Racine County, WI Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Substantial grading or erosion hazard
- Who reviews
- Racine County Land Conservation Office
- Plan preparer
- Qualified professional required
- Standard used
- USDA-SCS technical guide
Summary
Racine County requires engineer-prepared erosion and sedimentation control plans, reviewed by the Land Conservation Office, before approving a plat that involves substantial cutting, clearing, or grading.
An approving authority shall, upon determining from a review of the plat that the soil, slope, vegetation and drainage characteristics of the site are such as to require substantial cutting, clearing, grading or other earth-moving operations in the development of the subdivision or to otherwise entail a severe erosion hazard, require the subdivider to provide soil erosion and sedimentation control plans and specifications... reviewed by the Racine County Land Conservation Office, using the U.S.D.A.-S.C.S. Technical Guide for the State of Wisconsin or other acceptable engineering standards.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
This isn't a standalone grading permit: it's a plat-approval condition. When county review finds a subdivision site's soil, slope, vegetation, or drainage will need substantial cutting, clearing, grading, or other earth-moving, or otherwise poses a severe erosion hazard, the subdivider must submit soil erosion and sedimentation control plans prepared by a qualified professional. The Racine County Land Conservation Office reviews those plans against USDA Soil Conservation Service technical guidance or other accepted engineering standards before the plat can move forward, and detailed grading and drainage plans can be required alongside them.
Violations & Fines
A plat triggering this review doesn't get final approval without Land Conservation Office sign-off on the erosion and sedimentation control plans; skipping the submission stalls the subdivision approval itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a separate 'grading permit' in Racine County?
What triggers the erosion control plan requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Racine County
Compare Racine County to another location·View the Wisconsin environmental rules overview
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