Grant County, WI Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

The rule that reaches an unimproved lot in Grant County is § 191-5J, part of the Grant County Public Health Nuisance Ordinance adopted by the County Board of Supervisors. It names grass or weeds more than 10 inches high above the ground on any parcel of real estate within 1,000 feet of a residence. The text says parcel, not developed parcel, so a lot with no building on it is covered once a residence stands within that distance. The same subsection lists accumulations of decayed animal or vegetable matter, trash, rubbish, garbage, rotting timber, scrap metal and abandoned structures, and § 191-5F separately covers open dumps, meaning unauthorized disposal of waste materials on private or public lands.

Section 191-4 puts the duty on the property owner to keep the property nuisance-free and to abate any nuisance found on it. The Grant County Health Department investigates under § 191-6, and § 191-8B(1) requires a written order stating the deadline, which the code lists as 10 days to 30 days for health hazards. If the order is ignored, Health Department staff can enter the property and abate the nuisance, and the County recovers the cost by lawsuit against the violator or as a special tax assessment on the property. Exemptions in § 191-5J(1) through (5) cover intentionally cultivated agricultural vegetation, vegetation maintained to reproduce Wisconsin ecosystems, a clearly defined landscaping area, naturally wooded areas, regulated wetlands or meadows, and highway rights-of-way the Health Department finds would not cause a nuisance. The ordinance applies in unincorporated Grant County; Platteville, Lancaster and other cities and villages enforce their own codes.