Walworth County, WI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 74-41 makes tree cutting, shrubbery clearing and earth movement a permitted activity in the towns under Walworth County zoning only when it follows the county's conservation standards, and in most cases only after the Zoning Administrator issues a zoning permit backed by an approved conservation plan. The Administrator can require the applicant to post a surety to cover land restoration if the applicant defaults on that plan, with the amount set by the Administrator and the surety's form approved by the park and planning commission.

Before issuing a permit, the Administrator can also send the proposal to the Wisconsin DNR, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, or another appropriate agency for review and comment, though that review cannot delay the permit more than 30 days. Any path or trail cut through vegetation is capped at ten feet wide and must be designed to disturb the least ground cover possible. The ordinance lists ten activities that follow the same conservation standards but do not need a separate zoning permit, among them normal excavation for a foundation, driveway, septic system, swimming pool or utility line serving a single-family or two-family home; excavations under 10,000 square feet away from a lake or stream; normal plowing for gardens and yards; routine trimming and pruning; removing dead, diseased or insect-infested trees; farming-related earth movement including sod farming; public road construction; drain tile laying; site-prep tree removal ahead of building a single-family or two-family home; and forest management activities like timber harvesting.

The section separately bans dumping waste materials such as gasoline, tars, chemicals or industrial waste in a way likely to run off or seep into surface or ground waters.