Legal Resources

Ordin​​​ances

• Wisconsin Codes and Ordinances – a compilation of city, village, town and county codes and ordinances maintained by the Wisconsin State Law Library.  Ordinances cover a wide range of topics such as zoning, floodplains, shorelands, non-metallic mining, subdivisions, animal waste, burning, composting, parks, and wireless communications.
• Developers Contract and Letter of Credit (Knetzger)
• Model Billboard Ordinance (Citizens for a Scenic Wisconsin)
• Model Conservation Subdivision Ordinance (UW-Madison Extension)
• Model Floodplain Zoning Ordinance (WDNR)
• Model Land Division Ordinance (SEWRPC)
• Model Livestock Facilities Zoning Ordinance and Licensing Ordinance (DATCP)
• Model Nonmetallic Mining Ordinance (WDNR)
• Model Official Map Ordinance (SEWRPC)
• Model Public Road Access Ordinance (Foth)
• Model Sign Ordinance (Citizens for a Scenic Wisconsin)
• Model Shoreland-Wetland Zoning Ordinances for Cities and Villages (WDNR)
• Model Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (WDNR)
• Model Traditional Neighborhood Development Ordinance (UW-Madison Extensnion)
• Model Zoning Ordinance For Rural Cluster Development (SEWRPC)
• Sample Outdoor Lighting Ordinances (The Sky This Week)
• Sample Subdivision Ordinance for Towns (WTA)
• Sample Subdivision Ordinance, Town of McMillan (Knetzger)
• Sample Zoning Ordinance, Town of Weston (Knetzger)
• United States Codes and Ordinances – an online searchable database of more than 1,100 local government codes published by the Municipal Code Corporation.  Additional codes and ordinances are available from General Code, Code Publishing, and American Legal Publishing.
• Model Environmental Protection Ordinances –  a compilation of ordinances from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency addressing aquatic buffers, erosion and sediment control, open space, stormwater control, illicit discharges, post construction controls, and other environmental issues.
• Model Green Development Ordinances – a compilation of ordinances from the U.S. Department of Energy, Smart Communities Network addressing green buildings, energy efficiency, water conservation, solar access protection, and other development considerations.

Case ​​​L​aw

• Wisconsin Case Law – access to Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals decisions.
• CaseLaw Express – free weekly email service from the State Bar of Wisconsin tracking recent case law.
• Case Law Updates – monthly case law updates from the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association.
• ​​Zoning Case Law in Wisconsin – summary of cases relevant to shoreland and floodplain zoning in Wisconsin (WDNR)
• LexisNexis – access U.S. Supreme Court cases from 1781 to present, and federal and state cases from the last ten years.

​Leg​​isla​​tion

• Wisconsin Legislature – access to Wisconsin statutes, administrative code, attorney general’s opinions, town law forms, and other resources.
• Wisconsin Statutes – a compilation of Wisconsin statutes focused on planning and land use from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
• Legislation Updates – legislative updates from the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association.
• The Wheeler Report – daily archive of important Wisconsin news stories.  Website also includes legal calendar and links to state agencies, legislative websites, courts, lobbying information, and elections websites.
• U.S. Government Publications – free online access to official federal government publications and collections including the United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations and Federal Register.