Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Lincoln, Wisconsin

Town of Lincoln’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Structures inside Lincoln town: the town zoning land use permit issued by the town zoning administrator. This is the zoning permit, not a Uniform Dwelling Code building permit; the issuer of UDC building permits was not verified.

  • Construction may proceed after the land use permit is issued.
  • Exempt under section 4-3.03: accessory buildings of 200 square feet or less and normal repairs, maintenance and remodeling.
  • Per section 4-3.02, the permit expires after 2 years of issuance.
  • Per section 4-3.02, the zoning administrator must grant or deny the permit in writing within 30 days of application.

  “no structure shall be used, erected, moved, placed, altered, or enlarged, unless exempted by subsection 4-3.03 of this ordinance, until after the issuance of a land use permit.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — Accessory buildings inside Lincoln town

    “for erecting or placing an accessory building of 200 square feet or less”

• InspectionsLimited

  Projects inside Lincoln town that hold a town land use permit

  • Inspection here is zoning compliance verification by the town zoning administrator, not a stated building-code inspection schedule.
  • The zoning administrator has access to structures during the life of the permit at reasonable hours (section 4-2.00(e)).

  “to verify compliance with the land use permits to completion of said project”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Lincoln town (Adams County, WI) under the Town of Lincoln's own zoning ordinance

  • The ordinance states it is adopted under sections 60.62, 61.35 and 62.23 of the Wisconsin Statutes and takes effect after a public hearing, town board adoption and approval by the Adams County board pursuant to sec. 60.62(3) wis. stats.
  • Adoption and revision dates stated in the ordinance are 3 August 1965, revised 15 December 1983, 11 May 1995 and 22 January 2015; no later amendment was located in this research.

  “the town board of the town of lincoln, adams county, wisconsin, does ordain as follows:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Lincoln town's zoning ordinance

  • The table of contents lists A-1 exclusive agricultural, A-2 secondary agricultural, R-1 single-family residential, I-1 industrial, TLD town landfill overlay and R-3 manufactured home community districts, and a zoning map.
  • The zoning map itself was not opened.

  “5-5.00 r-1 single-family residential district 5-5.01 purpose and intent.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific

  Single-family and two-family dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district of Lincoln town

  • Floor area is measured outside wall to outside wall (section 3-5.01).
  • A-1 and A-2 minimum dwelling sizes were not verified.

  minimum livable floor space: >= 720 square feet

  “(a) single-family dwellings or a single two-family dwellings provided they contain the minimum 720 square feet of livable floor space and follow uniform dwelling code (udc) standards.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Parcels in the A-2 secondary agricultural district of Lincoln town

  • Section 5-4.06 is the A-2 area requirement; the A-1 exclusive agricultural district minimum was not verified.

  minimum parcel area: >= 15 acres · minimum parcel width: >= 300 feet

  “all parcels shall meet the following minimum requirements: (a) parcel area: 15 acres (b) parcel width: 300 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Lots in the R-1 single-family residential district of Lincoln town

    “(a) lot area: 2 acres minimum (b) lot width. all lots shall have a minimum width of 75 feet, measured at 83 feet from the road centerline.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal and accessory structures in the R-1 single-family residential district of Lincoln town

  • Section 3-4.01 allows the height to be increased within all districts with approval of the zoning board of appeals.

  principal building maximum height: <= 35 feet · accessory structure maximum height: <= 35 feet (may be increased with zoning board of appeals approval (section 3-4.01))

  “1. principal buildings: 35 feet 2. accessory structures: 35 feet”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles used as temporary living quarters inside Lincoln town's R-1 single-family residential district

  • Permitted in R-1 only as temporary living quarters while a permanent structure is being built, not to exceed one year.
  • Section 3-2.06 requires a land use permit from the town zoning administrator for temporary living quarters used during construction.
  • Section 3-2.04 states that accessory structures shall not consist of recreational vehicles.

  maximum duration: <= 1 year (temporary living quarters during construction of a permanent structure)

  “temporary living quarters being used in the construction of a permanent structure not to exceed one year”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured home communities in the R-3 manufactured home community residential district of Lincoln town

  • The R-3 district is limited to manufactured homes and sets area requirements for manufactured home lots.
  • Section 2-2.54 defines a manufactured home community as five or more manufactured homes on one contiguous parcel. R-3 area requirements were not read.

  “to regulate existing manufactured home developments as regulated by u.s. dept. of hud since june 15, 1976), and provide for new such settlements.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Land use permit and zoning fees inside Lincoln town

  • The ordinance does not state fee amounts; fees are set by the town board and the current schedule was not located.
  • The county sanitary permit fees are set separately by the Adams County Planning and Zoning Committee.

  “fees shall be set from time to time by the town board”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Land use permit application process inside Lincoln town

  • Applications go to the zoning administrator on forms they furnish and must include the owner's details, property tax bill, and a site sketch with dimensions.
  • Conditional use permits are issued by the town plan commission (section 4-4.00).
  • Denials may be appealed to the zoning board of appeals (section 4-6).

  “a land use permit shall be granted or denied in writing by the zoning administrator within 30 days of application.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Lincoln

Town of Lincoln does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private on-site wastewater (POWTS) systems on land inside Lincoln town, Adams County, WI, administered by the Adams County Planning and Zoning Department

  • Applies inside Lincoln town because the town ordinance does not regulate septic. This county ordinance is countywide, so the scope uses geography countywide, not municipality-specific.
  • State law (Wis. Stat. § 145.19 and 145.195) is also incorporated by reference.

  “Adams County Planning and Zoning Department”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Lincoln or Adams County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Lincoln town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Lincoln town
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Lincoln town
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Lincoln town
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Lincoln town

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Lincoln means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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