Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

Village of Cottage Grove’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New buildings and additions inside Cottage Grove village

  • Permit comes from the municipal building inspector.
  • Covers new one- and two-family and commercial buildings, agricultural buildings, detached structures and accessory buildings, additions, structural alterations and major equipment replacement.
  • § 130-6 also requires a permit for repairs or minor alterations costing $50 or more; plans may be waived if the work costs $2,000 or less.
  • Section 130-1 amended 4-21-2025; § 130-6 amended 6-1-2026.

  “no building or structure or any part thereof shall be built, enlarged, altered or demolished within the village, or permanent building equipment be installed, except as hereinafter provided, unless a permit therefor shall first be obtained by the owner or his or her agent from the building inspector.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  One- and two-family dwellings inside Cottage Grove village

  • Adopts the state one- and two-family dwelling code by reference, including future amendments.
  • Section amended 3-19-2001 by Ord. No. 01-2001 (amendment history, not an effective date).

  “are hereby adopted and by reference made a part of this section as if fully set forth herein.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings under construction inside Cottage Grove village

  • Building inspector must be notified before lathing or plastering; the inspector issues a certificate of compliance after inspection.

  “after inspection, the building inspector shall issue a certificate of compliance or prescribe any changes necessary to such compliance”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings inside Cottage Grove village

  • Issued by the building inspector after no violations are found on final inspection by the building, electrical, HVAC and plumbing inspectors.
  • The occupancy sentence has an 'except with' exception that was not read in full.

  “no building or part thereof shall be occupied until such certificate has been issued except with the written consent of the building inspector”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Cottage Grove village limits (Dane County, WI); the village has its own Chapter 325, Zoning

  • Chapter 325 table of contents lists articles on zoning districts, land use regulations, procedures and administration; dimensional standards were not opened.

  “article ii general provisions § 325-16 jurisdiction. § 325-17 compliance. § 325-18 zoning permit and park improvement fee. § 325-19 site restrictions.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Cottage Grove village

  • Only the table of contents was opened; district-by-district standards in §§ 325-37 to 325-44 and § 325-105 were not read.

  “article iii establishment of zoning districts § 325-33 purpose. § 325-34 standard zoning districts and standard zoning district categories.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Cottage Grove village
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family districts inside Cottage Grove village
• Minimum lot size — SR-4 and rural/agricultural districts inside Cottage Grove village
• Setbacks — Residential districts inside Cottage Grove village
• Lot coverage — Residential districts inside Cottage Grove 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.