot under Municipal Code § 23.03.28(6), capping occupancy at one family plus a roomer or two unrelated people and requiring…

An accessory dwelling unit sharing a lot with a single-family home in Wausau requires the principal building to be owner-occupied. Municipal Code § 23.03.28(6)(e) also bars selling the…

Sheds in Wausau are accessory structures under Title 23 of the Wausau Municipal Code. The City of Wausau Inspections, Zoning and Electrical Systems Division requires a building permit…

Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code (Wis. Stat. ch. 101 and SPS 320-325) sets statewide construction standards for one- and two-family dwellings, including tiny homes built as permanent…

Wausau caps short-term "vacation rental home" bookings at 30 total nights in any 12-month period under City Code Section 23.03.10(14)(a). Beyond that annual limit the dwelling falls…

Wausau bars any vacation rental home from emitting "sounds, odors, dust or vibrations that carry beyond the premises," under City Code Section 23.03.10(14)(d), treating that as part of…

Wausau requires one on-site parking space per bedroom for every vacation rental home, and City Code Section 23.03.10(14)(f) demands that all guest vehicles park on site, not on the…

Wausau caps short-term 'tourist rooming house' occupancy at whatever is lower: the number licensed by the State of Wisconsin, or two guests per bedroom plus two additional occupants…

Wausau requires every tourist rooming house to have a designated operator, either the property owner or a property manager who lives or does business within 25 miles of the rental…

Wausau allows a bed and breakfast only when it is the operator's own home. City Code Section 23.03.10(13)(b) requires the operator/owner to treat the dwelling as a principal residence…

Wisconsin requires short-term rental hosts to collect state sales tax and any local room tax. Wis. Stat. § 66.0615 governs municipal room taxes and caps maximum rates absent…

Wausau requires any outdoor pool not enclosed by a building to be surrounded by a fence between six and eight feet high, set back at least four feet from the pool edge, with no gaps…

Wausau requires a building permit from the Building Inspector before anyone builds, alters, or adds to a private swimming pool deeper than 24 inches. Storable wading pools, shallow…

Wausau Municipal Code § 8.08.230 makes it unlawful to own or harbor any animal whose frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking, or wailing disturbs other people, with a carve-out…

Wausau requires every engine exhaust, from cars to motorboats, to run through a muffler that stops loud or explosive noise, and bans engine or compression brakes citywide except on…

Wausau bans any noise that unreasonably disturbs the peace and quiet of nearby residents, and specifically requires a written Mayor's permit before anyone operates a vehicle-mounted…

Wausau requires every bicycle and motor bicycle operated on its streets, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, routes, or ways to be registered with the Wausau Police Department, and the…

Wausau's Chapter 10.41 bans electric scooters, whether personally owned or rented, from every public sidewalk and City-owned parking ramp, allows them only on a short list of bridges…

Wisconsin splits these two machines apart in the definitions and then treats them completely differently. A low-speed vehicle has a statewide right of the road: under Wis. Stat. s…

Wausau bans skateboards, roller skates, and foot scooters from the entire downtown business district's streets and sidewalks, four named parking ramps, the transit center, and…

Wausau bans drinking or carrying an open container of alcohol on any public street, sidewalk, alley, parking lot or right-of-way, with one narrow carve-out: The 400 Block downtown…

Wausau bans smoking in specific outdoor areas of city parks and city-owned property, including playgrounds, sports fields, swimming pools, the Oak Island Park skate facility, and…

Wausau holds adults civilly responsible for hosting parties where anyone under 21 drinks, even without supplying the alcohol. A host who knowingly permits underage drinking on property…

Wausau Municipal Code § 9.04.050 makes it unlawful to loiter, congregate, wander, or stand on private property posted with a "No Loitering" or "Patrons Only" sign, including in parked…

Wausau makes possessing 25 grams or less of marijuana a municipal violation citywide, whether in public or private, under Municipal Code § 9.04.037. A conviction carries a forfeiture…

Wausau property owners must keep the sidewalk in front of their land clear of snow and ice at all times without waiting for a City notice, and the City can clear it and bill the owner…

Wausau's Building Inspector can order an owner to raze, remove or repair any building so old, dilapidated or unsafe that it is unfit for human use, under Municipal Code Section…

Wausau treats trash, rubbish, rotting lumber and other vermin-breeding debris left on any property, improved or vacant, as a public health nuisance. Section 9.24.030(c) bans the…

Wausau puts the job and the cost of building, replacing, and repairing sidewalks on the owner of the abutting property, with the City covering only crosswalk squares and part of a…

Wausau bans encroaching on or obstructing any street, alley, sidewalk, or public ground under Wausau Municipal Code § 12.44.020, but § 12.44.040 carves out narrow, itemized exceptions…

Placing a canopy, sign, artwork, planter, statue or similar obstruction on a Wausau public street, sidewalk or right-of-way requires a permit from the Public Health and Safety…

Wausau lets residents close one city block for a block party with a Director of Public Works permit filed at least two business days ahead, and residential gatherings must run within a…

Wausau caps street-side parklets, platforms built into on-street parking spaces for restaurant seating, at two per block and only during the May 1 to October 31 warm-weather window. A…

A full-service Wausau restaurant needs a Public Health and Safety Committee permit before setting up an outdoor sidewalk cafe in the public right-of-way. Permits run July 1 to June 30…

Wausau requires payment before using any City park facility, shelter or land carrying an established fee, and bars unlicensed sales or unauthorized posting of bills in parks, under…

Wausau bars mobile food and merchandise vendors from setting up within two blocks of a City-permitted Class I Special Event, or one block of a Class II Special Event, under Wausau…

Wausau requires anyone who wants to use a city street for a parade, procession, or similar public assembly to get a permit from the Chief of Police before the event. Applications must…

When a Wausau trash day falls on New Year's, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, collection shifts to the next business day or to whatever date the collector…

Wausau collects residential solid waste at least once a week on a schedule set by the City-authorized collector, with recycling picked up every other week on the same day. Collection…

Every Wausau residential unit gets one 65-gallon trash cart and one 95-gallon recycling cart from the City's collector at no charge, but a damaged or lost cart costs $75 to replace…

Wausau carts can't sit at curbside more than 20 hours around collection day: not before 3 p.m. the day prior, and gone by 11 a.m. the day after. Carts are also barred from front yards…

Wausau requires every resident to keep solid waste and recyclables inside the City-issued cart at curbside; loose trash isn't allowed except cut-up Christmas trees in January. The City…

Wausau bans dumping waste on public streets, parks and vacant lots, and separately bans dumping on someone else's private property without consent. Violations of the public-dumping…

Wausau defines bulk items as discarded residential items over 50 pounds or too large for a cart, from couches and mattresses to snow blowers and bicycles. Chapter 6.44 requires…

Wausau residents must take yard waste to the City's Chellis Street drop-off site or pay the collector for curbside pickup; it cannot go out mixed with regular trash or recycling carts…

Wausau requires households to separate 15 categories of recyclables, from lead-acid batteries to waste tires, from their trash before it goes in the cart. Mixed loads aren't collected…

Wausau businesses must supply their own watertight, fly-proof dumpsters with tight covers, since the City provides no collection service to nonresidential property. Owners keep…

Wausau bans home-generated needles and other sharps from the regular trash and recycling stream. Municipal Code Section 6.44.090(a)(15) requires them to go to a designated sharps…

Wausau bars leaving outdoor-unsuitable furniture like chairs, sofas and beds exposed on a property, outdoors or on an open porch, when it deteriorates or shelters rodents, under…

Wausau closes every city park from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. under Municipal Code Section 9.20.020(3). The Wausau and Marathon County Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department enforces the…

Wausau bars anyone under 16 from public streets, parks and other public places between midnight and 6:00 a.m. without a parent, guardian or reasonable necessity. First-time contact…

Wausau bars mobile vendors from setting up within 75 feet of a competing storefront's entrance during its business hours, or within 200 feet of school property during school hours, and…

Mobile food vendors need a City license before vending from sidewalks or public streets in Wausau. Applicants must be at least 18, carry $1,000,000.00 in liability insurance, pass a…

Wausau mobile vendors on sidewalks must leave a four-foot pedestrian clearance at all times. The vending unit and its operating area cannot exceed 32 square feet, and unit height is…

Wausau's Historic Preservation Commission designates buildings and sites as local historic landmarks under Municipal Code § 2.82.055, currently naming nine properties including the…

Direct sellers, including peddlers, solicitors and transient merchants, must register with the Wausau City Clerk and hold a license before selling door to door in Marathon County…

Wausau bars direct sellers from calling at any dwelling between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. without an appointment, or at any home posted with a 'No Peddlers' or 'No Solicitors' sign…

Wausau permits gas and charcoal grilling under Municipal Code § 17.24.010(a), but multi-family buildings with three or more separate occupancies cannot run a grill, propane cooking…

Wausau lets tenants abate part of their rent when a landlord fails to fix a 'rent-impairing' housing code violation on time. The Public Health and Safety Committee sets the abatement…

Every owner of a residential rental unit in Wausau must register current contact information with the Division of Inspection and Zoning and pay a $10 one-time fee, then update the file…

Wis. Stat. Sec. 704.17 sets the pre-eviction notice. For nonpayment of rent on a month-to-month tenancy or a lease of one year or less, the landlord gives a 5-day notice to pay or…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0104 and Act 317 prevent municipalities from limiting landlord-tenant relationships beyond state law, including any local just-cause eviction requirement. Eviction…

Wis. Stat. Sec. 704.05(2) lets a landlord enter only on advance notice and at reasonable times to inspect, repair, or show the unit. Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.09(2) makes that…

Under Wis. Stat. Sec. 704.19, either the landlord or tenant may end a month-to-month or other periodic tenancy with at least 28 days' written notice. If rent is payable on a basis less…

Wisconsin prohibits rent control statewide. Wis. Stat. § 66.1015 bars every city, village, town, and county from regulating the amount of rent charged for a residential rental unit…

Wisconsin sets no statutory cap on the amount of a residential security deposit. After a tenancy ends, the landlord must mail or deliver the deposit, less lawful deductions, within 21…

Wisconsin recognizes three adverse-possession tracks. The default under Wis. Stat. Sec. 893.25 is 20 years of uninterrupted possession with no written instrument. Sec. 893.26 shortens…

A rental unit in Wausau with no working door lock is a code violation carrying a 25 to 75 percent rent abatement under the city's rent-impairing violation schedule, which also…

Wausau penalizes landlords who do not install required smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors, citing the state's SPS 321 and 362 codes through a 5 to 25 percent rent abatement per…

Wausau requires an electrical permit before wiring, installing electrical equipment, or altering any wiring system, under Wausau Municipal Code Section 18.05.010. The Electrical…

The City of Wausau requires a building permit signed by the Building Inspector before footing and foundation excavation or before construction, alteration, remodeling, or moving of any…

Wausau requires a plumbing permit from the Plumbing Inspector before installing any plumbing or drainage work, under Wausau Municipal Code Section 19.12.010, and bars use of the…

Before entering a Wausau rental unit, city inspectors need consent from an adult occupant or the owner, or a special inspection warrant, and must mail written notice at least 21 days…

Any tenant or citizen in Wausau can ask the city to inspect a rental property at any time, whether or not the unit sits inside a designated inspection district, under Wausau Municipal…

Wausau runs a regularly scheduled rental-inspection program in designated Neighborhood Stabilization and Enhancement Districts, targeting rental blocks with high code-violation rates…

Wausau's Title 23 zoning code caps how much of a lot can be covered by buildings and paved surface, expressed as a maximum impervious surface ratio in each district's bulk table. In…

Wausau's Title 23 zoning code sets minimum front, side, rear and street-side setbacks for every zoning district in its own bulk table. In the (SR-2) Single Family Residential-2…

Wausau's Title 23 zoning code caps residential building height by district in its bulk regulations table. In the (SR-2) Single Family Residential-2 district, the city's standard…

Wausau requires anyone practicing massage or bodywork therapy in the city to hold a current Wisconsin state license under Wis. Stat. ch. 460, and its own ordinance, Wausau Municipal…

Wausau licenses pawnbrokers through the City Clerk under Wausau Municipal Code ch. 5.52, requiring a $2,500 surety bond and daily electronic transaction reports to the Police…

Wausau requires anyone buying and reselling used goods or secondhand jewelry, or operating a dealer mall or flea market, to hold a City license under Wausau Municipal Code ch. 5.52…

Wausau requires every adult bookstore, adult novelty store or adult video store to hold a City-issued adult-oriented establishment license under Wausau Municipal Code § 5.18.030 before…

Wausau requires a City Clerk retailer license under Wausau Municipal Code § 5.30.020 before selling cigarettes or tobacco products, bars selling tobacco or e-cigarette and vapor…

Wausau flatly bars vehicle and motor repair as a home occupation. Municipal Code § 23.03.28(4)(m) excludes 'the sales or repair of large appliances, vehicles, or motors' from the list…

Any large solar energy system in Wausau, one built to sell power off-site, needs a building permit before installation under City Code Section 23.03.24(2)(g). The application must go…

Wisconsin does not merely limit what a homeowners' association may say about solar. Wis. Stat. § 236.292(2) declares that all restrictions on platted land that prevent or unduly…

Wausau's Rural Holding (RH-35) zoning district exists specifically to protect farming: City Code Section 23.02.20(1) caps density at one home per 35 gross acres and states the…

Wisconsin Statute 823.08 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits by neighbors, requiring courts to dismiss claims unless the farm substantially threatens…

Ailanthus altissima, the tree of heaven, is listed 'Prohibited' on Wausau's zoning code landscaping plant table because it is an invasive non-native species. Any landscaping plan the…

Wausau's zoning code lists buckthorn, multiflora rose, honeysuckle, Japanese barberry, and other invasive species as flatly 'Prohibited' on its landscaping plant table, barring them…

Wausau caps garage and estate sales, also called rummage or yard sales, at four days each, held no more than four times in any 12-month period and no more than two times in any 30-day…

Wausau allows one electronic message sign per site, but only on nonresidential land, under City of Wausau Municipal Code Section 23.09.08. Displays must run static content for at least…

Wausau caps window signs at 50% of any single window's area and 20% of total window area per building facade per story, under City of Wausau Municipal Code Figure 23.09.11b. No sign…

Political signs in Wausau fall under the yard sign category, City of Wausau Municipal Code Section 23.09.05(4)(a) and Figure 23.09.11d. The base limit is 6 square feet and 4 feet tall…

Garage sale signs in Wausau cannot go up within the public right-of-way, including the grass terrace between sidewalk and street. Wausau Municipal Code § 23.03.30(3)(e) also requires…

Marathon County exempts holiday decorations from its exterior lighting standards while they're in season, freeing seasonal displays from the shielding, wattage, and intensity limits…

Wausau bans planting female Populus and female boxelder trees on public street boulevards, requires new trees to stay at least two feet from the curb or sidewalk edge and 20 feet from…

Wausau requires a post-construction runoff permit from the Stormwater Management Administrator before any land-disturbing construction activity of one acre or more, adopted under Wis…

Wausau requires an erosion and sediment control permit before any land-disturbing construction, enforced by the city's Stormwater Management Administrator under Marathon County…

Wisconsin's NR 115 sets minimum shoreland zoning standards along navigable waters, and the Public Trust Doctrine protects Great Lakes shores. Counties must adopt rules at least as…

Wisconsin requires every county, city, and village with mapped floodplains to adopt floodplain zoning meeting NR 116 minimums. Local ordinances must be approved by the DNR and cannot…

Wausau bans billboards outright: City of Wausau Municipal Code Section 23.09.30(1)(g) states no billboards or off-premises advertising signs shall be permitted anywhere in the city, so…

Wausau bars outdoor light fixtures from being aimed so the light element is visible from any residential property, and caps illumination at the property line to 0.50 foot-candles above…

Wausau requires outdoor light fixtures to be full cut-off and downward-facing so no direct light crosses onto neighboring property, and caps mounting height by zoning district, from 8…

Wausau bills a water customer at full metered rate for water lost to a known leak they failed to fix, but adjusts the bill to a lower rate if the loss happened without the customer's…

Wausau taxes hotel and motel rooms rented to transients at 8% of gross receipts under Wausau Municipal Code § 3.25.020, adopted under Wis. Stat. § 66.0615. Every hotelkeeper or motel…

Wausau's Downtown Historic Mixed-Use District carries its own design code built around the area's pedestrian-oriented, Italianate, Romanesque, and Neoclassical storefront character…

Wisconsin has no legal recreational or medical marijuana dispensary program. State law prohibits cannabis sales, so no municipality can authorize dispensary operations through zoning…

Wisconsin prohibits all marijuana cultivation, including for personal use. Growing any cannabis plant is a felony under state controlled substances law. No municipality may authorize…

Wisconsin commercial drone operators follow FAA Part 107. Wis. Stat. 114.045 sets state no-fly zones over prisons, schools, and utilities, and local governments cannot regulate flight…

Wisconsin has a partial drone framework: local governments generally cannot regulate drone flight, but Wis. Stat. 114.045 sets state no-fly zones over prisons, schools, and utilities…

Wisconsin Statute 104.001 expressly preempts cities, villages, towns, and counties from establishing a minimum wage higher than the state minimum, ensuring uniform wage rules across…

Wisconsin Statute 103.10 and 104.001 preempt local paid sick leave ordinances, blocking cities and counties from requiring private employers to provide paid time off beyond state and…

Wisconsin preempts local predictive scheduling and fair workweek ordinances under Wis. Stat. 103.007, ensuring statewide uniformity for employer scheduling practices and forbidding…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0409 broadly preempts local firearm regulation, barring cities, villages, towns, and counties from enacting ordinances stricter than state law on possession…

Wisconsin permits adults at least 18 who are not prohibited persons to openly carry firearms in public without a permit, with statewide preemption blocking local restrictions on lawful…

Wisconsin Statute 941.23 makes carrying a concealed handgun in a vehicle without a CCW license a misdemeanor, while open carry and licensed concealed carry inside vehicles are lawful…

Wisconsin requires footings and foundations to sit below the frost penetration level or at least 48 inches below adjacent grade, whichever is deeper, so 48 inches is a floor, not a…

Wisconsin's dwelling code sets minimum roof snow loads from a state zone map and does not state a ground snow load at all, which is the opposite of how most states publish the figure.

Wisconsin bans gambling as a crime, but Wis. Stat. § 563.11(1) lets bona fide religious, charitable, service, fraternal, or veterans organizations apply to the Department of…

Wisconsin's gambling code has no carve-out for private social games. Wis. Stat. § 945.01(1) defines 'bet' and lists eight exceptions, business deals, contest prizes, bingo, pari-mutuel…

Wisconsin has no commercial sportsbook law. Wis. Stat. § 945.02 makes placing any bet a Class B misdemeanor unless it fits a listed exception, and § 945.01(1)(h), added by 2025…

Wisconsin has no comprehensive non-condo HOA act. Condominium associations get a statutory assessment lien under Wis. Stat. § 703.165 that is foreclosed like a mortgage. Non-condo HOAs…

Wisconsin condominiums run through an association of unit owners under Wis. Stat. § 703.15, which sets meeting-notice, proxy, and voting rules. Non-condo HOAs are governed as nonstock…

Wisconsin overrides anti-solar and anti-wind HOA restrictions by statute. Wis. Stat. § 236.292 voids restrictions on platted land that prevent or unduly restrict solar or wind energy…

Wisconsin protects flag display through two separate statutes, and which one applies depends on whether you own a condominium unit or a lot in a covenanted subdivision. Wis. Stat. §…

Wisconsin sets no dollar cap on association fines and requires no hearing before one is imposed. For condominiums, Wis. Stat. § 703.24(2) makes a unit owner liable for any charges…

Only Wisconsin condominium associations hold a statutory collection lien. Wis. Stat. § 703.165(3) gives the association a lien for unpaid assessments if it files a statement of…

Wisconsin runs the opposite way from states that shield owners who lease. Wis. Stat. § 703.10(3) expressly authorizes condominium bylaws to carry any restriction on the use of the…

You will not meet an OWI checkpoint in Wisconsin. Wis. Stat. § 349.02(2)(a) forbids a police officer, sheriff, deputy sheriff, traffic officer or motor vehicle inspector from stopping…

Wisconsin is a one-party consent state. Wis. Stat. § 968.31(2)(c) makes it lawful for a person not acting under color of law to intercept a wire, electronic or oral communication when…

Wisconsin has no general stop-and-identify offense. Wis. Stat. § 968.24 lets an officer who has first identified himself or herself as law enforcement stop you in a public place, for a…

Wisconsin is unusual in codifying the grounds for a search at all. Wis. Stat. § 968.10 says a search may be made and things seized only when it is incident to a lawful arrest, with…

Wisconsin Statute 134.66 bars selling cigarettes and tobacco to anyone under 18 and vapor products to anyone under 21. The federal Tobacco 21 law independently requires all tobacco and…

Wisconsin has not enacted a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or vapor products; sales of menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes remain lawful under Wis. Stat. 134.66 subject to…

Wisconsin's rule on extra lighting is a colour rule with a count attached. Wis. Stat. § 347.07(2) bars operating any vehicle on a highway displaying a colour other than white or amber…

Wisconsin never legislated dash cams, so the governing rule is the windshield rule, and Wisconsin's version is a closed list. Wis. Admin. Code § Trans 305.34(6) bars any posters…

Wisconsin has never legislated lane splitting in either direction. The phrases "lane splitting" and "between lanes" appear nowhere in chs. 340 to 351, the whole Wisconsin Vehicle Code…

Wisconsin attacks plate covers from two directions. Wis. Stat. s. 341.61 (3) makes it an offence carrying a forfeiture of up to $500 to place any substance on a plate that hinders its…

A radar detector is lawful in a private car in Wisconsin. The phrase "radar detector" appears nowhere in the Wisconsin Statutes or the Wisconsin Administrative Code, and the equipment…

Wisconsin gives ordinary drivers no studded-tire season at all. Wis. Stat. s. 347.45 (2) bans any block, stud, flange, cleat, spike or other non-rubber protuberance that projects…

Wisconsin puts its tint numbers in the Department of Transportation's equipment rules, not in the statute book. Aftermarket film on the vent and front side windows must still pass at…