Tree removal permit rules in Rock County, WI — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Rock County has no general private-property tree-removal permit. The binding county-level restriction is near water: within 35 feet of the ordinary high water mark, clear-cutting trees and shrubs is prohibited and other removal needs a county permit under NR 115 shoreland zoning.
Away from navigable water, removing a tree on your own Rock County lot generally needs no county permit; municipal forestry or nuisance rules may apply inside cities and villages. In the shoreland zone the county enforces NR 115: from the ordinary high water mark to 35 feet inland, clear-cutting of trees and shrubs is prohibited. You may perform routine maintenance, cut a view/access corridor (max 30% of frontage or 200 feet), remove exotic/invasive, diseased, damaged, or imminently hazardous vegetation, or follow accepted forestry practices on parcels of at least 10 acres. Any other removal requires a permit from the county.
Unpermitted shoreland tree removal is enforced by Rock County zoning with DNR; typical remedies include a stop order, required restoration, and zoning forfeitures.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Rock County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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