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

Town of Cato’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings and structures inside Cato town subject to Manitowoc County General Zoning.

  • The cited requirement covers erection, movement, establishment, location, and structural alteration of a building or structure.

  “no building or structure shall be erected, moved, established, located, or structurally altered until a zoning/setback permit is issued”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Cato town; zoning is administered under Manitowoc County General Zoning rather than identified as a separately published town zoning code.

  • Cato is expressly listed among towns under Manitowoc County General Zoning.
  • A zoning/setback permit is required before the listed construction actions.

  “towns under manitowoc county general zoning: cato centerville cooperstown eaton gibson kossuth liberty manitowoc manitowoc rapids maple grove meeme mishicot rockland schleswig two creeks two rivers”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts for land inside Cato town under Manitowoc County General Zoning.

  • Cato is listed as a town under Manitowoc County General Zoning.
  • District location must be determined from the official town zoning map maintained by the County Planning and Zoning Department.

  “the planning and zoning department shall keep an official zoning map and a copy of each revision to the official zoning map for each town that adopts this ordinance.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures inside Cato town under Manitowoc County General Zoning.

  • Applicable height depends on the mapped district and ordinance exceptions.

  “the maximum height for any structure is 35 feet, unless a different maximum height is permitted by sec. 8.25 or chs. 20, 24, or 25.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes inside Cato town under Manitowoc County General Zoning.

  • A manufactured home may be used as a single-family residence where a single-family dwelling is an allowed principal use, subject to the listed site-plan, foundation, anchoring, utility, and other conditions.
  • A manufactured home outside a licensed park may not remain more than six months unless it meets permanent-dwelling requirements and is taxed accordingly.

  temporary location outside approved licensed manufactured-home park: <= 6 months (unless it meets permanent-dwelling requirements and is taxed accordingly)

  “a manufactured home may not be parked or used as a residence unless it is located in a manufactured home park, except as otherwise permitted in this section.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems inside Cato town.

  • County administration includes Manitowoc County Code Chapter 13 and Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter SPS 383.
  • The stated regulation covers installation and maintenance of POWTS.

  “the planning & zoning department administers chapter 13 of the manitowoc county code and chapter sps 383 of the wisconsin administrative code, which regulate the installation and maintenance of private onsite wastewater treatment systems (powts)”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  All private onsite wastewater treatment systems inside Cato town.

  • Inspection is required every three years.
  • A complete inspection is also required upon conveyance, merger, partition, subdivision, or transfer, and when the three-year inspection finds noncompliance.
  • The inspection must be performed by one of the licensed or certified professionals specified by the county.

  routine inspection interval: per 3 years

  “manitowoc county and the state of wisconsin require that all private onsite wastewater treatment systems (powts) be inspected every 3 years to ensure their proper operation.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions in Cato town, which is within the unincorporated area of Manitowoc County.

  • The ordinance applies where a division results in a subdivision as defined by the ordinance.
  • Listed exceptions include transfers by will or court order, leases not exceeding ten years, certain adjoining-owner exchanges, divisions into parcels greater than fifteen acres, cemetery plots, assessor plats, and public-agency acquisitions or exchanges.

  exception threshold for division of land: > 15 acres (division into parcels greater than fifteen acres)

  “any division of land within the unincorporated area of manitowoc county which results in a subdivision as defined herein shall be, and any other division may be surveyed, and a plat thereof approved and recorded as required by this ordinance and wis. stat. ch. 236.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways installed, replaced, extended, or modified inside Cato town under Manitowoc County General Zoning.

  • The standards apply after the effective date of the ordinance.
  • The cited ordinance also requires a 14-foot all-weather driving surface and specifies curve and turnout standards.

  minimum vehicular opening at right-of-way line: >= 20 feet · turnout trigger: > 500 feet (driveway length)

  “any driveway that is installed, replaced, or extended, and any portion of a driveway that is modified, after the effective date of this ordinance must meet the following requirements:”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside Cato town.
• Building code adopted — Residential construction inside Cato town.
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Cato town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new or altered buildings inside Cato town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Cato 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.