Middleton, WI Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

05(3) declares any lawn, grass or other primarily herbaceous ground cover exceeding eight inches in length to be a public nuisance, a finding the Common Council based on pollen and plant debris, hidden fire and safety hazards, interference with public convenience, and reduced property values for neighboring land. The eight-inch limit applies City-wide except for four categories: floodplains, wetlands, nature conservancies and natural areas designated by the City, county, state or federal government; bona fide rain-garden planting areas; a defined "managed natural landscaping" planting free of noxious weeds under Wis.

0407 and separated from neighboring property by a border at least two feet wide; and open, undeveloped parcels of five acres or more in an agriculture or conservancy zoning district. When the Building Inspector determines with reasonable certainty that a violation exists, the City must serve written notice on the owner, occupant or person in charge giving five days to cut the vegetation, delivered by personal service, certified mail, or regular mail combined with posting on the front door or the premises. If the nuisance is not abated within those five days, the City can cut the grass itself and charge the actual cost as a special charge on the property tax roll if unpaid within thirty days.

A second violation within the same season lets the Inspector skip further notice and mow again immediately if the owner does not respond to a follow-up contact requirement. Appeals to the Housing Code Appeals Board are limited to whether the growth qualifies as a lawn area at all; the Board has no authority to waive the eight-inch limit itself.