For the purpose of administering and enforcing this chapter, the terms or words used herein shall be interpreted as follows: Words used in the present tense include the future; words in the singular number include the plural number; and words in the plural number include the singular number. The word "shall" is mandatory, not permissive. All distances unless otherwise specified shall be measured horizontally.
The following terms used in this chapter have the following meanings:[1]
ACCESS AND VIEWING CORRIDOR
A strip of vegetated land that allows safe pedestrian access to the shore through the vegetative buffer zone.
BOATHOUSE
A permanent structure used for the storage of watercraft and associated materials and includes all structures which are totally enclosed, have roofs or walls or any combination of these structural parts.
BUILDING ENVELOPE
The three dimensional space within which a structure is built.
COUNTY ZONING DEPARTMENT
That committee or commission created or designated by the County Board under § 59.69(2)(a), Wis. Stats., to act in all matters pertaining to County planning and zoning.
DEPARTMENT
The Department of Natural Resources.
EXISTING DEVELOPMENT PATTERN (NR 115.03(3M))
That principal structures exist within 250 feet of a proposed principal structure in both directions along the shoreline.
FLOODPLAIN
The land which has been or may be hereafter covered by flood water during the regional flood. The floodplain includes the floodway and the flood fringe as those terms are defined in Ch. NR 116, Wis. Adm. Code.
GENERALLY ACCEPTED FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Forestry management practices that promote sound management of a forest. Generally accepted forestry management practices include those practices contained in the most recent version of the department publication known as "Wisconsin Forest Management Guidelines" and identified as PUB FR-226.
IMPERVIOUS SURFACE
An area that releases as runoff all or a majority of the precipitation that falls on it. Impervious surface excludes frozen soil but includes rooftops, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, and streets unless specifically designed, constructed, and maintained to be pervious.
MITIGATION
Balancing measures that are designed, implemented and function to restore natural functions and values that are otherwise lost through development and human activities.
NAVIGABLE WATERS
Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, all natural inland lakes within Wisconsin and all streams, ponds, sloughs, flowages and other waters within the territorial limits of this state, including the Wisconsin portion of boundary waters, which are navigable under the laws of this state. Under § 281.31(2)(d), Wis. Stats., notwithstanding any other provision of law or administrative rule promulgated thereunder, shoreland ordinances required under § 59.692, Wis. Stats., and Ch. NR 115, Wis. Adm. Code, do not apply to lands adjacent to:
A. 
Farm drainage ditches where such lands are not adjacent to a natural navigable stream or river and such lands were not navigable streams before ditching; and
B. 
Artificially constructed drainage ditches, ponds or stormwater retention basins that are not hydrologically connected to a natural navigable water body.
ORDINARY HIGH-WATER MARK
The point on the bank or shore up to which the presence and action of surface water is so continuous as to leave a distinctive mark such as by erosion, destruction or prevention of terrestrial vegetation, predominance of aquatic vegetation, or other easily recognized characteristics.
REGIONAL FLOOD
A flood determined to be representative of large floods known to have generally occurred in Wisconsin and which may be expected to occur on a particular stream because of like physical characteristics, once in every 100 years.
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE OF VEGETATION
Normally accepted horticultural practices that do not result in the loss of any layer of existing vegetation and do not require earth disturbance.
SHORELAND
Lands within the following distances from the ordinary high-water mark of navigable waters: 1,000 feet from a lake, pond or flowage; and 300 feet from a river or stream or to the landward side of the floodplain, whichever distance is greater.
SHORELAND SETBACK
Also known as the "shoreland setback area" in § 59.692(1)(bn), Wis. Stats. An area in a shoreland that is within a certain distance of the ordinary high-water mark in which the construction or placement of structures has been limited or prohibited under an ordinance enacted under § 59.692, Wis. Stats.
SHORELAND-WETLAND DISTRICT
A zoning district, created as a part of a county zoning ordinance, comprised of shorelands that are designated as wetlands on the Wisconsin wetland inventory maps prepared by the department.
SPECIAL EXCEPTION (CONDITIONAL USE)
A use which is permitted by this chapter provided that certain conditions specified in the ordinance are met and that a permit is granted by the Board of Adjustment or, where appropriate, the Planning and Zoning Committee or County Board.
STRUCTURE
A principal structure or any accessory structure including a garage, shed, boathouse, sidewalk, walkway, patio, deck, retaining wall, porch or firepit.[2]
UNNECESSARY HARDSHIP
That circumstance where special conditions, which were not self-created, affect a particular property and make strict conformity with restrictions governing area, setbacks, frontage, height or density unnecessarily burdensome or unreasonable in light of the purposes of this chapter.
WETLANDS
Those areas where water is at, near or above the land surface long enough to be capable of supporting aquatic or hydrophytic vegetation and which have soils indicative of wet conditions.
[1]
Editor's Note: The following terms are also defined in § NR 115.03, Wis. Adm. Code, unless otherwise indicated.
[2]
Editor's Note: "Structure" is also defined in § 59.692(1)(e), Wis. Stats.