Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Cochrane, Wisconsin

Village of Cochrane’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings within Cochrane village

  • Ordinance text is an old village building code; which state UDC editions apply was not verified

  “an ordinance establishing a building code in the village of cochrane”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All lands and waters within the corporate limits of Cochrane village

  • Zoning permit required for structures except minor structures
  • Jurisdiction may extend 1 1/2 miles beyond limits only if approved by a joint extraterritorial zoning committee

  “the jurisdiction of this ordinance shall include all lands and waters within the corporate limits of the village of cochrane.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Cochrane village zoning districts

  • Zoning map dated December 14, 1971 is held at the village clerk's office; map itself not viewed online

  “r-1 single-family residential district r-2 single-family residential district r-3 multi-family residential district b-1 business district b-2 community business district a-1 agricultural district f-1 floodway district f-2 flood plain district p-1 public and semi-public district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, Cochrane village

  minimum building area: >= 1000 sq ft

  “r-1 single-family residential district: principal use: one-family dwellings conditional uses: see section 4.4 lot: width, min. 100 ft; area, min. 10,000 sq. ft. building: area, min. 1,000 sq. ft; height, max. 35 ft. yards: street, min. 50 ft; rear, min. 50 ft; side, min. 20 ft.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, Cochrane village

  • Where public sewer or water is unavailable, one-family lots must be at least 100 ft wide and 20,000 sq ft

  minimum lot width: >= 100 ft · minimum lot area: >= 10000 sq ft (20,000 sq ft without public water/sewer)

  “r-1 single-family residential district: principal use: one-family dwellings conditional uses: see section 4.4 lot: width, min. 100 ft; area, min. 10,000 sq. ft. building: area, min. 1,000 sq. ft; height, max. 35 ft. yards: street, min. 50 ft; rear, min. 50 ft; side, min. 20 ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural district, Cochrane village (farm)

    “farm: frontage, min. 200 ft.; area, min. 10 acres structure: height, max. 50 ft. yards: street, min. 80 ft.; rear, min. 50 ft.; side, min. 50 ft.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district, Cochrane village

  • Street yards may be reduced to average of abutting structures but not below 15 ft in residential districts (Sec. 6.4)

  street yard: >= 50 ft · rear yard: >= 50 ft · side yard: >= 20 ft

  “r-1 single-family residential district: principal use: one-family dwellings conditional uses: see section 4.4 lot: width, min. 100 ft; area, min. 10,000 sq. ft. building: area, min. 1,000 sq. ft; height, max. 35 ft. yards: street, min. 50 ft; rear, min. 50 ft; side, min. 20 ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural district, Cochrane village

    “farm: frontage, min. 200 ft.; area, min. 10 acres structure: height, max. 50 ft. yards: street, min. 80 ft.; rear, min. 50 ft.; side, min. 50 ft.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Detached accessory structures in all districts, Cochrane village (rear yard only)

  • Only accessory-structure rear-yard coverage found; no overall lot coverage percentage located

  accessory structures share of rear yard: <= 20 percent

  “shall not exceed fifteen (15) feet in height, shall not occupy more than twenty (20) percent of the rear yard area, and shall not be closer than three (3) feet to any lot line”

• Building heightSpecified

  A-1 agricultural district, Cochrane village

  • Agricultural structures such as barns and silos may not exceed twice their distance from the nearest lot line (Sec. 6.1)

  maximum structure height: <= 50 ft

  “farm: frontage, min. 200 ft.; area, min. 10 acres structure: height, max. 50 ft. yards: street, min. 80 ft.; rear, min. 50 ft.; side, min. 50 ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district, Cochrane village

    “r-1 single-family residential district: principal use: one-family dwellings conditional uses: see section 4.4 lot: width, min. 100 ft; area, min. 10,000 sq. ft. building: area, min. 1,000 sq. ft; height, max. 35 ft. yards: street, min. 50 ft; rear, min. 50 ft; side, min. 20 ft.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways for one- and two-family dwellings in Cochrane village

  • Adequate access to a public street required for each parking space
  • All lots must abut a public street with at least 25 ft frontage

  minimum driveway width, one/two-family: >= 10 ft

  “driveways shall be at least ten (10) feet wide for one and two-family dwellings and a minimum of twenty-four (24) feet for all other uses.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  F-2 flood plain district, Cochrane village

  • Residential uses excluded from F-2 conditional uses
  • F-1 floodway permits no structures except navigation and water measurement/control facilities
  • Separate Ordinance 42 (flood plain zoning) not opened

  first floor elevation above standard project flood: >= 2 ft

  “buildings: all buildings shall have their first floors constructed at an elevation no less than two (2) feet above the level of the standard project flood.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permits in Cochrane village

  • Permit expires within six months unless substantial work has commenced
  • Conditional uses need plan commission review and public hearing

  decision deadline: <= 30 days

  “zoning permit shall be granted or denied in writing by the zoning inspector within thirty (30) days.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Cochrane or Buffalo County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Cochrane village
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Cochrane village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Cochrane village
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Cochrane village
• Camping on your land — Camping inside Cochrane village

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.