Milwaukee County is fully urbanized and is not a wildfire or defensible-space region, so there is no county-wide brush-clearance mandate. Overgrown weeds on private lots are nuisance matters handled by each city, village, or town.
Unlike western foothill counties, Milwaukee County is a dense metro county on the Lake Michigan plain with no CAL FIRE-style defensible-space or 100-foot clearance requirement. There is no county-wide ordinance forcing wildfire brush clearance because the area is not a wildland-urban-interface region. Weed, grass, and brush overgrowth on private property is abated as a public-nuisance matter by each municipality's code-enforcement office, such as the City of Milwaukee's weed ordinances. On county-owned land, removing vegetation is controlled by Ordinance 47.08, which bars injuring, destroying, or removing trees, shrubs, plants, or turf in any park or parkway without Parks Department authorization. Report hazardous vegetation on a private lot to your municipality.
Nuisance weed and brush violations on private property are enforced by the city, village, or town, which may issue abatement notices and bill or lien the owner. On county parks, removing vegetation under Ordinance 47.08 triggers a minimum $100 fee.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Milwaukee County, WI
Animal hoarding in Milwaukee County is addressed through Wisconsin's cruelty statutes. Wis. Stat. 951.02 bars treating any animal in a cruel manner, and 951....
Milwaukee County, WI
Feeding wild animals is regulated municipally in Milwaukee County and by the Wisconsin DNR for deer. The City of Milwaukee restricts bird feeders to rodent-p...
Milwaukee County, WI
Milwaukee County does not regulate backyard composting on residential property. Home composting is broadly allowed, but pile management, odor, and vermin sta...
Milwaukee County, WI
Milwaukee County does not regulate artificial or synthetic turf on residential property. Wisconsin has no statewide turf ban, so whether you may install arti...
Milwaukee County, WI
Milwaukee County has no ordinance dictating plant choice on private yards, but it strongly protects native plants and native fungi within its 157-park system...
Milwaukee County, WI
Milwaukee County places no restriction on residential rainwater harvesting, and Wisconsin does not require a permit to collect rooftop rainwater for outdoor ...
See how Milwaukee County's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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