Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Colby, Wisconsin

Colby’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New buildings and structures inside Colby city

  • UDC permit required for additions and alterations to dwellings exceeding $5,000 except re-siding, re-roofing, interior finishing, cabinetry, furnace
  • Minor repairs under $5,000 may be authorized without permit by building inspector
  • Fees doubled if permit not obtained before construction
  • Permit lapses if not started in 6 months or not completed in 12 months

  “no new building or structure, or any part thereof, shall hereafter be erected, or ground broken for the same, or enlarged, altered, moved, demolished, razed or used within the city, except as herein provided, until a permit therefor shall first have been obtained by the owner, or his/her authorized agent, from the city.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Buildings in Colby city

  • Adopts by reference Wis. Admin. Code chs. SPS 316, 320-325 (UDC), 326, 361-366, 375-379, 381-387

  “the following wisconsin administrative codes and subsequent revisions pertaining to construction activity are adopted by reference for municipal enforcement and incorporated herein”

• InspectionsRequired

  UDC projects inside Colby city

  • Inspections must be requested 48 business hours in advance by applicant
  • Includes footing/foundation, rough work, insulation, final, erosion control

  “the following inspections for udc projects shall be requested 48 hours (business work days) in advance by the applicant/contractor or property owner to the building inspector”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy of buildings inside Colby city

  • CO is not issued until sewer, water, grading and graveling are available to the property
  • Section shown only indirectly sets CO precondition; full CO procedure not located

  “no person shall occupy any building until sewer, water, grading and graveling are installed in the streets necessary to service the property, and a certificate of occupancy shall not be issued until such utilities are available to service the property.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Colby city limits

  “ch 480 zoning chapter 480 zoning [history: adopted by the common council of the city of colby 10-5-1995 as title 13, ch. 1, of the 1995 code.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Colby city

  • Districts: R-1, R-2, CG, IL, IG, CN, UT, IGL
  • Zoning map dated February 7, 1978, and as amended, on file with zoning administrator

  “for the purpose and provision of this chapter, the city of colby, clark and marathon counties, is hereby organized into the following districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  R-1 district, single-family detached dwellings, Colby city

  • Excludes all mobile homes
  • Text after 'living' (area measurement rules) was not captured

  minimum living area: >= 864 square feet

  “single-family detached dwellings, excluding all mobile homes, with a minimum of 864 square feet of living”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 One-Family and Two-Family Residential District, Colby city

  minimum lot area, single-family: >= 10000 square feet · minimum lot area, two-family: >= 15000 square feet · minimum lot width: >= 100 feet

  “minimum lot area shall be 10,000 square feet for a single-family dwelling and 15,000 square feet for a two-family dwelling. minimum lot width shall be 100 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 One-Family and Two-Family Residential District, Colby city

  • Navigable-water setback (§ 480-13) not reviewed

  front yard: >= 20 feet · side yard, principal building/garage (each side): >= 8 feet · side yard, accessory building: >= 3 feet · rear yard, principal building/garage: >= 20 feet · rear yard, accessory building: >= 5 feet

  “front yard setback: 20 feet. (2) side yard for principal building/garage: eight feet on each side. (3) side yard for accessory building: three feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 One-Family and Two-Family Residential District, Colby city

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “f. height. (1) maximum building height: 35 feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  R-1 One-Family and Two-Family Residential District, Colby city

  • Must be a double-wide at least 24 ft wide and 36 ft long
  • Installed on approved foundation with wheels and axles removed
  • Foundation siding, roof pitch of at least 2 in 12, nonreflective roofing, overhanging eaves
  • Mobile homes are excluded from single-family dwellings; Art. XI regulates mobile home parks (not read)

  minimum width: >= 24 feet · minimum length: >= 36 feet

  “the home shall be a double-wide of at least 24 feet in width and 36 feet in length.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  New residential buildings inside Colby city

  • Common council determines areas where public utilities are available
  • Nonresidential buildings need contracts and financial assurances for sewer and water

  “no building permit shall be issued for the construction of any residential building until sewer, water, grading and graveling are installed in the streets necessary to service the property for which the permit is required”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural buildings on agriculturally zoned parcels, Colby city building code

  • Only agricultural buildings on agriculturally zoned parcels; Ch. 480 lists no agricultural district

  “not included are children's play structures and agricultural buildings on agriculturally zoned parcels.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Colby city

  • Separate land division chapter not opened

  “no building permits shall be issued until the land division and required improvements and phasing are accepted by the common council.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Houses inside Colby city

  • Permit requires property abut a dedicated street
  • § 480-56 highway access not opened

  maximum driveway grade: <= 12 percent

  “the maximum driveway elevation shall be 12% from the flag of the curb to the threshold of the garage door.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Colby city

  • Plans and plot plan required for new buildings
  • Site plan approval for non-one/two-family projects
  • Preliminary foundation permit then final permit after foundation recertification

  “application for a building permit shall be made in writing upon a form furnished by the city and shall state the name and address of the owner of the land”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Colby or Clark County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Colby city
• Lot coverage — Inside Colby city
• Living in an RV — Inside Colby city
• Camping on your land — Inside Colby city
• Tiny homes — Inside Colby 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.