Landscaping Rules in Wisconsin (2026)

Appleton's zoning code sets exact tree-clearance numbers for landscaping near streets and sidewalks. Trees planted in a…

Village of Ashwaubenon Municipal Code § 11-2-77(B) lets the tree board prune, remove or spray any part of a privately…

In the City of Beloit, owners must keep tree branches at least 9 feet above any sidewalk and prevent bushes from…

Burlington City Code § 227-5E declares any tree limb hanging less than nine feet above a public sidewalk, street or…

Owners and occupants whose trees overhang a De Pere street or public place must keep branches trimmed so the lowest…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin requires trees and shrubs that stand in or overhang a public way to be kept trimmed for safe…

Property owners must prune any tree or shrub overhanging a Green Bay street or right-of-way before it blocks…

Madison General Ordinances § 10.101 requires anyone trimming, pruning or removing a tree standing in a public street…

Middleton requires trees and shrubs overhanging any public right-of-way, whether on public or private property, to be…

Owners and occupants must keep trees along Milton streets pruned to a 15-foot clearance over the street or alley and…

Milwaukee property owners must trim tree, shrub, and vegetation branches that overhang streets, sidewalks, or alleys…

In the City of Mosinee, trees and shrubs over a public street or alley must be trimmed to a 14-foot clearance, and…

Trees and shrubs overhanging a Neenah street or sidewalk must be trimmed to 14 feet of clearance over the street and 8…

New Berlin requires trees in public areas to be pruned so limbs and branches keep a minimum 14-foot clearance above…

Rothschild requires trees, shrubs, and other plants overhanging a public street or alley to be trimmed for at least 14…

Trees on Sun Prairie terraces, boulevards and private lots near a public right-of-way must be trimmed to keep branches…

Waukesha requires trees over a public street to be trimmed to a 13.5-foot clearance and trees over a sidewalk to an…

On ordinary residential lots there is no county tree-trimming permit. But within 35 feet of a lake or stream's ordinary…

Wausau requires branches overhanging a public street to be trimmed to a 14-foot clearance and branches over a public…

Every Wauwatosa property owner along a public street or sidewalk must trim overhanging tree limbs to keep at least an…

Appleton requires a written permit from the committee of jurisdiction before anyone cuts, prunes, moves or removes a…

In Dane County's unincorporated shoreland areas, within 300 feet of a lake, river, or stream's ordinary high-water…

Planting, pruning, or removing any tree on Green Bay public property requires a written permit from the City Forester…

Kenosha bars removing a protected tree, a tree three inches or more in diameter at 54 inches from grade, on qualifying…

Kenosha County bars cutting trees or shrubs within 35 feet of the ordinary high-water mark on unincorporated shoreland…

It is unlawful to damage or remove a public tree in Milton without the public works director's written permission under…

Racine County bans cutting trees or shrubs within 35 feet of a lake or stream's ordinary high-water mark unless the…

Waukesha bans clear cutting of woodland outright in its RS-1, RS-2, and RS-3 single-family districts under Municipal…

No one may plant, cut, prune, remove, disturb the roots of, or spray any tree or shrub growing in a Wauwatosa public…

In West Allis, no one may cut, prune, remove, or treat a tree or shrub growing in the city terrace or boulevard strip…

Beloit's landscaping ordinance protects mature trees credited on an approved site plan: under Beloit Code of Ordinances…

When a Brown County shoreland permit requires mitigation, restoring the shoreline buffer's tree and shrub layer earns…

Burlington City Code § 234-4 requires a Department of Public Works permit before anyone plants, removes or transplants…

De Pere requires a written permit from the city forester before anyone removes, cuts or destroys a tree growing in a…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin requires a written permit from the city forester before anyone plants, removes, braces, trims…

Within shoreland areas of unincorporated Fond du Lac County, a 35-foot vegetative buffer zone runs inland from the…

Little Chute requires a village forester permit before excavating, trenching, or paving within ten feet of any public…

Madison requires a written Board of Public Works permit before anyone plants, cuts, prunes, removes or chemically…

The City of Middleton requires a written permit from the City Forester before anyone plants, injures, trims, removes…

Removing a protected tree from Milwaukee's River greenway overlay zone requires a conservation permit and replacement…

The City of Mosinee's forester can order an owner to remove, treat, or trim a tree found hazardous, infected, or…

Neenah requires a written City Forester permit to remove, trim or otherwise work on any tree or shrub in a terrace or…

New Berlin's City Forester decides when a tree growing in a Public Area comes down, acting on nine listed grounds such…

Cutting trees and shrubs within 35 feet of a navigable water's shoreline in unincorporated Outagamie County is…

Rock County has no general private-property tree-removal permit. The binding county-level restriction is near water…

Removing, trimming, or altering a tree or shrub in a Rothschild public right-of-way or public area requires a Village…

No one may remove, injure or destroy a tree or shrub on a Sun Prairie terrace or other public place without a city…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, cutting trees, clearing shrubs or moving earth requires a zoning permit and…

Within the shoreland zone of Washington County, Wisconsin's unincorporated towns, Chapter 275 limits how much tree…

Waukesha County issues a Vegetation Removal permit for cutting trees within the Shoreland/Floodland jurisdiction…

In Wausau, no one may remove, cut down, or otherwise disturb a tree or shrub growing in a public area, street terrace…

Winnebago County's zoning code bars removing trees and shrubs inside a required buffer yard except for dead, dying…

Wisconsin Statute 66.0407 universally requires every property owner to destroy noxious weeds, including Canada thistle…

Appleton enforces a 6-inch maximum grass height. Code enforcement proactively patrols during growing season. The city…

Improved lots and parcels under one acre in the Village of Ashwaubenon must keep noxious weeds and grass cut to six…

Burlington City Code caps grass at an average height of 12 inches in residential and business districts. The Mayor or…

De Pere caps grass and noxious weeds at 12 inches under City Code § 74-8, and the weed commissioner can destroy…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin caps plant growth on improved lots in the urban service area at eight inches and requires noxious…

Green Bay caps unmanaged grass, turf, hay, weeds and brush at eight inches on any owned, occupied or controlled land…

Kenosha caps grass and weeds at eight inches on any lot a person owns, occupies, or controls, including the parkway…

Madison caps grass, lawn vegetation and terrace plantings at eight inches tall and requires every property to stay free…

Middleton declares any lawn, grass or weed taller than eight inches on a lot a public nuisance, citing pollen, hidden…

Milton caps grass and weeds at one foot: § 26-71 makes it every property owner's duty to mow noxious weeds and grasses…

Milwaukee caps turf grass and weeds at 7 inches on any property, enforced year-round by the city, with escalating…

Weed control in Milwaukee County runs on Wisconsin's statewide noxious-weed law, Wis. Stat. sec. 66.0407, enforced by…

The City of Mosinee caps grass and weeds at six inches under Sec. 42-1380(d) of the property maintenance code. Anything…

Neenah caps unmanaged turf grass, hay and weeds at eight inches on residential lots, with the Weed Commissioner…

New Berlin caps grass and general ground cover at an average height of eight inches on land in residential zoning…

Wisconsin law makes destroying noxious weeds mandatory statewide: every landowner must destroy Canada thistle, leafy…

Rothschild caps grass and weeds at six inches in height on maintained lawn areas as part of its property maintenance…

City code caps noxious weeds, grasses and lawns at eight inches high across Sun Prairie's city limits under § 8.36.010…

Waukesha caps grass and weeds at 8 inches on any lawn area under Municipal Code § 17.04(4)(c). Owners who prefer native…

Wisconsin law (Wis. Stat. 66.0407) makes destroying noxious weeds MANDATORY. Every landowner must destroy Canada…

Wausau caps grass, weeds and brush at one foot on every property in the City. Section 6.48.010 requires owners and…

Wauwatosa enforces maximum grass and weed height, typically 8 to 12 inches. Overgrown properties subject to code…

West Allis caps grass in lawn areas at 6 inches and bans noxious weeds under the Property Maintenance Code, Revised…

Burlington's Water Utility can ask the Mayor to impose a citywide ban on lawn sprinkling under City Code § 304-10.I, in…

Fitchburg runs a three-stage water shortage response, from a voluntary watch to a mayor-ordered mandatory water warning…

From June 15 through September 15 each year, the Village of Ashwaubenon bans lawn sprinkling except on an odd/even…

Rock County sets no countywide lawn-watering schedule. The state does not require a permit to water a lawn or private…

From May 1 through October 1, Waukesha ties lawn sprinkling to street address under Municipal Code §13.11: odd-numbered…

Madison doesn't run standing lawn-watering days: instead the Water Utility General Manager can trigger voluntary or…

Wisconsin has no statute banning rainwater harvesting. Under Wis. Stat. 145.01(10)(br)1, a rainwater gutter or…

Milwaukee's plumbing code permits rooftop rain barrels citywide as long as overflow is controlled and the barrel meets…

Milwaukee's nuisance code caps turf grass and weeds "of any kind" at 7 inches year-round, so native or pollinator…

In Winnebago County's unincorporated shoreland areas, removing vegetation within 35 feet of the ordinary high-water…

When Brown County landowners restore a shoreland vegetative buffer, every plant species must come from the county's…

Wauwatosa's landscaping code allows native plants as an approved material for required landscape areas. Under Wauwatosa…

Appleton allows homeowners to grow native and naturalized plants, including wildflowers, ferns, grasses, shrubs and…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin lets landowners apply for a land management plan to grow a native landscape or natural lawn over…

When Walworth County requires a vegetated buffer as a shoreland mitigation measure, the Zoning Division can insist the…

Ashwaubenon lets homeowners plant native grasses, forbs and rain gardens without mowing them to six inches, as long as…

Appleton lets residents compost yard waste and food scraps under City Code Sec. 12-37, but bins, pits, trenches and…

Burlington requires yard waste to be composted, either at home or through the City's compost program, rather than…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin bans landfilling yard waste. Under Chapter 41 of the city code, yard waste from homes must be…

Madison caps home compost piles at 125 cubic feet and 5 feet tall unless they hold only yard waste, and any bin has to…

Milwaukee caps home compost bins at 5 feet tall and 125 cubic feet total, bans front-yard placement, and requires a…

Waukesha caps backyard compost bins at 125 cubic feet and 5 feet tall, and requires them to sit in the rear yard at…

Backyard compost piles and yard waste holding bins are allowed in Wauwatosa without a permit, as long as they don't…