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

Town of Cooperstown’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building code inside Cooperstown town limits

  • The town's general code of ordinances includes Chapter 5 - Building Code.
  • The town board held a 2022 public hearing on revisions to Chapter 5 (notice PDF returned 404 and was not reviewed).
  • The state code the chapter adopts (for example the uniform dwelling code) was not verified.

  “chapter 5 - building code chapter 6 - public works”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions, certified surveys, subdivisions and plats inside Cooperstown town

  • Town approval is required for land divisions, certified surveys, subdivision, condominium and commercial plats.
  • Manitowoc County approval is also required before work starts, per the town page.
  • The town refers to its land use ordinances (town and county); the town subdivision ordinance text was not opened.

  “The following are examples of requests that require approval by the Town of Cooperstown:”

• Permit processPartial

  Land-use petitions (rezoning, variance, conditional use and other special permits) for land inside Cooperstown town

  • Approval is needed from Manitowoc County and the town.
  • Petitioners must appear before the town planning committee and town board, and at county planning and park and county board meetings.
  • The town page describes the petition process only in general terms; no step-by-step timeline or fee was found.

  “FINAL APPROVAL FROM MANITOWOC COUNTY AND THE TOWN OF COOPERSTOWN.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Cooperstown

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

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, erection, moving, or structural alteration of buildings inside Cooperstown town under county general zoning

  • The zoning/setback permit is issued by Manitowoc County Planning & Zoning.
  • Under county Chapter 13, no county zoning permit may be issued for a building that must have a private sewage system without a valid sanitary permit or reconnection permit.
  • Construction may proceed only after the permit is issued.

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

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts under Manitowoc County general zoning (chapter 8) as applied inside Cooperstown town

  • The county's zoning guide describes each district with setbacks and allowable uses; the PDF itself was not opened.
  • The Guide to Building table lists districts including Large Estate Residential, Small Estate Residential, Rural Residential, High Density Residential, Lake Residential, Commercial/Business, Industrial, General Agriculture and Exclusive Agriculture, plus a Natural Areas category.

  “zoning guide – a brief description for each zoning district, along with setbacks and allowable uses.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Rural Residential (RR) district under Manitowoc County general zoning (chapter 8) inside Cooperstown town

  • The county Guide to Building lists RR minimum lot size as 1 acre (43,560 sq ft).
  • The Guide to Building table has footnotes distinguishing sewered and unsewered lot size requirements; the footnote is attached to other districts, not clearly to RR.
  • Guide to Building table text lost column alignment in extraction; verify against chapter 8 before relying on it.
  • Septic system siting rules in Chapter 13 still apply.

  minimum lot area: >= 43560 sq ft (one acre; the county table lists RR at 1 acre)

  “se small estate residential rr 43,560 rural residential 1 acre”

• Who permits septicCounty

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems (septic) for land inside Cooperstown town

  • Manitowoc County Planning & Zoning administers county Chapter 13 and state SPS 383.
  • The town page does not assign septic authority to the town.

  “The Planning & Zoning Department administers Chapter 13”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation, replacement, repair, reconnection or modification of a private septic system on land inside Cooperstown town

  • Minor repairs such as manhole risers, baffles, pumps and vents do not need a sanitary permit.
  • Soil and site evaluation is required before issuance; the department may verify it.
  • Applicant information includes legal description, parcel number, lot dimensions, and building use.

  “a sanitary permit shall be obtained by the property owner, his or her agent, or his or her contractor before any powts or any part thereof may be installed, replaced, repaired, reconnected, or modified.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Non-plumbing sanitation systems (such as privies or composting toilets) for buildings inside Cooperstown town

  • Permitted only where the building has no indoor plumbing.
  • Portable restrooms are allowed for temporary use only; no sanitary permit is needed for them.
  • A sanitary permit is required before installing a non-plumbing sanitation system.

  “a non-plumbing sanitation system may be permitted only when the building served by the non-plumbing sanitation system does not have an indoor plumbing system”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway access to a lot inside Cooperstown town under county general zoning

  • The Guide to Building refers to additional driveway requirements in chapter 8, section 8.35(3); the requirements themselves were not opened.

  “Check with the County Highway Department or the Town to make sure a driveway access will be permitted.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Private sewage systems installed in a floodplain on land inside Cooperstown town

  • Such systems must meet Wis. Admin. Code ch. NR 116 and county chapter 31 (floodplain zoning).
  • Floodplain rules for other development (buildings, fill) were not opened and are not covered by this claim.

  “installed within a floodplain shall comply with all applicable requirements of wis. admin. code ch. nr 116 and chapter 31 (floodplain zoning) of the manitowoc county code of ordinances”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for a home built by the owner inside Cooperstown town
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Cooperstown town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Cooperstown town
• Local zoning — Whether Cooperstown town itself adopts and administers a separate zoning ordinance inside its limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Cooperstown 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.