Walworth County, WI Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)

Sec. 16-25 of the Walworth County Code lays out how the Public Works Department times and prioritizes snow and ice removal on County and State highways during a winter storm. The Director decides when to start removal based on current and forecast weather, roadway conditions and time of day, using plowing, salt, sand/salt, brine or additive combinations. WisDOT sorts roads into five categories; Walworth County's own roads fall into categories 3 through 5, with Highway I-43 and US-12 between Elkhorn and Genoa City getting Category 3 treatment (all lanes and ramps plowed and salted, driving lanes prioritized over the passing lane) down to the county's ordinary two-lane highways in Category 5, plowed with minimal salting.

The Department aims for up to 18 hours of coverage per storm day, with a recovery gap typically between 9:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m., though the Director pushes for 24-hour coverage on Category 3 roads and elsewhere when conditions call for it. A "snow emergency" is a formal declaration the Director makes when visibility turns hazardous for drivers or plow operators; once declared, Public Works notifies the Sheriff's Office, WisDOT and, where possible, local media.

The section also fixes liability limits: the County isn't responsible for mailbox or structure damage from plowed or discharged snow, for damage to fences, trees or plantings improperly located in the right-of-way, for lawn or ditch-gravel disruption, or for damage to abandoned vehicles. County equipment can't be used to tow a stranded private vehicle except to reopen a roadway, and the Highway Department isn't liable for ice or snow accumulation injuries unless the hazard sat on the roadway more than three weeks, per Wis. Stats. § 81.15.