Village of Shorewood, WI Article II Public Nuisances Affecting Health, Morals and Decency, and Peace and Safety

§ 389-10 Public nuisance defined.

[Amended 12-6-2004 by Ord. No. 1879]

A. A public nuisance is a thing, act, occupation, condition or use of property which shall continue for such length of time as to:

(1) Substantially annoy, injure or endanger the comfort, health, repose or safety of the public;

(2) In any way render the public insecure in life or in the use of property;

(3) Greatly offend the public morals or decency; or

(4) Unlawfully and substantially interfere with, obstruct or tend to obstruct or render dangerous for passage any street, alley, highway or other public way or the use of public property.

B. No person shall erect, contrive, cause, continue, maintain or permit to exist any public nuisance within the Village of Shorewood.

§ 389-11 Public nuisances offending morals and decency.

The following acts, omissions, places, conditions and things are hereby specifically declared to be public nuisances offending public morals and decency, but such enumeration shall not be construed to exclude other nuisances offending public morals and decency coming within the definition of § 389-10 of this article:

A. All disorderly houses, bawdy houses, houses of ill fame, gambling houses and buildings or structures kept or resorted to for the purpose of prostitution, promiscuity or gambling.

B. All gambling devices and slot machines.

C. All places where intoxicating liquor or fermented malt beverages are sold, possessed, stored, brewed, bottled, manufactured or rectified without a permit or license as provided for by the ordinances of the Village.

D. Any place or premises within the Village where Village ordinances or state laws relating to public health, safety, peace, morals or welfare are openly, continuously, repeatedly and intentionally violated.

E. Any place or premises resorted to for the purpose of drinking intoxicating liquor or fermented malt beverages in violation of the laws of the State of Wisconsin or ordinances of the Village.

§ 389-12 Public nuisances affecting peace and safety.

The following acts, omissions, places, conditions and things are hereby declared to be public nuisances affecting peace and safety, but such enumeration shall not be construed to exclude other nuisances affecting public peace or safety coming within the provisions of § 389-10 of this article:

A. All signs and billboards, canopies, awnings and other similar structures over or near streets, sidewalks, public grounds or places frequented by the public, so situated or constructed as to endanger the public safety.

B. All buildings erected, repaired or altered within the fire limits of the Village in violation of the provisions of the ordinances of the Village and state statutes relating to materials and manner of construction of buildings and structures within said district.

C. All unauthorized signs, signals, markings or devices placed or maintained upon or in view of any public highway which purport to be or may be mistaken as an official traffic control device or signal or which because of their color, location, brilliance or manner of operation interfere with the effectiveness of any such device, sign or signal.

D. All trees, hedges, shrubbery, posts, walls, signs or other obstructions which prevent persons driving vehicles from obtaining a clear view of approaching pedestrians or vehicles.

E. All limbs of trees which project over and less than 14 feet above the surface of a public sidewalk or street or less than 10 feet above any other public place.

F. All use or display of fireworks, firearms, gunpowder, dynamite and explosives, except as permitted by lawful permit, or as otherwise provided by the ordinances of the Village or Wisconsin statutes.

[Amended 10-17-2011 by Ord. No. 1997]

G. All buildings or structures so old, dilapidated or out of repair as to be dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary or otherwise unfit for human use.

H. All wires over streets, alleys or public grounds which are strung less than 15 feet above the surface thereof.

I. All loud, discordant and unnecessary noises or vibrations of any kind.

J. The keeping or harboring of any animal or fowl which by frequent or habitual howling, yelping, barking, crowing or making of other noises shall greatly annoy or disturb a neighborhood or any considerable number of persons within the Village.

K. (Reserved)[1]

[1] Editor’s Note: Former § 389-12K, which prohibited the keeping of bees within the Village, was repealed 2-1-2016 by Ord. No. 2058.

L. All obstructions of streets, alleys, sidewalks or crosswalks and all excavations in or under the same, except as permitted by the ordinances of the Village or which, although made in accordance with such ordinances, are kept or maintained for an unreasonable or illegal length of time after the purpose thereof has been accomplished.

M. All open and unguarded pits, wells, excavations or unused basements freely accessible from any public street, alley or sidewalk.

N. All abandoned refrigerators or iceboxes from which the doors and other covers have not been removed or which are not equipped with a device for opening from the inside.

O. Any unauthorized or unlawful use of property abutting on a public street, alley or sidewalk or of a public street, alley or sidewalk which causes large crowds of people to gather, obstructing traffic and free use of the streets or sidewalks.

P. Repeated or continuous violations of the ordinances of the Village or laws of the State of Wisconsin relating to the storage of flammable liquids.

Q. All snow and ice not removed or sprinkled with sand, salt or approved chemicals as provided in § 466-27 of this Code.

R. The plowing, shoveling or dumping of snow from any sidewalk, driveway or parkway onto a public street or alley.

S. Allowing or permitting the nesting, harboring or continued presence of animals of a wild or destructive nature and prone to transmitting diseases to humans or others, including but not limited to rodents, raccoons, opossums and skunks, on any property within the Village of Shorewood.

[Amended 4-6-1992 by Ord. No. 1635]