[HISTORY: Adopted by the Village Board of the Village of Shorewood as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 4-20-2026 by Ord. No. 3082[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Ch. 220, Brush, Grass and Weeds, adopted 4-7-1986 by Ord. No. 1477 as Ch. 7, Arts. 6 and 7, of the 1986 Code, as amended.
A. 
Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to prohibit the uncontrolled growth of vegetation and to control noxious and prohibited weeds, and restricted invasive plants as defined herein, while permitting the planting and maintenance of natural landscaping that adds diversity and richness to the Village's environment. It is a further purpose of this section to balance the need to ensure proper management of vegetation growth with the aesthetic, community, and environmental benefits of fostering the appropriate use of naturalized and native plant landscaping.
B. 
Findings. The Village finds that it is in the public interest to ensure the proper maintenance of vegetation to prevent the growth of unmanaged vegetation which can lead to nuisance conditions such as the emergence of rank growth, which may adversely affect public health and safety. The Village further finds it is in the public's interests:
(1) 
To encourage diverse landscape treatments throughout the Village, particularly those landscape elements that support the preservation, restoration, and management of native plant communities, healthy pollinator communities, and soil and water conservation.
(2) 
To promote microhabitats in urban areas for the conservation of wildlife by establishing new wildlife habitat and maintaining existing wildlife habitat.
(3) 
To create larger, more connected plant populations, helping ensure the future of native plant species by increasing their ability to migrate in response to changes in climate.
C. 
Definitions.
DESTROY
Means the complete killing of weeds or the killing of weed plants above the surface of the ground by the use of chemicals, cutting, tillage, cropping system, hand-pulling, mulches, smothering, soil solarization, or any or all of these in effective combination, at a time and in a manner as will effectively prevent the weed plants from continual growth and from maturing to bloom or flower stage.
GARDEN
Means a cultivated area dedicated to growing vegetables, fruits, annual and perennial plants, ornamental grasses, or groundcovers, vines, shrubs, or trees, in a location with a defined edge or border.
NATIVE PLANTS
Means those grasses (including prairie grasses), sedges (solid, triangular-stemmed plants resembling grasses), forbs (flowering broadleaf plants), vines, shrubs, groundcovers, and trees that are native to or naturalized to the State of Wisconsin. For purposes of this section, "native plants" shall not include "prohibited weeds" or "restricted invasive plants" as defined herein.
NATURAL LANDSCAPING AREA
Means an intentional and maintained planting area which shall primarily consist of native trees, shrubs, and/or plants, as defined in this section, or vegetation associated with a rain garden. "Natural landscaping" shall not include "prohibited weeds" or "restricted invasive plants" as defined herein.
NO MOW LAWN
Means a specially designed blend of bunch forming and creeping fine fescue grasses that are used as an alternative to the traditional turf grass lawn. This blend may include, but is not limited to, Festuca brevipila (hard fescue), Festuca ovina (sheep fescue), Festuca rubra subs. fallax (Chewing's fescue), Festuca rubra (red fescue), Festuca rubra var. rubra (creeping red fescue), or Festuca rubra ssp. Litoralis (slender creeping red fescue). No mow may be mixed with annual rye to aid in establishment of the no mow lawn. No mow will typically reach six to eight inches in height with seedheads reaching approximately two feet in height. After the seedstalks fall, the lawn will revert to approximately six to eight inches in height. No mow lawns generally only require mowing twice per year. "No mow lawn" shall not include "prohibited weeds" or "restricted invasive plants" as defined herein.
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES AND GROUNDCOVERS
Means grasses and groundcovers that are not native to or naturalized to the State of Wisconsin. For purposes of this section, "ornamental grasses" shall not include common "turf grasses" or "prohibited weeds" or "restricted invasive plants" as defined herein.
PROHIBITED WEEDS
Means any nuisance weed listed under § 23.235(1)(a), Wis. Stats., any noxious weed listed under § 66.0407(1)(b), Wis. Stats., or any plant listed as a prohibited invasive plant in Milwaukee County in Ch. NR 40, Wis. Admin. Code.
PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
Includes the parkway area between the sidewalk and the street curb and includes the public right-of-way of record extending from the sidewalk into a portion of the front yard.
RAIN GARDEN
Means an excavated area that is back-filled with a prepared or amended soil mixture, which may or may not be covered with a mulch layer, which is planted with a diversity of woody or herbaceous vegetation, to which stormwater is directed to promote infiltration or evapotranspiration.
RESTRICTED INVASIVE PLANT
Means any plant listed as a restricted invasive plant in Milwaukee County under Ch. NR 40, Wis. Admin. Code.
TURF GRASSES
Means those grasses commonly used in regularly cut or mowed lawns or active recreation areas, and includes, without limitation, bluegrass, fescue, or rye grass blends and other similar grasses.
UNMANAGED VEGETATION GROWTH
Means an unmaintained area in which any grass, turf grass, hay, weeds, brush or other vegetation has grown to a height of over six inches as a result of the absence of active cutting, mowing, or other maintenance. This definition shall not include:
(1) 
Gardens;
(2) 
Vegetation found on shoreland within 35 feet of the ordinary high-water mark;
(3) 
Vegetation found within environmentally sensitive areas such as steep slopes, drainage ways, wetlands, and protective buffer areas;
(4) 
Natural landscaping areas that are wholly contained within the parcel on which they are planted and maintained; or
(5) 
No mow lawns.
D. 
Responsibilities of owner or occupant.
(1) 
The owner, occupant and agent or person in charge of any lot, place or parcel of land within this Village shall cut and/or remove any unhealthful, or unsafe growths of grass, shrubs or other vegetation located on said lot, place or parcel of land or on any sidewalk, parkway or other public ways upon which said premises abut as required in order to maintain said premises in a healthful and safe condition to prevent such growths from obstructing the view of any pedestrian, motorist, cyclist or wheelchair user, and from creating an obstruction with respect to any part of the sidewalk.
(2) 
In addition, every owner, occupant and agent or person in charge of any lot, place or parcel of land within this Village shall destroy all prohibited weeds and restricted invasive plants located on said lot, place or parcel of land or in any sidewalk, parkway, or public way upon which said premises abut.
(3) 
All lawn and grass areas consisting of turf grasses shall be cut between May 15 and November 15 when the Director of Public Works, Planning and Development Department Director, or designee, in their discretion, so orders in accordance with authority granted under § 220-2 hereof.
A. 
The Director of Public Works (Weed Commissioner), Planning and Development Department Director, or designee, is hereby authorized and empowered to notify in writing the owner, occupant, agent or person in charge of any such lot, place or parcel of land within the Village of Shorewood to cut and/or remove any prohibited weeds, or any grass, shrubs, weeds or vegetation of a deleterious, unhealthful, noxious, unsafe, or of an obstructing nature found growing, lying or located on such lot, place or parcel of land, or upon any sidewalk, parkway or alley upon which said lot, place or parcel of land abuts.
B. 
If such owner, occupant, agent or person in charge of said lot, place or parcel of land shall neglect or refuse to cut and/or remove the prohibited weeds, or the grass, shrubs, weeds or vegetation of a deleterious, unhealthful, noxious, unsafe, or of an obstructing nature growing, lying or located upon said premises or upon the sidewalk, parkway, street or alley abutting said premises pursuant to the aforesaid written notice within seven days after the notice has been received, said Director of Public Works (Weed Commissioner), or their designee, shall then proceed to cut down and/or otherwise destroy and/or remove such prohibited weeds or unhealthful, unsafe, or obstructing growths. The costs of such cutting, destroying or removal of the aforesaid prohibited weeds or unhealthful, unsafe, or obstructing growths of grass, shrubs, weeds or vegetation shall be billable to the property owner and shall be certified in the proper manner to have them levied as special charges against such property, and the proper officers of the Village are authorized and directed to enter such charges onto the tax roll. In addition, if any such owner, occupant, agent or person in charge of said premises shall fail to so cut and/or remove any such grass, shrubs, weeds or vegetation within seven days after having received notice as herein provided, said owner, occupant, agent or person in charge of said premises shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to the penalties as prescribed in § 115-1 of the Shorewood Village Code.
A. 
Landscaping, plantings and other decorative surface treatments, including gardens, natural landscaping areas, no mow lawns, ornamental grasses and ground covers, rain gardens, and turf grasses, shall be installed, and maintained such that they meet the standards for each category as defined in § 220-1C of this article. All plantings shall be maintained so as not to present hazards or nuisances to adjoining properties or to persons or vehicles traveling on public ways and shall be maintained so as to enhance the appearance and value of the property on which located and thereby the appearance and value of the neighborhood and the Village, while also taking into account the ecological value of the plantings.
(1) 
Lawns consisting of turf grasses shall be maintained to a height not to exceed six inches in length.
(2) 
An owner, agent or person in charge of any lot, place or parcel of land within this Village, and any tenant or occupant upon signed, written consent of the owner, agent or person in charge of a property, may plant turf grasses, a no mow lawn, ornamental grasses or ground covers, or implement a natural landscaping area on their lot, place or parcel of land or the area of the public right-of-way extending from the sidewalk to the front lot line.
(3) 
Any landscaping, plantings and other decorative surface treatments to be installed in the parkway area of the public right-of-way between the sidewalk and street curb other than turf grasses or no mow lawns are subject to a permit requirement, as provided in § 66.0425, Wis. Stats., and § 466-18 of the Village Code.
B. 
Natural landscaping areas shall adhere to the following standards:
(1) 
Types of plantings.
(a) 
Plantings may include forbs, grasses, edible plants, shrubs, or trees and shall primarily consist of native vegetation, or vegetation associated with a rain garden.
(b) 
Plantings may be designed as rain gardens with plantings and grading specifically designed to receive and infiltrate rainwater or clear water flows.
(c) 
Plantings shall be deliberately selected and arranged as part of a coherent overall design. Overgrowth of conventional turf grasses or weeds, or any other unmanaged vegetation growth, shall not constitute a natural landscaping area.
(d) 
No prohibited weeds or restricted invasive plants shall be permitted.
(2) 
No obstructions. A natural landscaping area shall not require a defined border or edging. However, any plantings near a sidewalk shall not extend over the sidewalk area or create an obstruction for pedestrian, cyclist or wheelchair traffic on any part of the sidewalk.
(3) 
Plant height at maturity. Plant height shall be maintained at the appropriate maximum height at maturity for the specific species. The Village Forester shall be consulted in the event of a dispute as to the appropriate maximum height for a particular plant; provided that plant height in a parkway or other public ways upon which the premises abut shall not exceed three feet.
(4) 
Visibility at intersections. Natural planting areas shall not obstruct the vision setback area as defined within § 535-10D.
The Village may at any time determine that a natural landscaping area violates the terms of this article. The Director of Public Works (Weed Commissioner), Planning and Development Department Director, or designee, is hereby authorized and empowered to notify in writing the owner, occupant, agent or person in charge of any such lot, place or parcel of land within the Village of Shorewood to cut or remove the offending vegetation, or to bring the landscaping into compliance with the guidelines.
Unless otherwise provided for in this article, any person, firm, partnership or corporation wishing to contest a charge assessed under this article or any order, determination or ruling of any Village administrative official may appeal to the Board of Appeals in accordance with the provisions of § 535-56 of the Village Code. The fee for appealing in each case shall be as provided by the Village Fee Schedule.