Herptile Regulations
All native herptiles (herps) are considered protected and have some level of protection. An overview of state regulations related to amphibians and reptiles can be found in Wisconsin's Amphibian and Reptile Regulations.
For any planned land-disturbing activities, an Endangered Resources Review should be conducted before beginning the project to ensure that there will not be any impacts on rare species and that planned activities are in compliance with Wisconsin’s Endangered Species Law (s. 29.604 Wis. Stats.), as well as other laws about rare species.
Activity periods
If your Endangered Resources Review has required or recommended timing restrictions, please use the table below to help with your follow-up actions.
| Species | Spring Activity (2024) |
|---|---|
| Blanchard’s cricket frog | Some Blanchard’s cricket frogs may be active at this time, however they are not fully active for the year. For questions on projects occurring at this time, please contact DNRERReview@wisconsin.gov. |
| Blanding's turtle | Some Blanding’s turtles are active at this time, however they are not fully active for the year. For questions on projects occurring at this time, please contact DNRERReview@wisconsin.gov. |
| Butler’s gartersnake | Some Butler’s gartersnakes may be active at this time, however they are not fully active for the year. For questions on projects occurring at this time, please contact DNRERReview@wisconsin.gov. |
| Eastern massasauga rattlesnake | Eastern massasaugas are inactive until at least March 13. |
| Eastern ribbonsnake | Some eastern ribbonsnakes are active at this time, however they are not fully active for the year. For questions on projects occurring at this time, please contact DNRERReview@wisconsin.gov. |
| Ornate box turtle | Ornate box turtles are inactive until March 10, but beginning March 11 some turtles could be active. For questions on projects occurring at this time, please contact DNRERReview@wisconsin.gov. |
| Queensnake | Queensnakes are inactive until at least April 1. |
| Slender glass lizard | Slender glass lizards are inactive until at least March 15. |
| Western ribbonsnake | Some western ribbonsnakes may be active at this time, however they are not fully active for the year. For questions on projects occurring at this time, please contact DNRERReview@wisconsin.gov. |
| Wood turtle | Some wood turtles may be active at this time, however they are not fully active for the year. For questions on projects occurring at this time, please contact DNRERReview@wisconsin.gov. |