Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Waterloo, Wisconsin

Waterloo’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building or structure construction inside Waterloo city (zoning permit from building inspector)

  • No construction may begin before permit issuance, including excavation or forms
  • Building inspector may grant limited setback/yard variances consistent with neighborhood
  • See chapter 140 Building Construction (not opened)

  “no building or structure, or any part thereof, shall hereafter be built within the city unless a permit therefor shall first be obtained by the owner or his agent from the building inspector.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Vacant land use and buildings moved into or relocated within Waterloo city

  • Issued by the building inspector only when building/land and use conform to the zoning chapter
  • Text states an exception for property with a valid zoning permit; sentence was truncated in capture and not fully read

  “no vacant land shall be used or occupied for other than an approved use in the zoning district in which it is located and no building hereafter moved into or relocated within the city shall be so occupied or used until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued by the building inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Waterloo city limits

  • Adopted 10-19-1987 by Ord. No. 87-6; amendments noted in the code

  “these regulations are adopted under the authority granted by § 62.23(7), wis. stats.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Waterloo city

  • Boundaries shown on the city zoning map dated September 15, 1987, kept by the clerk-treasurer
  • Floodplain districts are in chapter 375

  “the city is hereby divided into the following zoning districts: r-1 single-family residential district r-1a single-family residential district r-2 single-family residential district r-3 mobile home park and mobile home subdivision district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Waterloo city (§ 385-8)

  • Other districts (R-1A 12,000 sq ft, R-2, agricultural) have separate limits not recorded here

  minimum lot frontage at setback: >= 80 feet · minimum lot area: >= 10000 square feet

  “(1) lot frontage at setback: minimum 80 feet. (2) lot area: minimum 10,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal building, R-1 district inside Waterloo city (§ 385-8)

  • Accessory buildings: front 30 ft, sides 5 ft, rear 5 ft
  • Rear yard minimum amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. 2020-08

  front yard: >= 30 feet · side yard total: >= 20 feet · minimum side yard: >= 8 feet · rear yard: >= 25 feet

  “(3) principal building. (a) front yard: minimum 30 feet. (b) side yards: minimum total, 20 feet; minimum side, eight feet. (c) rear yard: minimum 25 feet.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal building, R-1 district inside Waterloo city (§ 385-8)

  • Accessory buildings limited to 15 feet at roof peak, up to 25 feet where the existing home and two abutting homes are two stories or more

  maximum principal building height: <= 35 feet

  “(c) rear yard: minimum 25 feet. [amended 9-3-2020 by ord. no. 2020-08] (d) building height: maximum 35 feet.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder inside Waterloo city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Waterloo city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Waterloo city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Waterloo city
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Waterloo city

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.