Appleton, WI Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

Chapter 24, adopted under the authority of Wis. 234, governs erosion and sediment control citywide, with the Director of Public Works designated as the administering authority under Sec. 24-1(c). Sec. 24-10(a) applies the ordinance to all land-disturbing activities, including transportation facilities, and requires a plan and permit for building on subdivision, certified survey map, or unplatted lots, and for any grading, ground-cover removal, excavation, land filling, or scraping affecting a surface of one acre or more, as well as street, highway, road, or bridge work of the same size.

Sec. 24-35(a) requires the erosion and sediment control plan to be prepared by a Wisconsin-registered architect, engineer, land surveyor, or landscape architect, submitted in both hard copy and PDF to the Department of Public Works, and to meet the performance standards in Sec. 24-25. Required plan contents include the site description, construction sequencing with expected clearing and stabilization dates, total disturbed area, soil-loss calculations for sites of one acre or more, and a scaled site map showing topography, drainage, and any 100-year floodplain, flood fringe, floodway, or flood storage area.

Sec. 24-45 lets the city enter land under active land-disturbing activity to inspect it under Wis. 0119. Enforcement in Sec. 24-50 treats any noncomplying land-disturbing activity as a violation, requires written notice describing the violation and a correction schedule, and lets the city post a stop-work order, revoke the permit, refer the matter for a cease-and-desist order, or seek injunctive relief without first prosecuting for forfeiture. No building occupancy may issue while noncompliance exists, and no building permit may issue for a subdivision that is out of compliance with Chapter 24.