Environmental Rules in Green Bay, WI (2026)
4 verified environmental rules for Green Bay, Wisconsin, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
Green Bay requires a Director of Public Works permit before any land-disturbing project meeting Chapter 16's size thresholds breaks ground: an acre or more of residential development, a quarter acre of new impervious surface on a smaller residential lot, or half an acre of non-residential work. Municipal Code § 16-82 sets the application, 30-business-day review and security requirements; § 16-85 backs it with forfeitures up to $500 per day.
Green Bay Stormwater Management Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 16-82(a)-(b)
(a)Permit required. No landowner, land operator or responsible party may undertake a land disturbing or land development activity subject to this article without receiving a permit from the Director of Public Works prior to commencing the proposed activity.(b)Permit application and fee. Unless specifically excluded by this article, any landowner operator or responsible party desiring a permit s...
Erosion Control
Green Bay requires permitted construction sites to cut sediment-laden runoff by 80 percent under an approved erosion and sediment control plan before the site reaches final stabilization.
Green Bay Construction Site Erosion Control
Some RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 16-39(c)(1)a
(1)BMPs shall be designed, installed, inspected and maintained to control total suspended solids carried in runoff from the construction site as follows:a.For permitted construction sites of land disturbing construction activity, reduce the total suspended solids load by 80 percent, on an average annual basis, as compared with no sediment or erosion controls until the construction site has unde...
Flood Zones
New construction in Green Bay's floodfringe must sit on fill with the lowest floor at or above the flood protection elevation, under the city's floodplain zoning overlay.
Green Bay Floodfringe Development Standards
Some RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 44-1193(1)(a)
All new construction, including placement of manufactured homes, and substantial improvement of residential structures, shall have the lowest floor elevated to or above the flood protection elevation on fill. The fill around the structure shall be one foot or more above the regional flood elevation extending at least 15 feet beyond the limits of the structure.
Flood Elevation Requirements
Green Bay bars building the first habitable floor of any structure below the City's current flood elevation and requires floodproofing for uses that need it. Municipal Code § 8-166 lists ten acceptable floodproofing methods, from watertight doors to backwater valves, and sets fill and setback rules for anything built near the base flood elevation.
Green Bay Minimum Building Flood Elevation
Some RestrictionsGreen Bay Municipal Code § 8-166(a), (b), (d)
(a)The first habitable floor of any building or structure shall not be constructed below the current City elevation.(b)Uses requiring floodproofing measures shall be designed consistent with the current flood protection elevation. The Director shall require that the applicant submit a plan or document certified by a registered professional engineer or architect that the floodproofing measures a...
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County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Green Bay city rules.
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