Wisconsin law requires every landowner to destroy noxious weeds: "A person owning, occupying or controlling land shall destroy all noxious weeds on the land" (Wis. Stat. 66.0407(3)). Tall-grass height limits are set by your municipality, not the county.
Under Wis. Stat. 66.0407, owners must destroy noxious weeds such as Canada thistle, leafy spurge, and field bindweed, plus any weed a municipality or the county board declares noxious. "Destroy" means killing the plant, or the growth above ground, before it reaches the bloom stage. Enforcement runs through the town, village, or city weed commissioner (Wis. Stat. 66.0517), who may destroy neglected weeds and bill the owner. General tall-grass or lawn-height caps (often 8 inches) are municipal, not a Waukesha County standard.
If an owner neglects noxious weeds, the weed commissioner destroys them and the cost is assessed against the property as a tax.
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
Backyard composting is legal and encouraged. Household compost piles are exempt from state licensing, and Wisconsin bans yard waste (leaves, grass clippings,...
Waukesha County, WI
Waukesha County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating artificial turf on ordinary lots. Near lakes and streams, though, artificial turf counts ...
Waukesha County, WI
Native-plant and prairie/no-mow yards are allowed and encouraged, but you must still meet the mandatory noxious-weed duty (Wis. Stat. 66.0407) and any munici...
Waukesha County, WI
Rain barrels and rain gardens are legal and encouraged in Waukesha County; there is no county ban on collecting rainwater. In the shoreland zone, rain garden...
See how Waukesha County's weeds & overgrown grass rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.