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

Town of Brule’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction inside Brule town limits, including new homes (manufactured or on-site built)

  • Douglas County zoning permit must be issued first, before the town building project begins.
  • A town building permit follows the approved county zoning permit; the town then needs a copy of the approved zoning permit and a $25.00 fee.

  “the town does issue building permits. but first the douglas county zoning dept. will need to issue a “zoning permit”, so you must contact them before you begin your building project.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Town of Brule building permit, after the county zoning permit is approved

  • Fee is charged after the approved Douglas County zoning permit; the town needs a copy of it.
  • County zoning permit fees were not located and are not covered by this claim.

  town building permit fee: 25 USD

  “once you have an approved zoning permit, the town will need a copy of it and $25.00.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Brule

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

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Douglas County zoning districts applied to land in Brule town

  • The published schedule lists districts R-1, R-2, RR-1, RRC-1, A-1, A-2, F-1, C-1, I-1; W-1, SP-1 and PUD are mapped on the official zoning map.
  • The zoning map itself was not opened.

  “zone district maximum building height zoning schedule - setback & dimensional requirements”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 (agricultural) district, land in Brule town

  • Values read from the A-1 column of the flattened schedule; confirm against the original table.
  • Footnote (3) adds any area required by Wisconsin Administrative Code section 65.03.

  minimum lot area with public sewer: 5 acres (plus any area required by Wis. Admin. Code section 65.03) · minimum lot area without public sewer: 5 acres (plus any area required by Wis. Admin. Code section 65.03)

  “10,000 sq ft 5 acres 10,000 sq ft 5 acres 5 acres 40 acres 10 acres 10,000 sq ft 1 acre 15,000 sq ft 5 acres 20,000 sq ft 5 acres 5 acres 40 acres 10 acres 20,000 sq ft 1 acre”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 (main single-family residential) district, land in Brule town

    “r-1 r-2 rr-1 rrc-1 a-1 a-2 f-1 c-1 i-1 [...] 10,000 sq ft 5 acres 10,000 sq ft 5 acres 5 acres 40 acres 10 acres 10,000 sq ft 1 acre 15,000 sq ft 5 acres 20,000 sq ft 5 acres 5 acres 40 acres 10 acres 20,000 sq ft 1 acre”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 (agricultural) district, land in Brule town

  • Front setback is subject to road setbacks, which may apply.
  • Footnote (5): setback requirements for all lakes & streams are 75 ft. from the ordinary high water mark (OHWM).
  • Numeric values are in the flattened schedule and were not extracted reliably; confirm against the original table.

  “(5) setback requirements for all lakes & streams: 75 ft. from the ordinary high water mark (ohwm).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 (main single-family residential) district, land in Brule town

    “minimum lotline setbacks (5) front (road setbacks may apply) rear principal building accessory building side principal building accessory building”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  A-1 (agricultural) district, land in Brule town

  • Maximum height in the A-1 column of the schedule.

  maximum building height: 35 feet

  “r-1 r-2 rr-1 rrc-1 a-1 a-2 f-1 c-1 i-1 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 60'”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 (main single-family residential) district, land in Brule town

    “r-1 r-2 rr-1 rrc-1 a-1 a-2 f-1 c-1 i-1 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 35' 60'”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater (septic) systems on land inside Brule town that is not served by the Brule Sanitary District #1 sewer

  • The Douglas County Planning & Zoning office lists new sanitary system (POWTS) installation among its services.
  • Inside Brule Sanitary District #1, private septic tanks are not allowed (see the utility_connection and off_grid_sanitation claims).

  “a septic system permit (unless the property is served by a municipal sewer system) from the douglas county zoning office”

• Septic permitRequired

  New dwellings on land inside Brule town that is not served by a municipal sewer system

  • Required unless the property is served by a municipal sewer system.
  • Inside Brule Sanitary District #1, the district page says private septic tanks are not allowed.

  “a septic system permit (unless the property is served by a municipal sewer system) from the douglas county zoning office”

• Off-grid sanitationProhibited

  Private septic or other off-grid sanitation for homes and businesses inside Brule Sanitary District #1

  • Applies only inside the district boundary, which the page does not define.
  • Outside the district, the county septic permit rule applies (see septic_permit claim).

  “all homes and businesses within the sanitary district are required to be hooked to the sewer system. no private septic tanks are allowed.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Homes inside the boundary of Brule Sanitary District #1 (a district within Brule town); the page does not give the boundary

  • The Brule Town Board appoints the three-member Sanitary District Board, which operates the district.
  • The district page states a hook-up fee of $650 as of January 1, 2008; that figure may be outdated and should be confirmed with the district.
  • Quarterly user fees are listed on the page (for example $86 for a single family unit, as of the page's January 2024 data).

  hook-up fee: 650 USD (stated as of January 1, 2008)

  “all homes and businesses within the sanitary district are required to be hooked to the sewer system. no private septic tanks are allowed. as of january 1, 2008, the hook-up fee is $650.”

• Permit processPartial

  New dwelling in Brule town (unincorporated Douglas County)

  • Steps: (1) land use or conditional use permit from the county zoning office; (2) septic permit from the county zoning office unless served by a municipal sewer; (3) town building permit under the Uniform Dwelling Code.
  • The page does not give application forms, review timelines or fees; the town building packet and process are in the town FAQ.

  “the permitting process for a new dwelling in douglas county requires: obtaining a land use or conditional use permit from the douglas county zoning office a septic system permit (unless the property is served by a municipal sewer system) from the douglas county zoning office a building permit from the town”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permit or inspection in Brule town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Brule town
• Local zoning — Whether Brule town itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance for land inside its limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in Brule town
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage in Brule 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.