Milwaukee County Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture

Milwaukee County Parks permit to cut a parkway curb or build a private driveway across a parkway border

Under Milwaukee County Code of General Ordinances §47.20(1), "No curb, whether stone, concrete or grass, shall be cut for the purpose of constructing a private driveway across any parkway border nor for any other purpose without written permission of the department of parks, recreation and culture." Section 47.20(2) adds that the location, width, grade and construction of all paths, driveways and roadways across any sidewalk border along a county parkway are subject to the department's approval and may be built only after its written permission is obtained. So a business whose premises take driveway access across a Milwaukee County parkway border, and the contractor building that driveway, need the Parks Department's written permission first, in whichever of the county's 19 cities and villages the site lies. Under §47.22 the permittee must guard the work while it is open and, from sunset to sunrise, fence it and mark it with a red light, and §47.28 makes the permittee liable for damage caused by its negligence. Section 47.29(1) sets a forfeiture of $10 to $200 for each violation of chapter 47. The ordinance, as codified on Municode through Ordinance No. 26-7 (adopted June 25, 2026), does not set a fee and does not name an application form; the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture issues the permission. This is separate from the MCDOT Public Way Permit, which covers driveways onto county trunk highways, and from any driveway or curb-cut permit of the city or village where the site lies.