Waukesha County issues a Vegetation Removal permit for cutting trees within the Shoreland/Floodland jurisdiction, Environmental Corridors and Isolated Natural Resource Areas, and on preservation-restricted or EC-zoned land. Ordinary lots away from water and corridors need no county permit.
The Vegetation Removal permit is the county's core tree-protection tool. It is required for tree cutting or vegetation removal within roughly 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a stream, inside mapped Primary/Secondary Environmental Corridors or Isolated Natural Resource Areas, on lands with preservation restrictions, and on EC Environmental Corridor District parcels. Native, healthy Priority Trees 12 inches DBH or larger removed within 300 feet of the ordinary high-water mark must be replanted, and any removal within 35 feet of the OHWM requires replanting from the Priority Tree list. Larger projects may need a grading/erosion plan or forest-management plan.
Removing regulated trees without the required Vegetation Removal permit violates the Shoreland Protection Ordinance and Environmental Corridor zoning; the county can require replanting/restoration, a financial guarantee, and impose daily forfeitures.
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