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

Town of Franklin’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction or building-site preparation inside Franklin town.

  • Storage buildings under 200 square feet may be installed or constructed without a building permit but must observe applicable setbacks.
  • The ordinance states that a building permit must be secured before construction or building-site preparation.

  storage-building permit threshold: <= 200 square feet (Storage buildings under this total area do not require a building permit under Section 6-3(3).)

  “A building permit must be secured prior to any construction or building site preparation.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Zoning-compliance inspections for land and structures inside Franklin town.

  • This evidence establishes zoning-compliance inspections, not a general final building-inspection requirement for every dwelling.
  • Entry after refused permission requires an inspection warrant issued for cause or another court-issued warrant.

  “Conduct on-site inspections to determine compliance or non-compliance with this ordinance.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Franklin, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.

  • The ordinance became effective by County Board approval on July 22, 2025.

  “effective by county board approval: july 22, 2025”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Park-model, seasonal, and tiny homes inside Franklin town.

  • The structure must meet ANSI A119.5 requirements and display proper compliance notifications.
  • It must use county-inspected and approved sanitary requirements, use a state-approved or approved shared potable well, and be connected to utilities.

  tiny-home minimum area: >= 320 square feet · tiny-home maximum area: <= 625 square feet

  “The structure must be built to meet ANSI A 119.5 code requirements and display proper compliance notifications.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured and mobile homes inside Franklin town.

  • Manufactured homes are allowed where single-family dwellings are allowed, subject to the listed ordinance conditions.
  • New mobile-home installations must be new from the manufacturer or manufactured no earlier than April 1, 2007, as verified by Wisconsin Insignia documentation.
  • Older mobile homes may be used as hunting shacks, storage buildings, or animal shelters; year-round human habitation is prohibited.

  “New Mobile Home installations in the Town of Franklin will be either new from the manufacturer or a mobile home that has been manufactured no earlier than April 1, 2007, as verified by Wisconsin Insignia documentation.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater systems inside Franklin town, administered by Manitowoc County Planning & Zoning.

  • Town subdivision provisions state that private disposal facilities must meet the Manitowoc County Sanitary Code.

  “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), better known as “septic systems.””

• Septic permitRequired

  Private sewage-system installation, alteration, or land-use change connected to a private system inside Franklin town.

  • Applications must be submitted to Manitowoc County on a state-approved form signed by a master plumber or master restricted plumber (sewer).

  “No person may install, locate, move, reconstruct, extend, enlarge, alter, convert, or modify a private sewage system or change the land use connected to the system, unless the owner of the property on which such private sewage system is located, or is to be located, holds a valid sanitary permit.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems inside Franklin town.

  • The inspection must be conducted by a licensed master plumber, licensed master plumber–restricted service, certified POWTS inspector, registered POWTS maintainer, or certified septage servicing provider.
  • A complete inspection is also required upon conveyance, merger, partition, subdivision, or transfer, and when a required three-year inspection reveals noncompliance.

  routine POWTS inspection interval: per 3 years

  “the inspection must be conducted by a licensed master plumber, a licensed master plumber – restricted service, a certified powts inspector, a registered powts maintainer, or a certified septage servicing provider”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Private sewage disposal inside Franklin town.

  • Private disposal facilities are the developer's or lot owner's responsibility and must meet the Manitowoc County Sanitary Code.
  • Public sewage disposal facilities are not available in Franklin town.

  “Public sewage disposal facilities are not available in the Town of Franklin. Any private disposal facilities are the responsibility of the developer and/or lot owners and must meet the requirements of the Manitowoc County Sanitary Code.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New driveways accessing Town roads inside Franklin town.

  • The Town Board may reduce the standards upon evidence of unnecessary or extreme hardship.
  • New shared driveways are not allowed.
  • Town-road driveway width is generally limited to 24 feet for residential and 50 feet for commercial, industrial, or agricultural uses unless approved otherwise by the Town.

  “the construction of new shared driveways shall not be allowed.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Land, water, buildings, and structures inside Franklin town subject to the Manitowoc County Shoreland-Floodplain Zoning Ordinance.

  • The County ordinance applies in addition to the Town UDO.
  • The UDO provides that whichever applicable regulation imposes greater restrictions prevails.

  “In addition to the regulations established herein, no land, water, building or structure shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building, structure, or part thereof shall hereafter be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved, or structurally altered except in conformity with the regulation established in the Manitowoc County Shoreland-Floodplain Zoning Ordinance, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin adopted pursuant to the Wisconsin Statutes.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town building permits inside Franklin town.

  • The amount is determined by the Town Board and paid to the Town Treasurer.

  “A fee in an amount determined by the Town Board is required to be paid by the applicant for a building permit. The fee shall be paid to the Town Treasurer.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Development review inside Franklin town.

  • The zoning administrator or other designated official is the permit-review coordinator and may combine hearings for multiple actions.

  “This Ordinance provides a consolidated permit review process for development projects that often involve multiple approvals and permits. The zoning administrator or other designated official serves as the permit review coordinator and has discretion in scheduling hearings.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Franklin town.
• Building code adopted — Residential construction inside Franklin town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside Franklin town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside Franklin town.
• Lot coverage — Land inside Franklin 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.