Dane County Land & Water Resources Department

Stormwater Management

Uncontrolled stormwater runoff can have adverse impacts on land and water resources. To reduce these impacts, a Stormwater Management Permit may be required for specific land disturbing activities occurring within Dane County, per Dane County Ordinance Chapter 14 (PDF).

Projects that require a Stormwater Management Permit often also require an Erosion Control Permit. More information about this permit can be found on the Erosion Control and Shoreland Erosion Control webpage.

When is a Permit Required

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

A Stormwater Management Permit is required for any of the following:

Any development after August 22, 2001 that results in the cumulative addition of 20,000 square feet of impervious surface to the site
Recording a subdivision plat
Recording a certified survey map intended for commercial or industrial use
Redeveloping more than 4,000 square feet of an existing commercial, industrial, institutional or multifamily-use site
Other land development activities that the local approval authority determines may significantly increase runoff, flooding, soil erosion, water pollution or property damage, or significantly impact a lake, stream, or wetland area

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
Thermally Sensitive Areas & Thermal Model webpage which has information on how you can determine if your site it located within a thermally sensitive area.

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
Land & Water Viewer - online mapping application that can be used to create online and printable maps for permit applications
Thermally Sensitive Areas & Thermal Model webpage which has information on how you can determine if your site it located within a thermally sensitive area.

Additional Tools

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

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