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

Rules another office applies inside Town of Nelson

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

• Building permitRequired

  New homes and structures intended to serve as sleeping/living quarters inside Nelson town.

  • County identifies the required state building permit as a Uniform Dwelling Code permit.

  “A permit under the UDC is required for new one- and two-family dwelling units. This includes stick-built, modular, and manufactured home installations.”

• InspectionsRequired

  New one- and two-family dwellings inside Nelson town subject to the Wisconsin UDC.

  • Required inspections listed by DSPS are footings, foundation and reinforcement, rough, insulation, and final; notify the inspector on the UDC permit when ready.

  “The following inspections are required on new one- and two-family dwellings. When ready for inspection, notify the inspector identified on your UDC permit.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Nelson, where Buffalo County publishes an ordinance amending its official zoning district map for the town.

  • The cited source identifies a Buffalo County zoning-map ordinance for Town of Nelson; parcel-specific district controls were not extracted.

  “Ordinance 23-01-01: An Ordinance to Amend the Official Buffalo County Zoning District Map - Town of Nelson”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  County zoning districts mapped for land inside Nelson town.

  • The cited publication is an ordinance amending the official Buffalo County zoning district map for Town of Nelson; it does not itself identify every district assigned to every parcel.

  “Click on a Town below to open and download a map. [...] Town of Nelson”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater systems for new homes inside Nelson town.

  • A sanitary permit is required before issuance of the state building permit; the applicant's plumber applies for it.

  “The Buffalo County Land Resources Director shall be responsible for the administration of this ordinance. The Land Resources Director may delegate responsibilities to personnel employed by the Buffalo County Land Resources Department.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New homes and sleeping/living-quarter structures inside Nelson town using private wastewater treatment.

  • The county lists a sanitary permit among required new-home items and states it is required before a state building permit is issued.

  “Each POWTS shall require a separate application and sanitary permit.”

• Well permitRequired

  New private wells inside Nelson town.

  • Advance notice is required before construction of a new private well that is not high capacity. Exceptions are high-capacity wells, reconstruction of existing wells, and wells on Native American property.

  “Wisconsin law requires that a property owner provide advance notice to DNR before construction of any new private well that is not a high capacity well, and advance notice of any heat exchange drillhole construction (geothermal system) that does not require a written DNR approval.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New-home construction inside Nelson town.

  • The county's published new-home process lists driveway approval as a required item.

  “Site access is a prerequisite when determining if any piece of land is buildable. Prior to receiving an address, a driveway permit must be issued by the appropriate entity.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in designated floodplains inside Nelson town.

  • The cited county-hosted Town of Nelson plan identifies designated floodplains and attributes the restriction to the Buffalo County Floodplain Zoning Ordinance.

  “Development is not allowed by the Buffalo County Floodplain Zoning Ordinance. These are fragile areas necessary to avoid flooding of roads and other developed property. A map of the designated floodplains for the Town of Nelson can be found on page 28.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  New-home construction process inside Nelson town.

  • County's listed sequence includes soil testing, driveway approval, a new address number, sanitary permit, zoning permit, and state UDC building permit.

  “The following items are required for the construction of a new home, or any other structure intended to serve as sleeping/living quarters:”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder treatment for construction inside Nelson town.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for land inside Nelson town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for land inside Nelson town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Nelson town.
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size inside Nelson 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.