Wausau, WI Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- 1+ acre of land-disturbing construction
- Enforcing official
- Stormwater Management Administrator
- Application review window
- 30 calendar days for complete application
- Penalty
- $50 to $500 forfeiture per offense/day
- Appeal body
- Board of Appeals under § 23.82
- State authority
- Adopted under Wis. Stat. § 62.234
Summary
Wausau requires a post-construction runoff permit from the Stormwater Management Administrator before any land-disturbing construction activity of one acre or more, adopted under Wis. Stat. § 62.234. Municipal Code §§ 15.56.010, 15.56.080 and 15.56.130 set the permit rule and a forfeiture of $50 to $500 per day for violations.
(a)This ordinance is adopted by the Common Council under the authority granted by Wis. Stats. § 62.234. This ordinance supersedes all provisions of an ordinance previously enacted under Wis. Stats. § 62.23, relating to stormwater management regulations. ... (a)Permit required. No responsible party may undertake a land disturbing construction activity without receiving a post-construction runoff permit from the Stormwater Management Administrator prior to commencing the proposed activity. ... Any person, firm, association, or corporation ... who does not comply with the provisions of this ordinance shall be subject to a forfeiture of not less than $50.00 or more than $500.00 per offense, together with the costs of prosecution. Each day that the violation exists shall constitute a separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
56 was enacted under the authority of Wis. 234 and supersedes any earlier City stormwater ordinance adopted under the general zoning power in Wis. 010 designates a Stormwater Management Administrator to run and enforce it. 040 defines the threshold as any post-construction site with one or more acres of land-disturbing activity, with narrow exemptions for redevelopment that adds no impervious surface, sites under ten percent connected imperviousness with less than an acre of parking and rooftop, agricultural and silviculture practices, small routine maintenance, and underground utility work.
010(a); the Administrator must approve or deny a complete application within 30 calendar days. The ordinance also reaches extraterritorial plat-approval areas whose runoff enters the City. 130: the Administrator can issue stop-work orders, seek a court cease-and-desist order through the City Attorney, revoke a permit, or take emergency action and bill the responsible party for the cost. 82 of the zoning title, which can grant variances for unnecessary hardship.
Violations & Fines
Any noncomplying land-disturbing activity or post-construction runoff is a violation under § 15.56.130(a). Violators face a forfeiture of not less than $50.00 nor more than $500.00 per offense plus costs of prosecution, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense; the City can also seek injunctive relief without first pursuing a forfeiture or cease-and-desist order.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Marathon County handle stormwater management.