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Waterway & Wetland Permits: Grading
“I want to grade, fill, remove or disturb soil near a river, stream, creek or lake. Do I need to obtain a permit and/or pay a fee?” Generally, if you are grading or removing more than 10,000 square feet on the bank of a navigable or public waterway you will need to obtain a grading permit. The type of permit (general or individual) depends on the total amount of disturbance and the type of waterway adjacent to the project.
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Don't have Flash player? Visit our text version of the "Determine Permit Required" grading decision tool instead.
Notice:
Federal law requires landowners of construction sites with one acre or more of land disturbance to address erosion control and storm water management by filing a Water Resources Application for Project Permits (WRAPP) along with the “Construction Erosion and Sediment Control” and “Post Construction Stormwater Management” attachments. If your project involves the disturbance of an acre or more, you will need to obtain required storm water application materials.
In addition, here are the current Grading permitting and exemption application materials:
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How do I save and open the permit materials in ZIP format? • General Permit Attachment: Grading [ZIP 305KB] • Individual Permit Application: Grading [ZIP 585KB] |
Grading Permit Sample Drawings:
Grading Permit Exemption Materials:There are no exemptions available for grading. However, Grading permits are not required for the construction or repair of public highways, for any agricultural use of land, or projects occurring in Milwaukee County. Grading permits are not needed if you are disturbing LESS than 10,000 square feet of material. Even if you fall into these two categories, don't forget to contact your local zoning office to determine if a permit from the city, village, town or county is needed. |
Please send your completed application materials to the permit intake address based on the county where your project is located on our Permit Intake & Contacts page.
Laws
Applicable statutes and codes include Section 30.19, Wis. Stats. [exit DNR], [PDF 627KB] and Chapter NR 341 [exit DNR], [PDF 168KB].
Local permits and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regulations may also apply. We advise you to contact your local zoning office and your regional U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office [exit DNR].
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