Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Rice Lake, Wisconsin

Rice Lake’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Rice Lake city limits (Barron County, WI)

  • Chapter 260 also has Article XI extraterritorial zoning outside city limits (not answered here).

  “chapter 260: zoning - city of rice lake, wi ecode360”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Rice Lake city

  • Districts include RS, R, RM, RE, CN, C, CH, CBD overlay, MX, O, IL, I, TP, A, AT, W, P, AR/HLZ, PUD, plus GP groundwater overlay.

  “§ 260-21 single-family residential district (rs). § 260-22 one- and two-family residential district (r). § 260-23 multifamily residential district (rm). § 260-24 estate residential district (re).”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-Family Residential District (RS), inside Rice Lake city

  • Not more than one principal one-family dwelling per lot of record.
  • Other districts (R, RE, A) have different limits; RE district requires 1 1/2 acre per single-family dwelling.

  lot area per single-family dwelling: >= 8000 sq ft

  “(7) lot area per family. every single-family dwelling shall provide a lot area of not less than 8,000 square feet. (8) number of buildings on a lot of record. not more than one principal one-family dwelling shall be located on a lot of record.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-Family Residential District (RS), inside Rice Lake city

  • Front yard may be reduced to no less than 15 feet where existing buildings establish a setback line.
  • Accessory buildings on interior lots: rear and side yard of not less than 3 feet, with a 10-foot side yard if any part of the garage is under 5 feet from the rear building line of the main building.

  front yard: >= 25 ft (not less than 15 ft where a setback line is established) · rear yard (interior lots): >= 25 ft (detached garages per e(6)) · side yard each side: >= 10 ft

  “(4) front yard. there shall be a front yard of not less than 25 feet on every lot, except where two or more buildings are located approximately the same distance from the street line on the same side of the street and between two intersecting streets so as to establish a setback line, provided that in no case will the front yard be less than 15 feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Single-Family Residential District (RS), inside Rice Lake city

  • Accessory buildings are included in the percentage.

  max building area, interior lot: <= 40 percent · max building area, corner lot: <= 50 percent

  “(6) building area. no building with its accessory building shall occupy more than 40% of an interior lot or more than 50% of a corner lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Single-Family Residential District (RS), inside Rice Lake city

  • Other permitted buildings in the district may not exceed 60 feet.
  • Accessory structures limited to 25 feet or the principal structure height, whichever is less.

  one-family residence height: <= 35 ft (or two stories)

  “(1) height. no one- family residence shall exceed 35 feet or two stories in height. all other buildings permitted in this district shall have a height not to exceed 60 feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes in the RS district inside Rice Lake city

  • Must meet § 88-10 standards (roof pitch, eaves, siding, permanent foundation, building permit and inspections).
  • Homes not meeting § 88-10 only in licensed mobile home parks.

  “(1) one- family dwellings, including manufactured homes which meet the requirements of § 88-10, but not including manufactured homes which do not meet the criteria of § 88-10, which are only allowed in approved and licensed mobile home parks.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Rice Lake or Barron County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside Rice Lake city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Rice Lake city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Rice Lake city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Rice Lake city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Rice Lake city

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.