Herptile Regulations
All native herptiles (herps) are considered protected and have some level of protection. An overview of state regulations related to amphibians and reptiles can be found in Wisconsin's Amphibian and Reptile Regulations.
For any planned land-disturbing activities, an Endangered Resources Review should be conducted prior to beginning the project to ensure that there will not be any impacts to rare species and that planned activities are in compliance with Wisconsin’s Endangered Species Law (s. 29.604 Wis. Stats.), as well as other laws pertaining to rare species.
Activity periods
If your Endangered Resources Review has required or recommended timing restrictions or the installation of amphibian and reptile exclusion fencing in relation to a species’ activity period, please use the table below.
| Species | Spring Activity (2021) |
|---|---|
| Blanchard’s cricket frog | Blanchard's cricket frogs are now fully active for the year. |
| Blanding's turtle | Blanding's turtles will be fully active on May 1. |
| Butler’s gartersnake | Butler's gartersnakes are now fully active for the year. |
| Eastern massasauga rattlesnake |
Buffalo and Pepin County: Eastern massasaugas will be fully active on May 1. All other counties: Eastern massasaugas are now fully active for the year. |
| Eastern (northern) ribbonsnake | Eastern ribbonsnakes are now fully active for the year. |
| Ornate box turtle | Ornate box turtles are now fully active for the year. |
| Queensnake | Queensnakes are now fully active for the year. |
| Slender glass lizard | Slender glass lizards are now fully active for the year. |
| Western ribbonsnake | Western ribbonsnakes are now fully active for the year. |
| Wood turtle | Wood turtles will be fully active on May 1. |