9 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
Verified from official government sources
Waukesha County sets no countywide maximum lawn-grass height for unincorporated towns. Grass-height/tall-grass abatement is a municipal matter: cities like Waukesha and villages set their own limits (commonly 8-12 inches). The county's turf role is the state noxious-weed duty.
On ordinary residential lots there is no county tree-trimming permit. But within 35 feet of a lake or stream's ordinary high-water mark (OHWM), removal or destruction of buffer vegetation is prohibited except routine maintenance under the county Shoreland Protection Ordinance and NR 115.
Wis. Admin. Code NR 115.05(1)(c)2.
Removal or destruction of vegetation in the vegetative buffer zone shall be prohibited except for routine maintenance of vegetation, which means normally accepted horticultural practices that do not result in the loss of any layer of existing vegetation and do not require earth disturbance.
There is no general county tree-removal permit for ordinary residential lots. A county Vegetation Removal permit IS required to cut trees within Shoreland/Floodland areas, Environmental Corridors, and near navigable water; 'Priority Trees' removed within 300 feet of the water must be replanted.
Waukesha County Shoreland Protection Ordinance, Table 3(d)9.B
Priority Trees require replanting if removed within 300 feet of the Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) of a navigable water body, and are native, healthy, 12 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH) or greater. If ANY tree or vegetation is removed within 35 feet of the OHWM, replanting is required using trees on the Priority Tree list.
Wisconsin law (Wis. Stat. 66.0407) makes destroying noxious weeds MANDATORY. Every landowner must destroy Canada thistle, leafy spurge, field bindweed and any locally-declared noxious weed. Weed commissioners enforce it, and municipalities must publish an annual notice by May 15.
Wis. Stat. 66.0407(1)(b), (3)
A person owning, occupying or controlling land shall destroy all noxious weeds on the land. ... 'Noxious weeds' means Canada thistle, leafy spurge, field bindweed ... and any other weed the governing body of any municipality or the county board of any county by ordinance or resolution declares to be noxious within its respective boundaries.
Waukesha County itself sets no countywide watering schedule. Outdoor watering restrictions (odd/even days, sprinkler hours) are imposed by each municipal water utility under Public Service Commission oversight. Southeastern Wisconsin is a state-designated groundwater management area.
Rain barrels and rain gardens are legal and encouraged in Waukesha County; there is no county ban on collecting rainwater. In the shoreland zone, rain gardens and infiltration devices count as stormwater treatment that can offset impervious-surface limits.
Native-plant and prairie/no-mow yards are allowed and encouraged, but you must still meet the mandatory noxious-weed duty (Wis. Stat. 66.0407) and any municipal tall-grass rules. In the 35-foot shoreland buffer, native vegetation is actually required, not just permitted.
Waukesha County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating artificial turf on ordinary lots. Near lakes and streams, though, artificial turf counts as impervious/manmade surface under NR 115, so it is limited by the shoreland 15%-30% impervious-surface cap.
Backyard composting is legal and encouraged. Household compost piles are exempt from state licensing, and Wisconsin bans yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, brush) from landfills, so composting or mulching is effectively the required alternative for yard debris.
3 cities in Waukesha County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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