Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of New Denmark, Wisconsin

Town of New Denmark’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Listed construction work inside the Town of New Denmark, including commercial buildings, repairs, remodeling, renovations, utility-work extensions or replacements, and relocation of buildings or mobile/manufactured homes.

  • An informational permit must be issued by the Town Board before a building permit; it should be submitted to the Town Zoning Administrator five days before the monthly Town meeting.
  • All construction materials must be submitted and approved and fees paid before construction begins.
  • UDC permits are required for all new one- and two-family dwellings, HUD-covered manufactured or modular homes, and sleeping cabins at campgrounds or parks.

  “building permits are required for the following: a.) commercial buildings including new, additions, alterations, accessory structures, garages, storage buildings, decks and the like.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Town UDC-permitted new one- and two-family dwellings, covered manufactured/modular homes, and sleeping cabins at campgrounds or parks.

  • The stated inspection list includes footings, foundations, drain tile, framing, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, energy-control final, and occupancy.
  • The UDC permit is valid for two years from issue.

  “the above permits require the following inspections: footings, foundations, drain tile, rough framing, rough hvac, underground plumbing, rough plumbing, plumbing final, temporary, rough and final electrical, energy control final and occupancy.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All lands and waters inside the Town of New Denmark.

  • The ordinance states that greater applicable Town, federal, state, or county requirements take precedence.

  “the jurisdiction of this ordinance shall include all lands and waters within the town of new denmark.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems inside the Town of New Denmark where public sewer is unavailable.

  • Brown County Chapter 11 applies only where public sewer is not available.

  “the brown county zoning administrator shall act as the brown county issuing agent and is hereby assigned the duties of administering the private onsite wastewater treatment system program.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of a private onsite wastewater treatment system inside the Town of New Denmark where public sewer is unavailable.

  • Chapter 11 covers Brown County municipalities where public sewer is not available.
  • A sanitary permit is defined as a permit for installation of a POWTS.

  “(2) no powts or part thereof shall hereafter be located, installed, moved, reconstructed, reconnected, extended, enlarged, converted, substantially altered or their use changed without a sanitary permit”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Installation of a culvert or driveway inside the Town of New Denmark.

  • Application is reviewed at the next regular Town Board meeting.
  • The permit authorizes installation after approval.
  • The form notes that Brown County approval may control access in applicable cases.

  application fee: 70 USD

  “the application will be reviewed at the next regular town board meeting. upon approval, a copy will be provided to the applicant and the building inspector along with a permit number authorizing installation of the culvert/driveway.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Construction permitting inside the Town of New Denmark.

  • Informational permits must be submitted to the Zoning Administrator five days before monthly Town meetings.
  • For construction projects, the Town procedure requests an information permit showing zoning compliance, plans when required, erosion-control plan when land is disturbed, Brown County land-use permit in shoreland districts, and a sanitary permit.
  • Materials must be approved and fees paid before construction begins.

  informational permit filing lead time: >= 5 days (before the monthly Town Board meeting)

  “an informational permit must be issued by the town board prior to obtaining a building permit and should be submitted to the town zoning administrator, bill hafs 5 days before the monthly town meetings (2nd monday of the month).”

Rules another office applies inside Town of New Denmark

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Residential dwellings in the Town's A-R Agriculture-Residential District.

  minimum dwelling size: >= 1100 square feet

  “minimum size of residential dwelling shall be one thousand one hundred (1,100) square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the Town's R-1 Residential District.

    “minimum size of dwelling shall be one thousand one hundred (1,100) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots served by public sewer in the Town's R-1 Residential District.

  • The stated R-1 lot area and frontage standard is expressly limited to lots with public sewer.

  minimum lot area: >= 10000 square feet (public sewer only) · minimum zoning-lot frontage: >= 85 feet (public sewer only)

  “lot requirements with public sewer only 1. area – 10,000 square feet minimum 2. zoning lot frontage – 85 feet minimum”

• Building heightSpecified

  Farm structures and residential dwellings in the Town's A-R Agriculture-Residential District.

  • Article IV, Subsection E height-regulation exceptions apply.

  maximum farm-structure height: <= 60 feet (Article IV, Subsection E) · maximum residential-dwelling height: <= 35 feet (Article IV, Subsection E)

  “farm structures – 60 feet maximum* residential dwellings – 35 feet maximum*”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Structures in the Town's R-1 Residential District.

    “all structures – 35 feet maximum, except as provided by article iv, subsection e, height regulations”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside the Town of New Denmark.
• Building code adopted — Construction inside the Town of New Denmark.
• Certificate of occupancy — Structures inside the Town of New Denmark.
• Lot coverage — Lots inside the Town of New Denmark.
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside the Town of New Denmark.

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 New Denmark 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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