Wisconsin Legislative Council
ACT MEMO
One Ea st Ma in Stre e t, Suite 401 • Ma dison, W I 53703 • (608) 266-1304 • le g.council@le gis.wisconsin.gov • http://www.le gis.wisconsin.gov/lc
Prepared by: Anna Henning, Principal Attorney March 19, 2024
2023 Wisconsin Act 110
[2023 Senate Bill 136]
Increase in Supplemental Aid for
Snowmobile Trail Maintenance
BACKGROUND
Wisconsin law authorizes the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to distribute aid to participating
counties for certain costs relating to snowmobile trails, including for snowmobile trail maintenance.
Generally, the statutes authorize such aid up to 100 percent of the actual cost of maintaining a trail,
subject to a $300 per-mile, per-year limitation.
If a county’s trail maintenance costs exceed that $300 per-mile, per-year limit, a county may also
receive supplemental aid, if: (1) the actual trail maintenance costs incurred by DNR or the county
exceeded $300 per mile during the previous fiscal year; and (2) at least $200 of the amount spent was
used for grooming the trails. However, prior to the enactment of 2023 Wisconsin Act 110, DNR’s
administrative rules capped such supplemental aid at three times the $300 per-mile maximum for
snowmobile trail maintenance.
2023 WISCONSIN ACT 110
2023 Wisconsin Act 110 increases the cap on supplemental aid for snowmobile trail maintenance from
three times the per-mile maximum (currently $900 total per mile) to five times the per-mile maximum
(currently $1,500 total per mile). The act does so by: (1) providing express statutory authority to DNR
to impose such a cap in an amount of five times the statutory per-mile maximum; and (2) directly
amending DNR’s administrative rules to increase the cap from three times the per-mile maximum to
five times that amount.
Effective date: March 16, 2024
For a full history of the bill, visit the Legislature’s bill history page.
AH:jal