Sex Offender Information

Offender Defined

Any person who is required to register under Wisconsin State Statutes (Wis. Stats.) 301.45 for any offense against a child or any person who is required to register under Wis. Stats. 301.45, and who is subject to the Special Bulletin Notification process set forth in Wis. Stats. 301.46(2) and (2m). 

Any person subject to the sex crimes commitment provisions of Wis. Stats. 975.06.

Any person found not guilty by reason of disease or mental defect placed on lifetime supervision under Wis. Stats. 971.17

Can I live in Shorewood if I have been convicted of a sex offense or am required to register as a sex offender?

The Village Board has enacted an ordinance restricting the residency for sex offenders with the intent of not imposing a criminal penalty but instead to serve the Village's compelling interest to promote, protect, and improve the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the Village by creating areas around locations where children regularly congregate in concentrated numbers wherein certain sex offenders and sex predators are prohibited from loitering and residing.

The village ordinance restricts a registered sex offender from living on a property that is within 1000 feet of a Child Safety Zone. The original domicile restriction for residency in Shorewood was repealed in its entirety at a regular meeting of the Village Board of the Village of Shorewood on May 17, 2023.   

The village has created a ordinance establishing an appeal process for people who may be disqualified under the ordinance to apply for an exemption. The appellant shall first submit to the Public Safety Committee any materials they wish to have considered, including reference to any reasons, facts, evidence, or arguments in support of such appeal, demonstrating why the appellant should be granted an exception to the residency restrictions in this section. Any person having an interest in the outcome of the proceeding may appear and be heard by the Board, including but not limited to a representative of the Public Safety Committee, the Chief of Police or their designate, and prospective neighbors to the proposed location.

Please review the full ordinance for a complete description of the exceptions and process. The full version of the ordinance, which lists all restrictions, exceptions, and definitions can be viewed in Shorewood Village Code Chapter 409.6.  

Sex Offender Mapping

Under an agreement with the non-profit Family Watchdog, users of the state's Sex Offender Registry website can link directly to the Family Watch Dog, where they can map the location of sex offenders within a certain distance from their homes or other locations. In addition, Wisconsin users can enroll in Family Watchdog's automatic email notification system, which will send enrollees a notice when the registry is updated with new information about a sex offender's move to a particular neighborhood. As part of the agreement, Family Watchdog will receive Wisconsin's registry data daily, so map and email notification information will be as current as the Sex Offender Registry website.