Dane County Land & Water Resources Department

Erosion Control and Shoreland Erosion Control

Erosion and uncontrolled stormwater runoff can have adverse impacts on both land and water. To reduce these impacts, either an Erosion Control Permit or a Shoreland Erosion Control Permit may be required depending on your project's location.

Erosion Control Permit - required by Dane County Ordinance Chapter 14 (PDF) for specific land disturbing activities that occur outside the Shoreland Zone.

Shoreland Erosion Control Permit - required by Dane County Ordinance Chapter 11 (PDF) for specific land disturbing activities that occur within the Shoreland Zone (JPG). If your project is located within the Shoreland Zone, we recommend that you contact Dane County Zoning to determine if permits are required.

When is a Permit Required

Use our Permit Decision Tree (PDF) o help you understand permitting requirements, but please note that all permit determinations must be made in writing by our staff.

An Erosion Control Permit or a Shoreland Erosion Control Permit is required for any of the following:

Land disturbing activity in excess of 4,000 square feet of land
Land disturbing activity that involves excavation, filling, or a combination of excavation and filling, in excess of 400 cubic yards of material
Disturbing more than 100 lineal feet of road ditch, grass waterway, or other existing open channel
Creating a new public or private road or access drive longer than 125 feet
Recording a subdivision plat
Any other land disturbing activity (even if less than 4,000 square feet) that the local approval authority determines to have a high risk of soil erosion or water pollution, or that may significantly impact a lake, stream, or wetland area
Any land disturbing activity in the Shoreland Zone (see below)

The Shoreland Zone includes all lands within:

1000 feet from the ordinary high-water mark (OHWM) of navigable lakes, ponds, or flowages
300 feet of the ordinary high-water mark (OHWM) or landward side of the floodplain of the navigable reaches of rivers and streams
75 feet of the shoreland or inland wetland district
Note: Shoreland Zone Erosion Control Plans must be stamped by a licensed professional engineer (P.E.). Minor projects may be exempt from the P.E. stamp requirement. Check with Water Resource Engineering staff (PDF) to see if your project qualifies for an exemption.

How to Apply

View application materials below:

Application Materials and submission instructions

Before you apply, you may wish to review / complete:

Stormwater Manual for an overview of permit requirements and process
Frequently Asked Questions
Permit Fees
Agricultural Ditch-Tile-Clearing Checklist before starting agricultural ditching, repairing tile, or breaking out new land

Helpful Tools

Primary Tools

Stormwater Manual - overview of permit requirements and process
Soil Loss & Sediment Discharge Calculation Tool - Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) spreadsheet used to calculate soil loss and sediment discharge from construction sites
DCiMap - online mapping application that can be used to create online and printable maps for permit applications

Additional Tools

Agricultural Ditch-Tile-Clearing Checklist (PDF) to complete before starting agricultural ditching, repairing tile, or breaking out new land
Acceptable Native Species for the Shoreland Zone - plant species that have been approved for use in establishing a native vegetated buffer to meet shoreland zoning requirements.
Permit Fees

Additional Forms & Information

Additional forms and information that may need to be submitted with your permit application(s):

Other Agency Permits

Your project may also need a permit from another agency, common links are provided below. Please confirm permit requirements prior to beginning a project.

Department of Planning & Development

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Staff

If you have questions or comments regarding this webpage, please send us a message.

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