Building permits, zoning and land rules in Green Lake County, Wisconsin

The Green Lake County Land Use Planning & Zoning Department handles county land-use permits, zoning, private septic administration and floodplain zoning². Reach the department at 571 County Road A, Green Lake, WI 54941, or call 920-294-4156². The county's rules apply to unincorporated land; inside Markesan and the Town of Brooklyn, the local office issues building permits, but septic permits there still come from the county^2,3,11,12. For UDC building permits and inspections elsewhere, use the inspector assigned to the municipality; the county publishes town-by-town UDC contacts². A county land-use permit is required for land disturbance in a county-zoned town or wherever another county-administered ordinance applies². The usual application is a completed form, a scaled site plan and a fee based on combined construction cost; fees are nonrefundable, renewals cost the same as the initial application, and after-the-fact fees are doubled¹³. New principal structures may also require plans, side elevations or a survey².

Green Lake County administers private onsite wastewater systems throughout unincorporated Green Lake County and in incorporated areas that have not adopted their own sanitary code⁵. That includes property inside Markesan and the Town of Brooklyn where public sewer is not used^2,12. Every POWTS and non-plumbing sanitation system under county jurisdiction needs a sanitary permit before installation or construction of the structure it will serve¹⁴. If a structure has plumbing, its POWTS must be installed before water service is connected⁷. A nonplumbing sanitation system may be permitted only for premises without any indoor plumbing; it is not a blanket alternative for an ordinary off-grid house⁷. The installer must leave the system open for county inspection, and the owner must arrange pumping inspection at least every 3 years². Only about 9.2% of county soils have no severe limitation for a conventional drain field, so arrange a site evaluation early¹⁵.

We could not confirm a countywide rule allowing long-term RV living or temporary camping on private land in Green Lake County. Tiny homes are not defined in the county code, so a tiny home is judged as a dwelling under county zoning: it needs a permanent foundation meeting the Uniform Dwelling Code, a first-story living area of at least 800 square feet, and at least 20 feet in its smallest horizontal dimension (not required in the R-2 District), with wheels, axles and hitches removed; shipping containers may not be used as dwellings⁹. The parcel's town matters because six towns use county general zoning, four did not adopt it, and cities and villages may have their own zoning². Shoreland, floodplain and land-division standards still apply where triggered in towns without general county zoning². A manufactured home installed as a new dwelling requires a UDC building permit, and applicable land-use and sanitary approvals remain separate⁶. Before placing an RV, tiny home or manufactured home, ask the Land Use Planning & Zoning Department which county rules apply, then ask the relevant town, city or village about occupancy and zoning restrictions².

1. Ask the Land Use Planning & Zoning Department which general-zoning, shoreland, floodplain and land-division rules apply².
2. Submit the county land-use application, scaled site plan, construction-cost-based fee and any additional required materials².
3. If the home will use private septic, obtain the county sanitary permit before the building permit^1,14.
4. Notify the DNR before drilling a new private well unless a listed exception or separate approval applies¹⁰.
5. For a new driveway or culvert, contact the County Highway Department for county-highway access or the town for town-road access¹⁴. A county-trunk-highway driveway permit costs $150 for a new access, $50 for an alteration and $250 if obtained after the fact¹⁶. A state-highway connection requires WisDOT approval¹⁷.
6. Submit the UDC application and prerequisite approvals to the authorized municipal inspector or DSPS⁶.
7. Call the permit inspector before each covered phase and wait for the required final inspection before occupancy¹.

Water and soils: only 9.2% of Green Lake County soils have no severe limitation for a conventional septic drain field, so get a site evaluation early¹⁵. A new private well generally requires advance DNR notification¹⁰. Shoreland: exact setbacks depend on the lot provisions, and impervious surface within 300 feet of the ordinary high-water mark is generally capped at 15% or the existing percentage before new construction². Floodplain: county jurisdiction requires a land-use permit for land disturbance, while new structures, wells and sewage systems are prohibited in a mapped floodway^2,18. Access: ask the County Highway Department about county-highway access and the town about town-road access; a state-highway connection requires WisDOT approval^14,17. Taxes: the effective property-tax rate is about 1.3%, and the median annual bill is about $2,709¹⁵.