Wisconsin Code § 295.20

Preservation of marketable nonmetallic mineral deposits
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(1) REGISTRATION. (a) Beginning on October
14, 1997, a landowner may register land owned by that person under this section if all of the following apply:
1. The land has a marketable nonmetallic mineral deposit, as
evidenced by the certification of a professional geologist licensed
under ch. 470 or a professional engineer registered under s.
443.04 and by any other information required under sub. (4).
2. The landowner notifies each county, city, village and town
that has authority to zone the land of his or her intent to register
the marketable nonmetallic mineral deposit. The notification
shall include the evidence required under subd. 1.
3. Nonmetallic mining is a permitted or conditional use for
the land that is proposed to be registered under any zoning that is
in effect on the day on which the landowner makes the notification under subd. 2.
(b) A governmental unit that receives notification under par.
(a) 2. may contest registration under this subsection, in the circuit
court for a county in which the land is located, on the grounds
that there is not a marketable nonmetallic mineral deposit on the
land or that par. (a) 3. is not satisfied. The governmental unit has
the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, that
one of those grounds exists.
(c) The registration shall delineate the nonmetallic mineral
deposit and is valid only if recorded in the office of the register of
deeds in each county in which the nonmetallic mineral deposit is
located.
(d) Except as provided under sub. (4) (d), a registration under
this subsection lasts for 10 years and may be renewed as provided
in the rules under sub. (4) (e).
(1m) PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED DEPOSITS. Land registered
under sub. (1) before October 14, 1997, shall remain registered
for 10 years after the initial date of registration. The registration
may be renewed as provided under sub. (4) (f).
(2) LIMITATION ON ZONING. (a) A county, city, village or
town may not by zoning, rezoning, granting a variance, or other
official action or inaction, permit the erection of permanent
structures upon, or otherwise permit the use of, any land, while a
registration under this section is in effect for that land, in a manner that would permanently interfere with the present or future
extraction of the nonmetallic mineral deposit that is located on
the land.
(b) 1. A county, city, village or town may enact an ordinance
changing the zoning of land that is registered under this section if
mining has not begun on any portion of the registered land and
the ordinance is necessary to implement a master plan, comprehensive plan or land use plan that was adopted at least one year
before the rezoning.
2. A zoning change authorized by subd. 1. does not apply to
the registered land during the registration period in effect when
the zoning ordinance takes effect or during the 10-year renewal
period under sub. (4) (e) or (f) if the land is eligible for that
renewal.
3. A zoning change authorized by subd. 1. prevents the registration of the land after the period under subd. 2.
(3) EXCEPTIONS. Nothing in this section shall be construed to
prohibit the following:
(a) A use of land permissible under a zoning ordinance in effect on the day before a mineral deposit is registered under sub.
(1).
(b) Acquisition of a registered nonmetallic mineral deposit or
registered buffer area by a county, city, village or town or other
governmental unit for a public purpose.
(4) RULES. The department shall promulgate rules that contain all of the following:
(a) A definition of “marketable nonmetallic mineral deposit”.
(b) Procedures and requirements for registering land containing a marketable nonmetallic mineral deposit under sub. (1).
(c) Procedures and criteria for objecting to the proposed registration of land containing a nonmetallic mineral deposit.
(d) Procedures for terminating the registration of land under
this section when there is no longer a marketable nonmetallic
mineral deposit on the land.
(e) Procedures and criteria for renewing the registration of

land under sub. (1). The rules shall allow renewal for one 10-year
period without review of the marketability of the deposit or the
zoning of the land, except that, if mining has begun on any portion of the registered land, the rules shall allow the person to renew the registration for an unlimited number of 10-year periods
as long as active mining continues.
(f) Procedures and criteria for renewing the registration of
land under sub. (1m).
(g) Criteria under which contiguous parcels of land owned by
the same person and containing the same marketable nonmetallic
mineral deposit may be included in one registration.

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