Wisconsin has no defensible-space wildfire law, but Wis. Stat. 66.0407 requires every landowner to destroy noxious weeds (Canada thistle, leafy spurge, field bindweed and locally designated weeds) on their land. Removal by open burning must still follow DNR NR 429 rules.
Unlike western states, Wisconsin does not mandate wildfire brush-clearance zones. The controlling vegetation rule is Wis. Stat. 66.0407, which makes each person owning, occupying or controlling land destroy all noxious weeds on it. Noxious weeds include Canada thistle, leafy spurge, field bindweed, any weed the DNR designates by rule, and any weed a municipality or county board declares noxious. Towns appoint weed commissioners who may order abatement. Rock County's Land Conservation Division administers related erosion-control and land-management ordinances. If you clear brush by burning, you must still obtain any required burn permit and follow DNR open-burning limits.
Weed commissioners may destroy noxious weeds not abated by the owner and assess the cost to the property (often as a tax lien). Fines are set by local weed ordinances.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Rock County, WI
Wisconsin's cruelty statute (Ch. 951) makes it illegal to keep animals without proper food, water, and shelter, which is how hoarding is enforced. Rock Count...
Rock County, WI
Rock County has no blanket countywide wildlife-feeding ban, but deer and elk feeding is regulated statewide, and nuisance-feeding of wild animals is addresse...
Rock County, WI
Rock County encourages waste reduction and does not ban backyard composting. Wisconsin bans yard waste from landfills, so composting is favored. Nuisance con...
Rock County, WI
Rock County has no countywide ordinance regulating artificial turf. Whether synthetic grass is allowed, and any coverage or stormwater conditions, is decided...
Rock County, WI
Rock County does not ban native or naturalized landscaping, but the mandatory noxious-weed duty still applies. Near navigable water, native shoreland buffers...
Rock County, WI
Collecting rainwater is legal in Wisconsin and Rock County sets no barrier to rain barrels. There is no state permit for a basic downspout rain barrel used f...
See how Rock County's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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