Tree removal permit rules in Waukesha County, WI — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
There is no general county tree-removal permit for ordinary residential lots. A county Vegetation Removal permit IS required to cut trees within Shoreland/Floodland areas, Environmental Corridors, and near navigable water; 'Priority Trees' removed within 300 feet of the water must be replanted.
Away from lakes, streams and protected corridors, homeowners generally remove their own trees without a county permit (municipal street-tree rules may still apply). The county regulates removal in the Shoreland jurisdiction (within 1,000 ft of a lake or 300 ft of a stream), in mapped Environmental Corridors and Isolated Natural Resource Areas, and on preservation-restricted land. Native, healthy Priority Trees 12 inches DBH or greater removed within 300 feet of the OHWM must be replanted, and any tree removed within 35 feet of the OHWM triggers replanting from the Priority Tree list.
Removing regulated shoreland or corridor trees without a Vegetation Removal permit is a zoning violation; the county can order replanting/restoration and impose daily forfeitures under the Shoreland Protection Ordinance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Waukesha County, WI
Animal hoarding is addressed through Wisconsin's animal-cruelty and neglect statutes plus local pet-limit and kennel rules. Wis. Stat. 951.02 bars treating a...
Waukesha County, WI
Waukesha County does not set a general wildlife-feeding ban for residents; rules come from state DNR regulations and local ordinances. Wisconsin restricts fe...
Waukesha County, WI
Waukesha County parks are open from sunrise to 10 p.m. Being in a county park outside those hours is prohibited without authorization. A daily or annual vehi...
Waukesha County, WI
Waukesha County's town zoning code limits light spillover for parking/commercial lighting: no more than 0.2 footcandles at residential property lines and 0.5...
Waukesha County, WI
Waukesha County has no countywide dark-sky ordinance. Its town zoning code controls glare only for commercial/parking lighting, requiring cut-off fixtures th...
Waukesha County, WI
Waukesha County's town zoning sign chapter does not set specific garage-sale-sign rules, and it prohibits signs in the public right-of-way that create a traf...
See how Waukesha County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.