Winnebago County, WI Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer width
- 35 ft from OHWM
- Viewing corridor
- 10-200 ft, max 35% frontage
- Forestry exemption
- parcels of 10+ acres
- Removed vegetation
- must replant with natives
- Citation forfeiture
- $200-$300 per violation
Summary
In Winnebago County's unincorporated shoreland areas, removing vegetation within 35 feet of the ordinary high-water mark is prohibited except for routine maintenance, a limited viewing corridor, forestry management, or invasive-species control that requires native replanting.
9.2 ACTIVITIES ALLOWED WITHIN A VEGETATIVE BUFFER ZONE. (s. 59.692(1f)(b), Stats, NR 115.05(1)(c)2) A vegetative buffer zone is maintained or created to protect water quality, fish and wildlife habitat and natural scenic beauty, and to promote the preservation and restoration of native vegetation. The vegetative buffer zone is the area that extends from the ordinary high-water mark to 35 feet landward. Removal or destruction of vegetation in the vegetative buffer zone shall be prohibited except as follows:
(1) Routine maintenance of vegetation which means normally accepted horticultural practices that do not result in the loss of any layer of existing vegetation and do not require earth disturbance.
(2) The removal or destruction of vegetation for the creation of an access and viewing corridor provided the following requirements are met:
(a) The access and viewing corridor remains a strip of vegetated land for the purpose of providing safe pedestrian access to the shore through the vegetative buffer zone.
(b) The access and viewing corridor may be 35% of the shoreline frontage but in no case shall it be less than 10 feet or greater than 200 feet.
(c) The viewing corridor may run contiguously for the entire maximum width allowed based on the shoreline frontage owned.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 27 Shoreland Zoning, Section 9.2, bars cutting or destroying vegetation inside the 35-foot buffer measured from the ordinary high-water mark on regulated lakes, rivers, and wetlands in unincorporated Winnebago County towns: it does not reach inside Oshkosh, Neenah, or Menasha, which administer their own shoreland rules. Exceptions include routine horticultural maintenance, a pedestrian access/viewing corridor capped at 35% of shoreline frontage (10 to 200 feet wide), forestry management on parcels of 10 or more wooded acres, and removal of invasive, diseased, or hazardous vegetation, which must be replanted in the same area with native species. Larger vegetation management activities such as prescribed burns require a county-issued permit.
Violations & Fines
Winnebago County enforces shoreland violations under Ch. 23 Art. 14: citations run $200 for a missing permit or $300 for other violations plus court costs, or up to $1,000 via non-citation civil complaint, plus possible injunction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I clear brush along my shoreline in Winnebago County?
Does this shoreland buffer rule apply inside Oshkosh or Neenah?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Winnebago County
Compare Winnebago County to another location·View the Wisconsin landscaping rules overview
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