Chapter 87 — FLOOD CONTROL

87.01 Definitions. In this chapter: (1) “Department” means the department of natural resources. (2) “Drainage area” means any parcel or parcels of land within the area whose drainage causes or contributes to flood conditions upon or in the vicinity of a designated stream or body …

87.02 Powers of department. To accomplish the purposes of ss. 87.01 to 87.17, the department of natural resources is hereby authorized and empowered: (1) To order the straightening, widening, altering, deepening, changing or the removing of obstructions from the course of any riv…

87.03 Petition for flood works. Any 25 owners of lands which have been recurrently flooded by the waters of any designated stream, lake or pond or any tributaries thereof, or any public corporation within whose boundaries are located any lands subject to such overflow, may file w…

87.04 Action on petition. (1) Upon the filing of any petition as authorized by s. 87.03, the department shall give the project a name embodying the name of the principal river or body of water involved in the project, and shall fix a date and place of hearing upon the petition, t…

87.05 Scope of hearing. The hearing under s. 87.04 shall be confined to the question whether the improvement prayed for in the petition is required by the public health, safety, convenience or welfare. Any person interested may appear at such hearing in person or by attorney and …

87.06 Court review of dismissal. An order dismissing the petition shall be subject to review in the manner provided in ch. 227. An order directing the hearing to proceed shall not be subject to review except upon review of the final order made pursuant to s. 87.07.

87.07 Preliminary order. (1) SURVEY AND REPORT. If the department’s order, made pursuant to s. 87.05, shall direct the hearing to proceed, the department shall at the same time direct its engineering department to make a survey in the form of a preliminary investigation and to fi…

87.075 Special procedure. (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the department may, as provided in this section, at any time after directing the hearing upon the petition to proceed made under s. 87.05, issue an order stating that a flood control board shall be…

87.076 Financing. Any flood control project other than a project described in s. 87.04 (2) may, in addition to any other method of financing mentioned in this chapter, be financed from funds received in whole or in part by the flood control board from any governmental agency or o…

87.08 Petition of board; modification of order, court review. Upon petition of the flood control board organized pursuant to s. 87.12 for the purpose of carrying out the final order of the department, the department may at any time, after public hearing, modify its final orders i…

87.085 Federal cooperation. Any public corporation or flood control board acting under its powers and in conformity with state law may enter into an agreement with an agency of the federal government to cooperate in the construction, operation or maintenance of any federally auth…

87.09 Assessment of benefits. The department shall determine the parcel or parcels of land benefited directly or indirectly and shall levy such assessment in proportion to the benefit accruing to such parcel or parcels of land.

87.095 Public park lands not benefited by improvement. For the purposes of this chapter it is determined that public park lands are not benefited either directly or indirectly by such improvement, and shall not be considered in the assessment May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES…

87.10 Collection of assessments; bonds. (1) Upon the making of a final order directing the work to proceed, as provided in s. 87.07, the department shall forward a certified copy of its findings and the order based thereon to the clerk of each town, village and city in which any …

87.11 When benefits exceed cost; when costs will exceed benefits; temporary borrowing; maintenance fund. (1) If, after all contracts for construction of the improvement have been let, the aggregate of the contract prices, as certified by the flood control board created pursuant t…

87.12 Flood control board, creation, duties, powers, pay, funds. (1) If the department directs the work of constructing the improvement to proceed as provided in s. 87.07, it shall certify the fact of the making of such order to the governor, together with a statement of the coun…

87.13 Disbursements by board. All sums which shall be deposited with the secretary of administration under s. 87.07 (4) for the construction of the improvement shall be paid by the sec- May 22, 2026, are designated by NOTES. (Published 5-22-26) 87.13 FLOOD CONTROL retary of admin…

87.14 Operation and maintenance. The flood control board is authorized to sell, lease, or lease with power to purchase, any reservoir proposed to be constructed, in the process of construction or completed, to a duly organized river improvement company as defined by s. 182.016, o…

87.15 Repairs, replacements and extensions; procedure. Whenever the flood control board shall determine and certify that repairs or replacements are necessary to such an extent as to amount to a partial reconstruction of the improvement rather than ordinary maintenance, or whenev…

87.16 Court proceedings given preference. Any action brought in any court for the purpose of enjoining, preventing or interfering with the construction, repairing, reconstruction, operation or maintenance of the improvement ordered by the department, or any part thereof, except a…

87.17 Trespass, penalty. Any person who shall willfully, maliciously or wantonly destroy, injure, remove, meddle or tamper with any portion of the improvements constructed pursuant to ss. 87.01 to 87.17, whether during construction or after completion of the same, or shall willfu…

87.18 Lease, sale and lease with option to purchase the project. Whenever the flood control project consists of a storage reservoir and authority to create, operate and maintain a reservoir on the river affected by such storage reservoir is vested in a duly organized river improv…

87.30 Floodplain zoning. (1) STATE POWERS. (a) If any county, city or village does not adopt a reasonable and effective floodplain zoning ordinance within one year after hydraulic and engineering data adequate to formulate the ordinance becomes available, the department shall, up…

87.304 Regulation of historic property in floodplains. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Historic property” means any building, structure or object that is any of the following: 1. Individually listed on the national register of historic places in Wisconsin or the state regi…

87.305 Use of certain facilities on St. Feriole island. (1) DEPARTMENT APPROVAL. Notwithstanding s. 87.30 or any rule promulgated, order issued or ordinance adopted under that section, the department shall authorize the connection of a sanitary sewer line from the sewerage treatm…