Cutting Permit
A cutting permit is required to be filed in the Rusk County Clerk’s Office, pursuant to Section 26.03 of the Wisconsin Statutes, before any person harvests or directs the harvesting of any raw forest products.
Raw forest products include pulpwood, logs, firewood, whole tree chips, etc. Exceptions to this requirement include cutting firewood for personal home consumption, clearing land for agricultural purposes, cutting of up to 5 Christmas trees on a person’s own property for their own use.
If the land has delinquent property taxes on it that have not been paid, the county will not allow the harvesting to take place.
Timber Cutting Notice Fees:
Effective January 1, 2013, the County Clerk’s Office will charge a fee for filing timber cutting notices.
The fee structure for timber cutting notices will consist of two tiers: $10 for each notice when the cutter and/or landowner provides all the information required by Wisconsin State Statutes (outlined below), and $20 per notice when the Clerk’s Office has to do research in order to complete the filing. This includes finding the landowner’s correct name/spelling and determining the description of the property being cut.
In order to qualify for the $10 fee, have the information below readily available before you contact our office. Section 26.03 of the Wisconsin State Statutes says that you must provide the Clerk’s Office with all of the following information. If any of this information is missing/incorrect, you must pay the $20 fee.
- The town in which you will be cutting (Murry, Hubbard, Atlanta, etc.).
- The section, including quarter-quarter, in which the cutting will take place (e.g., SW ¼ of SW ¼ of Section 12). A description of the roads or other landmarks near the property is NOT sufficient.
- The landowner’s name. Make sure that you ask your client exactly how the property is deeded. Example: If your client John Doe’s property is all filed under his business named ABC Farms, LLC, we need to know this business name so we can search our tax database effectively.
If your clients cannot provide you the required information regarding their property (parcel number or other description as shown on their tax bill), please utilize these resources: plat book (available for purchase from the Rusk County Treasurer’s Office at 715-532-2105), or the land records database on the Rusk County Web site at www.ruskcounty.org. On the home page, in the middle rotating icons select "Property Search" and check “I agree to the terms of this notice” and continue. This will take you to the parcel search screen. Searches can be done by landowner name, property address, parcel number, or by clicking on the appropriate spot on the map.
** Applicable fees must be included with your request, whether it is via mail, in person, or via the county web page by going to Departments, County Clerk, cutting permits. (cash, check made payable to the Rusk County Clerk’s Office or credit/debit card).