Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 236 - Platting lands and recording and vacating plats.
236.43 - Vacation or alteration of areas dedicated to the public.

236.43 Vacation or alteration of areas dedicated to the public. Parts of a plat dedicated to and accepted by the public for public use may be vacated or altered as follows:
(1) The court may vacate streets, roads or other public ways on a plat if:
(a) The plat was recorded more than 40 years previous to the filing of the application for vacation or alteration; and
(b) During all that period the areas dedicated for streets, roads or other public ways were not improved as streets, roads or other public ways; and
(c) Those areas are not necessary to reach other platted property; and
(d) All the owners of all the land in the plat or part thereof sought to be vacated and the governing body of the city, village or town in which the street, road or other public way is located have joined in the application for vacation.
(2) The court may vacate land platted as a public square upon the application of the municipality or town in which the dedicated land is located if:
(a) The plat was recorded more than 40 years previous to the filing of the application for vacation or alteration; and
(b) The land was never in fact developed or utilized by the municipality or town as a public square.
(3) The court may vacate land, in a city, county, village or town, platted as a public park or playground upon the application of the local legislative body of such city, county, village or town where the land has never been developed by said city, county, village or town as a public park or playground.
(4) When the plat is being vacated or altered in any 2nd, 3rd or 4th class city or in any village or town which includes a street, road, alley or public walkway, said street, road, alley or public walkway may be vacated or altered by the circuit court proceeding under ss. 236.41 and 236.42 upon the following conditions:
(a) A resolution is passed by the governing body requesting such vacation or alteration.
(b) The owners of all frontage of the lots and lands abutting on the portion sought to be vacated or altered request in writing that such action be taken.
History: 1993 a. 246; 1997 a. 172; 2003 a. 286.
Cross-reference: See s. 66.1003 for other provisions for vacating streets.
Although dedicated as a street, an improvement of land as another public way may meet the requirements of sub. (1) (b). A walkway cleared and improved to be conducive to pedestrian traffic is a public way improved in accordance with sub. (1) (b). K.G.R. Partnership v. Town of East Troy, 187 Wis. 2d 376, 523 N.W.2d 120 (Ct. App. 1994).
A municipality is not an owner under sub. (1) (d). Closser v. Town of Harding, 212 Wis. 2d 561, 569 N.W.2d 338 (Ct. App. 1997), 96-3086.
Isolated improvements to provide for a scenic outlook were not improvements as a street, road, or public way under sub. (1). Closser v. Town of Harding, 212 Wis. 2d 561, 569 N.W.2d 338 (Ct. App. 1997), 96-3086.
1997 Wis. Act 172 made several things clear: 1) a local government has no obligation to improve a lake or stream access, regardless of when that access was created; 2) a lake or stream access may not be discontinued under s. 80.32 [now s. 82.19]; and 3) a lake or stream access may be vacated under this section only, and only if the governing municipality agrees. Vande Zande v. Town of Marquette, 2008 WI App 144, 314 Wis. 2d 143, 758 N.W.2d 187, 07-2354.