Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Gays Mills, Wisconsin

Village of Gays Mills’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building, adding onto or altering one- and two-family dwellings inside Gays Mills village

  • Exempt: restoration/repair to previous code-compliant condition, residing, re-roofing, interior surface finishing, cabinetry.
  • Structural changes or major mechanical changes involving extensions require permits.
  • A zoning permit under 13-1-11 must be applied for first.

  alteration value threshold per 12 months: > 2500 USD (new building and additions need permit regardless)

  “no person shall alter, in excess of $2,500.00 value in any twelve month period, build, add onto or alter any building within the scope of this ordinance without first obtaining a building permit for such work from the building inspector.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  One- and two-family dwellings built since June 1, 1980 inside Gays Mills village

  • Scope limited to one- and two-family dwellings.

  “the wisconsin uniform dwelling code, chs. comm 20-25 of the wisconsin administrative code, and all amendments thereto, is adopted and incorporated by reference”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Gays Mills village limits (Crawford County)

  • Adopted under Wis. Stats. 61.35 and 62.23; chapters 2 and 3 of Title 13 cover floodplain and shoreland-wetland zoning.

  “these regulations are adopted under the authority granted by sections 61.35 and 62.23 of the wisconsin statutes.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Gays Mills village

  • Districts: R-1, R-2, B, AG-1, AG-2, C-1/C-2 conservancy, I industrial, plus a wellhead protection overlay (13-1-30).

  “eight (8) zoning districts are provided as follows: (a) r-1: single and two family residential district; (b) r-2: multifamily residential district; (c) b: business district; (d) ag-1: single-family agriculture district;”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 single and two family residential district, inside Gays Mills village

  • Two-family dwelling requires 10,000 sq ft.
  • District heading inferred from section order (R-1 precedes R-2); AG-1/AG-2 lot minimums not resolved.

  minimum lot area, single family, platted before 1970: >= 6000 sq ft · minimum lot area, single family, platted after Jan 1 1970: >= 7000 sq ft · minimum lot area, two family: >= 10000 sq ft

  “six thousand (6,000) square feet for a single family dwelling on lots platted and of legal record in the county register of deeds prior to 1970; otherwise seven thousand (7,000) square feet for a single family dwelling platted after january 1, 1970. ten thousand (10,000) square feet for a two family dwelling.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single and two family residential district, inside Gays Mills village

  • Front setback 10 ft minimum from front lot line; where homes built before Dec 1 2009 adjoin a lot lacking a principal structure, average of adjoining setbacks or 17 ft, whichever is less, never under 10 ft.
  • Heading inferred from section order.

  front setback: >= 10 ft (averaging rule for infill next to pre-2009 homes) · rear setback, principal: >= 25 ft · rear setback, accessory: >= 5 ft · side setback, dwelling: >= 8 ft · side setback, accessory/driveways: >= 5 ft

  “front, minimum: ten (10) feet from the front lot line. to preserve the built character of existing neighborhoods, for cases where there are homes built prior to december 1, 2009 adjoining a lot that lacks a principal structure, the minimum front set back for the lot shall be set at the average of the front setbacks of the adjoining properties or seventeen (17) feet, whichever is less. in no case shall a front setback be less than ten (10) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 single and two family residential district, inside Gays Mills village

  • Heading inferred from section order.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 50 percent

  “not more than fifty percent (50%) of the lot may be covered by buildings, pavement/pavers, or impermeable surfaces”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 single and two family residential district, principal structures, inside Gays Mills village

  • Heading inferred from section order.

  maximum building height, principal structures: <= 35 ft

  “the maximum building height shall be thirty-five (35) feet for principal structures.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Gays Mills village
• Inspections — Inspections inside Gays Mills village
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates inside Gays Mills village
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Gays Mills village
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Gays Mills 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.