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

Rules another office applies inside Town of Palmyra

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems (septic) on land inside Palmyra town, outside the Village of Palmyra. The county planning and zoning department administers the permit under Jefferson County POWTS Chapter 12. Recorded as county scope because the county schema does not allow a municipality-specific geography for county authority.

  • Applies to all geographic areas of Jefferson County under section 12.08.
  • Installation must also meet the Wisconsin statutes and administrative codes incorporated by reference in section 12.07 (chapters 145, 281.48 and 968.10 Wis. Stats.; SPS 381-385, SPS 387, SPS 391, NR 113 and NR 116).
  • Systems proposed in a sanitary district, city or village need that jurisdiction's approval before permit issuance (section 12.09(11)); this condition affects the Village of Palmyra, not town land outside it.

  “County: Jefferson County or the Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Department. [...] The requirements of this ordinance shall apply to all geographic areas of the County.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  New or existing structures served by a private sewage system on land inside Palmyra town, outside the Village of Palmyra

  • The system must be installed, inspected and approved by a state-licensed master plumber or master plumber restricted service (section 12.06(2)).
  • The county planning and zoning department must also inspect and approve the system before the structure may be occupied (section 12.06(2)).
  • County verification of soil and site evaluations may be required and must be completed before permit issuance (section 12.11(4)).

  “The POWTS for newly constructed structures or existing structures shall be installed, inspected and approved a by person licensed by the State as a master plumber or master plumber restricted service, and also inspected and approved by the Planning and Zoning Department before the structure may be occupied.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Composting or incinerating toilets and vault privies on land inside Palmyra town, outside the Village of Palmyra

  • Composting and incinerating toilets are allowed only on properties not connected to a water supply and not connected to a plumbing system, upon approval (section 12.09(3)); the rest of the approval sentence was not captured in the page text and should be verified.
  • A vault privy is allowable only for campgrounds or agricultural purposes and may not be used with habitable structures (section 12.09(2)).
  • A vault privy requires a sanitary permit and must meet SPS 391 (section 12.12(4)).

  “Composting and/or incinerating toilets may be allowed on properties that are not connected to a water supply and are not connected to a plumbing system upon approval from the Planning and Zoning Committee.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Sanitary permit process for private sewage systems on land inside Palmyra town, outside the Village of Palmyra

  • Application requirements are in section 12.13; the approval standard and denial process are in section 12.14.
  • Permits are denied if state or county requirements are not met, and denial reasons go to the plumber and landowner (section 12.14(2)).
  • A zoning and land use permit cannot issue for a structure that needs a private sewage system until a compliant system exists or all permits for it are obtained (section 12.12(6)).

  “Permits shall be approved within 30 days of receiving a completed sanitary permit application that has provided all required information as prescribed in this ordinance and SPS 383.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit for new dwellings inside Palmyra town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permit or licensing rules inside Palmyra town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for dwellings inside Palmyra town
• Inspections — Building inspection for new dwellings inside Palmyra town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Palmyra 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.