Wauwatosa, WI

Wauwatosa bans parking any vehicle on any street or alley citywide between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. The only ways around it are telephonic permission from the police department for a…

Wauwatosa requires every vehicle parked on a city street to sit parallel to the curb, facing the direction of traffic, on the right side of the road, with its right wheels within…

Trucks, commercial vehicles, or trailers over five thousand pounds (including the load) cannot park on any Wauwatosa street between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays, or between…

Wauwatosa doesn't set fixed loading-zone hours; instead it runs a permit system under Chapter 12.32. A 'loading zone' is street space reserved for loading or unloading, and any…

Wauwatosa treats any vehicle left standing on a street, alley, or public or private place for more than seventy-two hours as abandoned, and the police chief can have it towed and…

Wauwatosa declares a snow emergency whenever 3+ inches of snow falls in 24 hours or less, and bans on-street parking citywide one hour after the city broadcasts the announcement on at…

Wauwatosa limits recreational vehicles, defined to include campers, jet skis, boats and trailers, to two per residential lot outside an enclosed building. RVs cannot be stored in the…

Wauwatosa's zoning code requires every residential vehicle to sit in a garage, on a paved parking slab, or on a paved driveway running directly from the street to the garage or slab…

Wauwatosa allows private EV chargers as a by-right accessory use in every zoning district and public chargers as accessory to nonresidential uses everywhere. Multi-unit developments…

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…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.46.030 bars using or operating any voice-amplification or sound-reproducing device on a public street or from an aircraft, and separately bans…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.46.040 Animals bars keeping any animal or bird that habitually disturbs the peace and quiet of neighbors by noise, which is the operative…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.48.040 bars any unnecessary or unreasonably loud or harsh sound from an automobile horn or other warning device, and separately bars loud, excessive…

Wauwatosa bars loud or disturbing construction noise between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at any hour on Sunday, under Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section…

Wauwatosa allows up to four hens, no roosters, on a residential lot with a city permit and written consent from every adjoining and diagonally abutting neighbor. Chicken eggs cannot be…

Wauwatosa's code bans keeping swine, horses, ponies and other nonhousehold pets, the catch-all Section 9.08.010 uses for exotic and farm-type animals, within 100 feet of any public…

Wauwatosa enforces the state's wildlife-feeding rule locally: § 9.12.020 adopts Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 19.60, 'Feeding of Wild Animals,' by reference into city law, including…

Wauwatosa allows honey beekeeping in residential districts with a city permit, capped at two hives per lot plus a temporary third for splitting. Section 9.04.080 requires flyway…

Wauwatosa bars every pet store in the city from selling dogs or cats. Section 9.06.020 prohibits pet stores from selling, delivering, offering for sale, bartering, auctioning, giving…

Wauwatosa bans keeping a vicious dog inside the city outright and imposes strict confinement, signage and insurance rules on any dog declared dangerous. The health and police…

Wauwatosa dogs cannot run loose on or off the owner's property. Section 9.04.020 requires every dog to stay confined by a leash, pen or electronic fence on the owner's lot, and caps a…

Wauwatosa caps any residence, apartment, yard or property at three cats or dogs combined, animals over three months old. Section 9.04.020 declares keeping more than three a public…

Wauwatosa requires every cat over five months old to carry an annual city license, displayed on the collar, and bars cats from running at large or being abandoned anywhere in the city…

Wauwatosa classifies pet grooming as a Sales & Grooming use under the Animal Services category, permitted by right only in the CO, C1 and C2 commercial districts and a handful of…

Wauwatosa permits veterinary clinics by right in its commercial and industrial districts, CO, C1, C2, M1 and M2, plus SP-RP and two mixed-use districts. Like other animal services…

Wauwatosa requires a fence or solid barrier at least three and a half feet tall around any pool or body of water two feet deep or more, with no gap larger than six inches square, and…

Wauwatosa requires a building permit before excavating for, constructing, installing or enlarging any pool, pond or other body of water two feet deep or more, treating them as…

Wauwatosa lets you skip a building permit for a storage shed, play structure or other accessory structure only if it stays at or under 100 square feet and 12 feet in height. Anything…

Wauwatosa allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot on properties with a detached, semi-detached, attached, or two-unit house under Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 24.10.075. A detached…

Wauwatosa has no ordinance called "tiny homes," but its Cottage Court standards, which the code itself labels a "dwelling-cottage/tiny home court," cap each dwelling building at 1,800…

Every Wauwatosa property owner along a public street or sidewalk must trim overhanging tree limbs to keep at least an eight-foot clear space above the street or sidewalk, and the city…

No one may plant, cut, prune, remove, disturb the roots of, or spray any tree or shrub growing in a Wauwatosa public highway without a written permit from the board of park…

Backyard compost piles and yard waste holding bins are allowed in Wauwatosa without a permit, as long as they don't smell, attract rodents, or blight the neighborhood, sit at least ten…

Wauwatosa's landscaping code allows native plants as an approved material for required landscape areas. Under Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 24.12.050, required landscaping may be covered…

Wauwatosa enforces maximum grass and weed height, typically 8 to 12 inches. Overgrown properties subject to code compliance action and city abatement.

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"…

Retaining walls that abut public property in Wauwatosa must stay structurally sound and can't dump mud, gravel or debris onto sidewalks, streets or alleys, per Municipal Code Section…

Wauwatosa's fence code bans barbed wire, razor wire, electrically charged fencing and agricultural wire (except around plants and gardens) in every zoning district, along with wood or…

Wauwatosa caps fence height by yard location: rear and side yards not facing a street allow up to six feet without a permit, side yards not abutting a street cap at four and a half…

Wauwatosa requires a fence permit whenever a fence exceeds the exempt heights set in Section 15.28.020, including most front-yard fences and any fence over four and a half feet along…

Milwaukee County sets no neighbor fence rules. Boundary-line fences on residential land follow municipal zoning, while Wisconsin's statewide partition-fence law governs shared fences…

Wauwatosa bars burning leaves, lawn or garden refuse anywhere in the city, public or private, under Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 14.26.010. Section 14.24.010 separately makes it…

A permanent outdoor fireplace in Wauwatosa must sit in a location that meets the city's standard building setback rules, and must stay under constant adult supervision whenever it…

Wauwatosa bans all fireworks without a permit under Ordinance 14.32.030, including sparklers, caps, and snakes. Permits are only issued by the Common Council for organized festivals or…

Smoke detector rules in Milwaukee County come from Wisconsin state law, Wis. Stat. 101.145, not a county ordinance. Owners must install detectors in the basement, at each stairway…

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…

Wauwatosa allows home occupations as an accessory use to a residential dwelling under Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 24.10.020, but the business must stay subordinate to the home's…

Wauwatosa caps every home occupation at three people on site at once, including the resident owner. Under Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 24.10.020, up to two nonresident employees…

Wauwatosa allows a home-based day care serving up to 8 children or adults as a permitted, by-right accessory use in every residential zoning district, no conditional use permit needed…

Milwaukee County does not regulate cottage food. Selling homemade foods is governed by Wisconsin state law and DATCP, including the Wis. Stat. 97.29 'pickle bill' exemption for…

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…

Wauwatosa requires a local permit under Municipal Code §8.62 before operating any short-term rental. Application and pre-inspection must both be completed before operating. Review…

Milwaukee County does not require short-term rentals to be a host's primary residence. State law bars local governments from banning rentals of 7 or more days, and any residency-based…

Milwaukee County imposes no occupancy cap on short-term rentals. Guest limits, where they exist, come from the host municipality's ordinance and from state tourist rooming house safety…

Milwaukee County does not impose a room tax. Short-term stays in the county carry a 3% basic room tax through the Wisconsin Center Tax District (7% additional in the City of…

Milwaukee County does not require a host to be present during a stay. State law protects whole-home rentals of 7 or more days, so unhosted short-term rentals are allowed; any…

Milwaukee County imposes no annual limit on rental nights. State law lets a municipality cap only rentals of 6 to 30 days, and only at no fewer than 180 days a year; rentals of 7 or…

Anyone who wants to close a Wauwatosa street for a parade, block party, civic celebration or similar function needs a permit from the chief of police under Municipal Code Section…

Wauwatosa lets the police chief issue permits under Chapter 12.40 to temporarily close a street for a block party, defined at Section 7.50.020 as an event closing one block without…

Placing tables and chairs on the public sidewalk in Wauwatosa to serve food or drinks requires a sidewalk cafe permit under Chapter 6.38. The Board of Public Works approves permits…

Reserving a Wauwatosa city park for an event requires a written use permit from the director of public works under § 7.64.030. The application must list the sponsor, requested day and…

In Wauwatosa, the owner of every lot or tract of land adjoining a public sidewalk must keep that sidewalk in good and safe condition. Neglect draws a five-dollar penalty for each…

No one may encroach on Wauwatosa city land, a right-of-way or an easement, including the strip behind the curb where sidewalks sit, without common council authorization. Municipal Code…

Wauwatosa's disorderly conduct chapter makes it unlawful to obstruct or interfere with the free use of or travel on public sidewalks, streets or rights-of-way, and separately bars…

A Wauwatosa water customer who reports and repairs a leak on the customer's side of the meter within fifteen days of the bill can get the water superintendent to adjust that quarter's…

Wauwatosa does not issue its own massage therapist license. Instead, City Code Chapter 6.45 requires anyone practicing massage therapy or bodywork therapy under Wis. Stat. Chapter 460…

Wauwatosa requires anyone operating a fixed-location secondhand goods business to hold a city secondhand dealer license, undergo a police background check, and report every reportable…

Wauwatosa treats pawnbrokers as a category of secondhand dealer: a pawnbroker must hold the city's secondhand dealer license under Chapter 6.55 and separately comply with the state…

Selling cigarettes, vaping devices or tobacco products in Wauwatosa requires a license from the city clerk under Chapter 6.10, and any new vape or tobacco shop also faces a strict…

Wauwatosa licenses tattoo parlors and body piercing studios by adopting Wisconsin's own body art law wholesale. Municipal Code Chapter 8.16, adopted February 25, 2025, folds Wis. Stat…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 24.10.020 bans vehicle and engine repair as a home occupation outright. Repairing or assembling autos, motorcycles, snowmobiles, outboard motors, lawn…

Wauwatosa bans sex bookstores, adult theaters, sexual device stores and cabarets featuring nude or semi-nude dancers outright citywide. The prohibition can only be waived if the site…

Milwaukee County will only dispatch pre-qualified towing vendors to freeway breakdowns, and bans towing operators from soliciting business or stopping at crash scenes on county…

Wauwatosa requires door-to-door peddlers, solicitors and transient merchants, called 'direct sellers,' to register with the police department, pay an annual fee, submit to a background…

Wauwatosa bars registered direct sellers from calling at any home between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. without an appointment, from approaching a home posted with a 'No Peddlers' or 'No…

Wauwatosa's controlled substances chapter bars possessing any amount of marijuana or a derivative unless obtained directly from, or under a valid prescription from, a licensed…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.48.020 lets police summarily abate and close any public or private party that becomes boisterous, noisy or turbulent enough to disturb the…

Wauwatosa bans drinking alcohol on public streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks or other public places unless the spot is licensed under Section 6.08.090, and bars carrying an open…

Wauwatosa doesn't outlaw crossing mid-block outright; instead § 11.20.040 says a pedestrian who crosses anywhere other than a marked or unmarked crosswalk forfeits the right-of-way to…

Wauwatosa bars loitering and prowling anywhere in the city under Chapter 7.56 of the municipal code. An officer must first give a person a chance to explain their presence before any…

Milwaukee County bans smoking inside or within 30 feet of any entrance or exit of a county-owned enclosed facility, and in any vehicle owned or leased by the county, under General…

Milwaukee County bans skateboarding on sidewalks, walkways, and any park area the county board designates and posts with no-skateboarding signs.

Wauwatosa handles code complaints two ways: nuisance complaints trigger inspections by the police chief, fire chief, health officer or public works director under Chapter 7.18, while…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.46.100 bars operating or maintaining any air moving, conditioning or cooling equipment so it causes unusual or excessive noise disturbing the…

Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 7.46.110 bars any unnecessary or unreasonably loud or harsh sound from loading or unloading merchandise at stores between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. that…

Wauwatosa taxes transient lodging at 7 percent of gross receipts, a rule that has applied to hotel keepers, motel operators and anyone else renting rooms to the public since June 1…

Wauwatosa defines any push cart, trailer, food truck or movable vehicle selling food as a mobile food establishment under Section 8.32.160, and requires both a food license and a…

Wauwatosa's code starts from a flat ban on mobile food vending on public streets, then carves out a licensed exception. Operators need both a food license and a mobile food…

Food trucks cannot park to vend in Wauwatosa's residential zoning districts at all, beyond a five-minute stop, under Section 8.32.160. In nonresidential districts they're allowed, but…

Wauwatosa's pest control chapter requires property owners to eliminate rat harborage, rat-proof buildings, and keep premises free of rodent infestation. The health officer and health…

Wauwatosa adopts the Wisconsin State Electrical Code, SPS 316, by reference and requires a permit and a licensed electrician for most wiring work. The electrical inspector runs…

Wauwatosa adopts the Wisconsin State Plumbing Code, SPS 381 through 387, by reference and requires a permit before plumbing work begins. Underground work must be inspected before…

Wauwatosa's Fire Prevention Code requires automatic sprinklers in multifamily buildings under Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 14.20.030: throughout fire-resistive buildings of three…

Wauwatosa building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspectors may enter premises at reasonable times for a proper purpose under Wauwatosa Municipal Code Section 15.02.060, seeking…

Wauwatosa requires a valid building and safety division permit before anyone constructs, enlarges, alters, moves or demolishes a building, changes its occupancy, or performs…

Wauwatosa bans off-premises billboards outright but allows on-premises electronic message boards as changeable copy signs, capped at 24 to 32 square feet, one per business, with copy…

Wauwatosa bans LED rope lights and similar illuminating string devices on commercial and industrial buildings year-round, but allows non-LED holiday string lights for decoration only…

Wauwatosa caps window signs at 20 percent of the total net glazed front window area per business premises, and bars placing signs where they would block pedestrian safety sightlines or…

Wauwatosa limits each rummage-sale property to one sign of no more than twelve square feet, placed only on the property holding the sale and at least five feet from the nearest lot…

Political signs in Milwaukee County are governed by Wisconsin state law. Under Wis. Stat. 12.04, no county or municipality may regulate the size, shape, placement, or content of a…

Wauwatosa's refuse carts must sit between the sidewalk and curb, at least three feet from other carts, trees, mailboxes or parked vehicles, with the lid facing the street or alley…

Large items like furniture, lumber and household equipment need a scheduled special pickup and a per-item fee in Wauwatosa; residents must call the sanitation division before setting…

Wauwatosa collects domestic solid waste weekly through its public works operations division, but only if it is prepared and stored the way § 8.24.020 requires; commercial and…

Wauwatosa flatly bans public dumping grounds within the city and declares any such site a nuisance under § 8.24.080. The code separately prohibits depositing malodorous or combustible…

Every household and business in Wauwatosa must separate fifteen categories of recyclables, from yard materials and scrap tires to aluminum cans and rigid plastics, out of the regular…

Wauwatosa's curbside recycling cart is picked up every other week, year round, by fully automated truck, capped at 200 pounds per cart. Municipal Code Section 8.25.170 sets the…

During curbside season, Wauwatosa collects leaves and brush in marked reusable containers or paper yard waste bags, capped at 200 pounds per city cart or 50 pounds per bag, with…

Wauwatosa bars trash dumpsters, compactors and loading areas at large-format retail sites, 50,000+ square feet, from sitting within 20 feet of a public street or sidewalk. They must…

City parks in Wauwatosa close nightly: § 7.64.020 makes it a violation for anyone but park employees, permitted users or officials to be on park property outside the hours of 6:00 a.m…

Wauwatosa bars anyone under seventeen from being out in public between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. without a parent, guardian or other responsible adult, under Municipal Code § 7.84.010…

Wauwatosa defines a bicycle lane as roadway set aside for bicycles under Wis. Stat. § 349.23(2)(a), and Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 11.48.020 requires every street rider to keep a firm…

Wauwatosa bars riding an electric scooter or other dockless mobility device on any public sidewalk, pedestrian path, school ground or playground, and bans use on any street posted…

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…

Wauwatosa property owners must clear snow and ice from their abutting sidewalk within twenty-four hours after snowfall or ice accumulation stops, and a violation draws at least a…

Wauwatosa's Property Maintenance Code, Chapter 15.32, treats an unsafe, unsanitary or fire-hazard building as a public nuisance and lets the city order the owner to fix it. If the…

Milwaukee County does not enforce maintenance of privately owned vacant lots. Weed cutting, debris removal, and securing empty parcels are handled by each city or village under…

No shade or ornamental tree may be planted in a Wauwatosa public highway, including the parkway between sidewalk and curb, until the board of park commissioners approves both the…

Wauwatosa caps rummage, garage, yard and estate sales at three per residential property each calendar year, with each sale running no more than three consecutive days, under Municipal…

Wauwatosa requires an erosion control permit and plan for any land-disturbing construction activity of 4,000 square feet or more, or projects moving 400+ cubic yards of dirt. Best…

Wauwatosa runs a citywide stormwater management system funded by a mandatory quarterly user fee charged to nearly every developed and vacant improved property, established under…

Wauwatosa participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and enforces a Floodplain Ordinance that meets FEMA and Wisconsin DNR minimum standards under Wis. Stat. Sec…

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…

Wauwatosa's zoning code sets minimum yard setbacks by residential district under Municipal Code Section 24.02.030. Front setbacks run 30 feet in Garden and Suburban Residential, 25…

Wauwatosa caps principal-building height at 35 feet in every residential zoning district under Municipal Code Section 24.02.030. Accessory buildings such as garages and sheds top out…

Wauwatosa limits how much of a residential lot buildings may cover under Municipal Code Section 24.02.030. Combined principal and accessory coverage on a corner lot ranges from 35% in…

Wauwatosa designates historic structures, sites and districts through the /HIS Historic Overlay under Zoning Code Section 24.05.050. Owners in a designated /HIS district must get a…

Wauwatosa's fire code bars igniting or burning any type of barbecue grill inside a building, requires grills to stay at least twenty-four inches from combustible material or a…

Wauwatosa bars invasive plant species from any required landscaping under Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 24.12.050. New development, redevelopment and parking-lot landscaping plans…

Wauwatosa prohibits planting a produce garden in the front setback of any residential property under Section 15.32.050. Flowering, fruit, ornamental and shade trees are excluded from…

Wauwatosa allows accessory solar energy systems in every zoning district under Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 24.10.030, subject to the city's building and electrical codes. Roof-mounted…

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…

Wauwatosa's Property Maintenance Code sets the structural baseline every dwelling, rented or owner-occupied, must meet: sound structural members, weathertight exterior walls and…

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 Statute 66.0104 bars municipalities from requiring rental registration or licensing and limits inspection programs to designated districts with blight or code problems…

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…

Wauwatosa has no residential camera registry or Ring-style police program. Its mandatory camera rule is narrow: every convenient cash business, meaning payday loan, title loan and…

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's Working Lands Initiative under Statute 91 establishes farmland preservation zoning districts, certifies county and local plans, and offers income tax credits to farmers in…

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

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…