Madison, WI Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

11 for land-disturbing activity in excess of 4,000 square feet resulting in loss of protective ground cover, excavation or filling over 400 cubic yards, new public or private roads/access drives longer than 125 feet, disturbance of more than 100 lineal feet of road ditch or drainage channel, subdivisions requiring plat approval, and utility work involving open-cut construction over 300 feet. The Administrative Authority can also require a permit for smaller sites it determines pose a high risk of soil erosion or water pollution, particularly near lakes, streams or wetlands, with that determination made in writing unless the applicant waives it.

08 sets the plan content: applicants must submit a PDF erosion control plan at 40:1 scale or larger when disturbance hits 20,000 square feet, is adjacent to a sensitive area, involves onsite dewatering pumps, or (for redevelopment) reaches 10,000 square feet. Plans generally must be sealed by a Wisconsin-licensed Professional Engineer and address limits of disturbed and impervious area, ditch cross-sections, culvert sizes, watershed size, soil-loss calculations, seeding schedules and sequencing. 0 tons per acre per year and require BMPs installed before construction begins and maintained until final stabilization; temporary stabilization is required once land-disturbing work pauses for more than 14 calendar days.

Erosion control permit fees run $100 for permits that don't require a plan; where a plan is required, the Board of Public Works sets a cost-recovery fee, and non-metallic mining/industrial sites pay a flat $532 annual fee. 06(2) construction-site erosion permit while a residential building permit is active, though related activity like landscaping or driveway installation on those same sites is not exempt. 07 bans causing or permitting erosion or tracking dirt/sediment onto adjacent land, public streets or waters from ANY land, whether or not it is otherwise subject to the ordinance.