DNR Resources for Local Government

by local government department

Information for local governments – sorted by department

• Development & Planning
• Forestry, Parks & Recreation
• Health & Safety
• Public Works & Utilities

Development & Planning

Economic development & business support

• List of resources curated for businesses, including links to business support programs, a comprehensive list of links for permits and reporting and a direct link to the DNR switchboard.
• Toolbox of DNR business support resources for economic development professionals, including:
  • Ready-to-publish newsletter articles describing DNR's Business Support programs
  • Brochures explaining each of our programs
  • Archives of past email news for economic development professionals
  • Subscribe to our email news for economic development professionals

Contamination & clean-up

• Overview of local governments and contaminated property, including liability, financial resources & tax tools
• Funding to assess brownfield sites
• Grants and loans to clean up hazardous substance contamination
• Grants and loans to clean up petroleum contamination available to local governments

Erosion, Storm water, Floodplains, & Waterways

• Presentations & fact sheets for municipalities on:
  • MS4 storm water permit requirements
  • storm water management program implementation
  • technical standards
  • compliance evaluation and financing
• Exemptions from waterfront development requirements (specific projects including shoreline maintenance, intake/outtake structures, dredging, boat structures, etc.)
• Cost-share grants to improve water quality by working with owners and operators of livestock operations to meet pollution requirements
• Grants to reimburse costs for agricultural or urban runoff management practices in targeted areas with water quality concerns
• Grants to reimburse costs of planning or construction projects that control urban nonpoint source and storm water runoff pollution
• Floodplain management publications and grants, including:
  • model zoning ordinances
  • sample letters & documents
  • newsletters & handbooks
  • three grant programs

Back to top

Forestry, Parks & Recreation

Forestry

• County Forest information
  • Forms and handbooks
  • Public lands toolkit (regeneration, subcontractors, timber sales)
  • Timber sales reports
  • Monitoring reports
• Grants to purchase forest land available to counties with lands entered under the County Forest Program
• Grants to fund County Forest Administrators available to any county employing a professional forester in the position
• Grants for special, short term, or unanticipated projects that promote sustainable forestry available to counties with lands enrolled in the County Forest Law
• Reimbursement grants for local fire departments to purchase equipment to prevent and fight wildland fires
• Urban forestry grants, including
  • Cost-sharing for new, innovative projects that develop sustainable urban and community forestry programs
  • Cost-sharing for starting or restarting an urban forestry program
  • Funds to repair, remove or replace urban trees after catastrophic storms

Shoreland, streambanks & wetlands

• Shoreland Protection – Model County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance for Wisconsin's Shoreland Protection
• Resources for local government to safeguard our shorelines, including:
  • Laws and regulations
  • Model zoning ordinances
  • Newsletters, handbooks and other publications
• Wisconsin Wetland Conservation Trust - sells wetland credits to permittees needing to offset authorized wetland impacts

Land acquisition, maintenance & improvement

• Stewardship grants to buy land for stream bank protection, easements, natural areas, county forests, recreational boating facilities, snowmobile & ATV trails, community gardens, local parks and urban greenspace
• Grants to cover 50% of acquisition and/or development of land to provide high-quality outdoor recreational opportunities
• Grants for Weed Management Groups to remove invasive plants and provide education, information and outreach
• Grants to support development, maintenance, preservation, restoration and maintenance of wild turkey, pheasant and waterfowl and their associated habitats
• Grants for wildlife habitat management, improvement, inventories and education available to counties that have lands in the County Forest Program
• Grants to help develop wildlife plans, implement damage abatement and/or control measures for white-tailed deer and/or Canada geese in urban areas
• Grants to improve fish and wildlife resources available to counties and tribes, including infrastructure, habitat and stocking projects
• Cost-sharing grants for surface water protection and restoration including education, ecological assessments, planning, implementation and aquatic invasive species prevention and control
• Grants to construct fishing piers that are primarily designed to provide public access for shore fishing
• Grants to construct motorboat access projects
• Grants for constructing, renovating and maintaining boating infrastructure facilities for transient recreational vessels at least 26 feet long
• Grants construction, renovation, operation and maintenance of pump-out and dump stations
• Grants for recreational boating facility projects, including channel dredging, construction projects, improvement and repair of locks, navigation aids, rehabilitation, trash skimming equipment and weed harvesting equipment
• Grants for boating enforcement efforts available to counties and municipalities
• Cost-sharing reimbursement grants to develop and maintain recreational trails and facilities
• Grants to acquire, insure, develop and maintain ATV/UTV trails, areas and routes
• Grants for ATV enforcement efforts available to sheriff departments
• Grants to develop and maintain a statewide system of snowmobile trails available to counties and tribes
• Grants for snowmobile enforcement efforts available to sheriff departments
• Cost-sharing reimbursement grants to ensure the education, training and development of safe and ethical hunters and mentors with a preference towards applicants focusing on adults, women and families
• Cost-sharing reimbursement grants to assist in shooting range construction

Back to top

Health & Safety

• Air quality map, forecast and health advisories by county
• Subscribe to air quality notices by county
• Open burning rules, health impacts, alternatives and complaints
• Open burning publications
• Summary of regulations for open burning, including for air quality maintenance, solid waste management and wildfire prevention
• Grants for wildland firefighting equipment and training
• Comprehensive beach information, including current beach status, advisories, beach health database and historical monitoring and assessments
• Model ordinances for Construction Site Storm Water Management
• Shoreland Protection – Model County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance
• Floodplain regulations and ordinances

Back to top

Public Works & Utilities

• Overview of the types of air permits and the air permitting process
  Air permits might be needed for:
  • Construction of new sources of air emissions
  • Boilers and generators
  • Fleets and garages
  • Highway departments
  • Public works departments
  • Landfills
  • Waste handling facilities
  • Wastewater treatment plants
  • Municipal utilities
• Air emissions inventory and reporting, including historical emissions data, electronic reporting tutorials and Emissions Reduction Credit Registry
• Grants to reduce diesel emissions from public and private vehicle fleets
   
• Overview of managing waste and materials, including solid waste, hazardous waste, recycling and composting
• Composting rules and regulations, including links to site licenses. Composting sites need to be licensed if they have more than 50 cubic yards of compost on-site at any time.
• Responsible unit recycling programs, including requirements, costs and resources for responsible unit managers
• Grants for DNR-approved recycling programs
• Recycling contacts in local units of government lookup tool
• How to recycle electronics in Wisconsin: preparing to recycle, protecting data, finding a recycler, what to recycle, why recycle
• Electronics recycling information for local governments
• Reducing, reusing and recycling plastic bags and wrap, including educational materials
• General solid waste management, including low hazard exemptions
• Waste facility and transporter licenses – Any local government transporting more than 20 tons of solid waste or recyclables during a calendar year needs a waste transportation license. A DNR license is also required for a solid waste
• Cleaning up storm debris
• Infectious waste, including how to handle sharps
• Universal waste: batteries, fluorescent lamps, pesticides, mercury devices and antifreeze
• Clean Sweep, household hazardous waste collection – DNR, DATCP
   
• Open burning rules, health impacts, alternatives and complaints
• Open burning publications
• Summary of regulations for open burning, including for air quality maintenance, solid waste management and wildfire prevention
• Wisconsin open burning regulatory authorities and model ordinance
   
• Monthly water withdrawal reporting for high capacity and permitted surface water withdrawals
• Water permits, including a description of permit categories, link to apply, public notices and user guides
  Permits may be needed for:
  • Wastewater discharge
  • Storm water runoff
  • Aquatic plant management
  • Dams
  • Water supply
  • Water withdrawal
  • Waterway and wetland disturbance
  • Transportation projects
• Municipal storm water permit overview, including permittee look up, publications and technical guidance, standards and models, grants and MS4 eReporting
• Municipal storm water permit eReporting
• Lists of current WPDES wastewater permit holders, municipal and industrial
   
• Erosion Control and Storm water management plans, including long term maintenance of storm water features (retention ponds, etc.)
• Municipal storm water presentations and fact sheets
• Grants to reimburse costs for agricultural or urban runoff management practices in targeted areas with water quality concerns
• Grants to reimburse costs of planning or construction projects that control urban nonpoint source and storm water runoff pollution
• Waterway protection exemptions (specific projects including shoreline maintenance, intake/outtake structures, dredging, boat structures, etc)
• A list of state and federal water and wastewater funding sources for municipalities
   
• Overview of drinking water, including water quality data, plans, regulations, publications, laboratory testing and information for owners and operators
• A collection of resources specifically for municipal waterworks operators
• Public water system plan review, including process overview, requirements, regulations, status search and other resources
• Lists of certified drinking water testing labs
• How to create a Consumer Confidence Report using DNR's CCR Generator
• Municipal water disinfection, including municipal water disinfection list and public drinking water system data
• Source water protection overview, including developing a local program, wellhead protection, financial resources, technical assistance and project examples
   
• Wastewater plan submittal requirements by project type, including municipal sewage collection system projects, sanitary sewer projects and wastewater treatment systems
• Overview of sewer service area planning
• Floodplain management publications and grants, including:
  • model zoning ordinances
  • sample letters & documents
  • newsletters & handbooks
  • three grant programs
     
• Overview of transportation projects, including environmental impacts, BMPs, learning resources and funding
• Grants to remove dams

by DNR topic

Economic development & business support

• List of resources curated for businesses, including links to business support programs, a comprehensive list of links for permits and reporting and a direct link to the DNR switchboard
• Toolbox of DNR business support resources for economic development professionals, including:
  • Ready-to-publish newsletter articles describing DNR’s Business Support programs
  • Brochures explaining each of our programs
  • Archives of past e-mail news for economic development professionals
• Subscribe to our email news for economic development professionals

Air

Community health

• Air quality map, forecast and health advisories by county
• Subscribe to air quality notices by county
• Open burning rules, health impacts, alternatives and complaints
• Open burning publications
• Summary of regulations for open burning, including for air quality maintenance, solid waste management and wildfire prevention
• Grants to reduce diesel emissions from public and private vehicle fleets

Permits & reporting

• Overview of the types of air permits and the air permitting process
  Air permits might be needed for:
  • Construction of new sources of air emissions
  • Boilers and generators
  • Fleets and garages
  • Highway departments
  • Public works departments
  • Landfills
  • Waste handling facilities
  • Wastewater treatment plants
  • Municipal utilities
• Air emissions inventory and reporting, including historical emissions data, electronic reporting tutorials, and Emissions Reduction Credit Registry

Waste & Materials Management

Recycling & Composting

• Responsible unit recycling programs, including requirements, costs, and resources for responsible unit managers
• Grants for DNR-approved recycling programs
• Recycling contacts in local units of government lookup tool
• How to recycle electronics in Wisconsin: preparing to recycle, protecting data, finding a recycler, what to recycle, why recycle
• Electronics recycling information for local governments
• Reducing, reusing and recycling plastic bags and wrap, including educational materials
• Composting overview, including rules and regulations, food waste opportunities map, publications and resources
• Composting rules and regulations, including links to site licenses. Composting sites need to be licensed if they have more than 50 cubic yards of compost on-site at any time.

Solid waste

• General solid waste management, including low hazard exemptions
• Waste facility and transporter licenses – Any local government transporting more than 20 tons of solid waste or recyclables during a calendar year needs a waste transportation license. A DNR license is also required for a solid waste
• Cleaning up storm debris
• Infectious waste, including how to handle sharps
• Universal waste: batteries, fluorescent lamps, pesticides, mercury devices and antifreeze
• Clean Sweep, household hazardous waste collection – DNR, DATCP
• Open burning rules, health impacts, alternatives, and complaints
• Open burning publications
• Summary of regulations for open burning, including for air quality maintenance, solid waste management and wildfire prevention

Contamination

• Overview of local governments and contaminated property, including liability, financial resources & tax tools
• Local Government Advisory Group to the Wisconsin PFAS Action Council
• Funding to assess brownfield sites
• Grants and loans to clean up hazardous substance contamination
• Grants and loans to clean up petroleum contamination available to local governments

Water

• A list of state and federal water and wastewater funding sources for municipalities

Permits & reporting

• Water permits, including a description of permit categories, link to apply, public notices and user guides
  Permits may be needed for:
  • Wastewater discharge
  • Storm water runoff
  • Aquatic plant management
  • Dams
  • Water supply
  • Water withdrawal
  • Waterway and wetland disturbance
  • Transportation projects
• Municipal storm water permit overview, including permittee look up, publications and technical guidance, standards and models, grants and MS4 eReporting
• Municipal storm water permit eReporting
• Erosion Control and Stormwater management plans, including long term maintenance of storm water features (retention ponds, etc.)
• Monthly water withdrawal reporting for high capacity and permitted surface water withdrawals
• Waterway protection exemptions (specific projects including shoreline maintenance, intake/outtake structures, dredging, boat structures, etc)

Surface water

• Comprehensive beach information, including current beach status, advisories, beach health database and historical monitoring and assessments
• Cost-sharing grants for surface water protection and restoration including education, ecological assessments, planning, implementation, and aquatic invasive species prevention and control

Water supply

• How local governments can address water supply security concerns
• A collection of resources specifically for municipal waterworks operators
• Public water system plan review, including process overview, requirements, regulations, status search and other resources
• Laboratories approved for bacteriological and chemical drinking water testing
• How to create a Consumer Confidence Report using DNR's CCR Generator
• Municipal water disinfection, including municipal water disinfection list and public drinking water system data
• How to protect drinking water sources, including developing a local program, wellhead protection, private wells, places to get technical assistance and connecting with other programs that have been successful

Wastewater

• Guidance for municipal and industrial discharges
• Plans for municipal sewerage systems
• Lists of current WPDES wastewater permit holders, municipal and industrial
• Overview of sewer service area planning

Storm water & nonpoint pollution

• Searchable list of Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s)
• Municipal storm water permit overview, including permittee look up, publications and technical guidance, standards and models, grants and MS4 eReporting
• Municipal storm water presentations and fact sheets
• Grants to reimburse costs of planning or construction projects that control urban nonpoint source and storm water runoff pollution
• Grants to reimburse costs for agricultural or urban runoff management practices in targeted areas with water quality concerns
• Cost-share grants to improve water quality by working with owners and operators of livestock operations to meet pollution requirements

Parks & habitat management

Shoreland

• Shoreland Protection – Model County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance for Wisconsin's Shoreland Protection
• Resources for local government to safeguard our shorelines, including:
  • Laws and regulations
  • Model zoning ordinances
  • Newsletters, handbooks and other publications

Financial resources

• Wisconsin Wetland Conservation Trust - sells wetland credits to permittees needing to offset authorized wetland impacts
• Stewardship grants to buy land for stream bank protection, easements, natural areas, county forests, recreational boating facilities, snowmobile & ATV trails, community gardens, local parks and urban greenspace
• Grants to cover 50% of acquisition and/or development of land to provide high-quality outdoor recreational opportunities
• Grants for Weed Management Groups to remove invasive plants and provide education, information and outreach
• Grants to support development, maintenance, preservation, restoration and maintenance of wild turkey, pheasant and waterfowl and their associated habitats
• Grants for wildlife habitat management, improvement, inventories, and education available to counties that have lands in the County Forest Program
• Cost-sharing grants for surface water protection and restoration including education, ecological assessments, planning, implementation and aquatic invasive species prevention and control
• Grants to improve fish and wildlife resources available to counties and tribes, including infrastructure, habitat and stocking projects

Forests

• County Forest information
  • Forms and handbooks
  • Public lands toolkit (regeneration, subcontractors, timber sales)
  • Timber sales reports
  • Monitoring reports
• Grants to purchase forest land available to counties with lands entered under the County Forest Program
• Grants to fund County Forest Administrators available to any county employing a professional forester in the position
• Grants for special, short term, or unanticipated projects that promote sustainable forestry available to counties with lands enrolled in the County Forest Law
• Reimbursement grants for local fire departments to purchase equipment to prevent and fight wildland fires
• Urban forestry grants, including
  • Cost-sharing for new, innovative projects that develop sustainable urban and community forestry programs
  • Cost-sharing for starting or restarting an urban forestry program
  • Funds to repair, remove or replace urban trees after catastrophic storms

Outdoor recreation

• Cost-sharing reimbursement grants to ensure the education, training and development of safe and ethical hunters and mentors with a preference towards applicants focusing on adults, women and families
• Cost-sharing reimbursement grants to assist in shooting range construction
• Cost-sharing reimbursement grants to develop and maintain recreational trails and facilities
• Grants for ATV enforcement efforts available to sheriff departments
• Grants to develop and maintain a statewide system of snowmobile trails available to counties and tribes
• Grants for snowmobile enforcement efforts available to sheriff departments
• Grants for boating enforcement efforts available to counties and municipalities
• Grants to acquire, insure, develop and maintain ATV/UTV trails, areas and routes
• Grants for constructing, renovating and maintaining boating infrastructure facilities for transient recreational vessels at least 26 feet long
• Grants to construct fishing piers that are primarily designed to provide public access for shore fishing
• Grants to construct motorboat access projects
• Grants construction, renovation, operation and maintenance of pump-out and dump stations
• Grants for recreational boating facility projects, including channel dredging, construction projects, improvement and repair of locks, navigation aids, rehabilitation, trash skimming equipment and weed harvesting equipment

Wildlife damage

• Grants to help develop wildlife plans, implement damage abatement and/or control measures for white-tailed deer and/or Canada geese in urban areas
• Grants to abate damage and partially compensate commercial agricultural producers for damages from white-tailed deer, black bear, turkey, Canada geese and/or elk available to counties

Transportation & fleets

• Municipal Transportation Projects Individual Permit Checklist
• Grants to reduce diesel emissions from public and private vehicle fleets