Kenosha County committee substitutes redlined cabaret ordinance amid debate over noise rules

On July 1, 2026, the Kenosha County Judiciary and Law Committee voted to substitute a redlined amendment to M C K C 8.02, the county’s cabaret-license rules, and proceeded to consider the substituted draft.

The substitute motion was moved by Supervisor Keith Gray, who told the committee the redline reflected work by PEDC members and was easier to follow than the version in the packet. "I move to substitute this resolution for the one that was just on the floor," Gray said during the meeting. The committee approved the substitute by voice vote.

Why it matters: committee members debated how noise-control standards would apply when an event has a conditional use permit (CUP) or an activity-control license. Members noted activity-control licenses apply to very large events — discussed in the meeting as events with 5,000 or more attendees — and are principally intended to address health and safety logistics such as sanitation and crowd safety. Several speakers cited Country Thunder as a local example of a large licensed event. Committee members explained that CUPs can include specific sound conditions tailored to a site and that such permit conditions may function as the operative rules for that property.

During discussion, members raised a procedural question: if noise standards are not set in a CUP, would the decibel limits in the cabaret license still apply? Committee members did not identify a single answer in the meeting transcript; instead, they described overlapping authorities and said the placement of noise-language might belong in the zoning (chapter 12) provisions for CUPs rather than in the cabaret chapter. A committee member who identified himself as Paul urged that language tied to conditional use permits should be considered in the zoning chapter, but members noted that amending chapter 12 would require consultation with municipalities and a separate process.

The committee took the substituted redline as the operative ordinance for discussion and then voted to approve the measure by voice. Members asked about required readings; staff and counsel indicated the ordinance would customarily require two readings, which provides additional time for review and public awareness when changes are made.

The committee did not adopt a binding change to zoning on the spot; members agreed the zoning process and municipal coordination are separate steps if the county wishes to move noise provisions into chapter 12. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn, which passed by voice vote.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the substitute redline and the ordinance on voice votes; no roll-call tallies with named yes/no votes appear in the transcript.

Next steps: the ordinance will require the normal reading(s) and any related municipal or zoning procedures before changes to chapter 12 could be enacted.