Waste_Content Page_Waste facility and transporter licenses

Waste facility and transporter licenses

Annual operating licenses issued for solid, hazardous and infectious waste activities cover a one-year period, from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. You may apply for a license at any point during the year, but the full amount of any applicable license fees will still be required.

Waste type activity codes

The links below list types of waste that transporters or facilities may list on license applications and license renewal forms. The lists do not include all waste types subject to regulation.

Who needs a license

Transporters/haulers

You would need a waste transportation license if:

  • you are transporting more than 20 tons of solid waste during a year;
  • you transport hazardous waste from businesses or institutions (nonhouseholds); or
  • you are transporting more than 50 pounds of infectious waste within any one calendar month. Visit the infectious waste page for more information.

For more information about specific types of waste that may require transporter licenses, see the following.

Not everyone needs a state license to transport solid waste, recyclables, hazardous waste or infectious waste. For example, households hauling their own trash, recyclables, etc., do not need a transportation license. You can review the exemptions using the links below, but it is also a good idea to contact the DNR environmental program associate for your area to learn more about whether any of the exemptions apply to you.

Recyclables Transporter Reporting Training

Haulers who transport municipal solid waste or municipal recyclables have additional special reporting responsibilities. DNR hosted trainings for these haulers in December 2021. Topics covered included a brief overview of legal requirements and information how haulers can assist  municipal customers with recycling reporting.

For any questions about the training, contact Ariana Mankerian, recycling and solid waste reporting specialist.

Facilities

A DNR license is required for a solid waste landfill. For more information on siting a landfill, please see the landfill siting process.

In most cases, a DNR license is required for a compost facility, processing facility, storage facility, woodburning facility, incinerator or transfer station. See the following links for more details.

  1. Compost facility license information
  2. Information for waste tire transfer, storage or processing facilities
  3. Other nonlandfill solid waste facility license information

Facilities that treat, store or dispose of hazardous waste must be licensed by the DNR, unless the activity is specifically exempt from the licensing requirement. For more information, see the hazardous waste overview.

How to apply

Electronic payment options

Payments for plan review and license fees may be made electronically through the DNR's E-Pay system. For more information, visit E-Pay invoice payment options.

Transporter licenses

Application forms for solid waste/recyclables, hazardous waste and infectious waste transporters are available below. Before submitting any license application forms, please contact the DNR environmental program associate for the area of the state where your operation is located to get more information about the licensing process or to obtain other application materials. For out-of-state transport services, make your selection based on where the majority of your business will be conducted.

Note: Fillable PDFs currently only work in Internet Explorer, not in browsers such as Chrome, Edge or Firefox. You can find more information on the DNR's PDF help page.

Solid waste/recyclables
Hazardous waste and/or PCB waste

Warning: Due to the fillable nature of these PDF forms, many current browsers will not open them properly.

  1. From a desktop computer, download the PDF form (right-click on the link, then select "Save link as" or "Save target as")
  2. Make a note of the file location and file name so you can access the file from your device.
  3. Do not double-click the file. Open the Adobe Reader software then select "File > Open" then browse to the PDF file you saved on your device. See PDF Help for additional information.
Infectious waste

Licenses for facilities handling solid or hazardous waste

For information on licensing a solid waste landfill, please see the landfill siting process.

For information on licensing a compost facility, processing facility, storage facility, woodburning facility, incinerator or transfer station, see the following links.

For information on hazardous waste treatment, storage or disposal facility licensing, contact your regional hazardous waste management specialist.

Lists of licensed transporters and facilities

Lists of currently licensed waste transporters and facilities

The following links take you to interactive lists of license holders that you can sort and search based on your needs. You can also download spreadsheets of the lists.

Please note: "County" refers to the location of the licensed or registered operation, not its service area. A licensed or registered operation may service an area covering multiple counties or may operate statewide. Contact the licensee directly to see if it operates in your area. Licensed operations based outside Wisconsin are at the end of the list.

Lists of licensed landfills

Licensed landfill information is provided in the links below.

Facilities accepting tires

For a list of licensed facilities that accept tires for proper management, follow this link and select the facility types “Solid Waste Processing – General Not as Part of Landfill Operation” and all three “Solid Waste Transfer” options. Select Tires under Waste Types Handled.

Facilities accepting PCB waste