La Crosse chicken licensing fails to include state registration as requirement

Wisconsin mandates registration city isn’t requiring.

Five years into a program that allows chickens in La Crosse backyards, WIZM has learned some of the flocks could be illegal.

There are 28 flocks of backyard chickens licensed in La Crosse currently but the city licensing process does not include a requirement that those flocks be registered with the state.  

Registration, however, is mandatory for any livestock kept at home, on the farm – anywhere in Wisconsin.

Municipalities like La Crosse that allow backyard hens generally require the registration to be completed before getting a license, according to the registration office in Madison.

That, however, is not the case in La Crosse.  

There is no reference to the mandatory state registration in the city code that allows backyard chickens.

The city clerk’s office was not aware there was such a requirement but has indicated to us that licensing rules could be changing because of it.