Grant County, WI Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Grant County does not ban tall native plantings outright. Section 191-5J prohibits grass or weeds taller than 10 inches on a parcel within 1,000 feet of a residence, then lists five properties the prohibition does not reach. Exemption (2) covers any vegetation intentionally cultivated or maintained in an effort to reproduce ecosystems or environmental conditions naturally existing in the State of Wisconsin, which is the native-plant allowance. Exemption (3) covers vegetation intentionally cultivated or maintained in a clearly defined and physically discreet area for landscaping, ornamental or other aesthetic purposes. Exemption (4) covers naturally wooded areas, regulated wetlands and meadows, and exemption (1) covers intentionally cultivated agricultural vegetation. Exemption (5) covers grass or weeds in a highway right-of-way or other area that the Health Director, the Environmental Health Coordinator or any Health Department employee determines is not creating a public health nuisance or health hazard.

The exemptions turn on the words intentionally cultivated or maintained. The printed text names no permit, registration, plant list or minimum width. The exemption lifts only the height limit: the rest of § 191-5J, including accumulations of trash, rubbish, rotting timber and anything that promotes rats or other vermin, and the general definition of a public health nuisance in § 191-2, still apply to a native planting. Health Department staff make the call under § 191-6. This is the County Board's ordinance for unincorporated Grant County; Platteville, Lancaster and other cities and villages set their own weed rules.