Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Spencer, Wisconsin

Village of Spencer’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, enlarging, altering, moving or demolishing buildings inside Spencer village

  • Building inspector may waive plans for alterations, repairs or moving costing $10,000 or less
  • Minor repairs valued under $1,000 may proceed without a permit; permits are not required for roofing
  • Site plan approval by the village administrator required; decision within 30 days
  • Permit lapses if work not begun in 6 months or not complete in 1 year
  • Double fee if work starts before permit

  minor repair threshold: < 1000 USD (must not change occupancy, area, appearance, structure, fire protection, exits, light or ventilation)

  “no building of any kind shall be moved within or into the village and no new building or structure, or any part thereof, shall hereafter be erected, or ground broken for the same, or enlarged, altered, moved, demolished, razed or used within the village, except as herein provided, until a permit therefor shall first have been obtained by the owner, or his authorized agent, from the building inspector.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  One- and two-family dwellings inside Spencer village

  • Adopts Wis. Admin. Code chs. SPS 320-325 by reference, including future amendments
  • Section 193-4 also adopts construction standards (not read)

  “the administrative code provisions describing and defining regulations with respect to one- and two-family dwellings in chs. sps 320 through 325 of the wisconsin administrative code are hereby adopted and by reference made a part of this chapter as if fully set forth herein.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings under construction inside Spencer village

  • Inspection stages: footings and foundation; framing, rough electrical, plumbing and heating; insulation; completion of the structure

  inspection response time: <= 2 business days

  “the builder shall notify the building inspector when ready for inspections, and the building inspector shall inspect within two business days after notification all buildings at the following states of construction:”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New buildings inside Spencer village

  • Issued after inspection finds the work conforms
  • No certificate until sewer, water, grading and graveling are available to the property (§ 193-2 E(3))

  “if he finds that the work conforms to the provisions of this chapter, he shall issue a certification of occupancy, which shall contain the date and the result of such inspection”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Spencer village (Marathon County), Chapter 480

  • Adopted under Wis. Stats. 61.35 and 62.23(7)
  • Annexed land is placed in the A-1 agricultural district unless the annexation ordinance says otherwise

  “this chapter shall be known as, referred to and cited as the "zoning code, village of spencer, wisconsin"”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  All land inside Spencer village

  • Districts: A-1, R-1, R-1 AAA, R-2, R-3, R-4, C-1, C-2, I-1, LI-1, G-1, W conservancy, R-MH, WW-1, plus R-5 group home (§ 480-31)
  • Official zoning map kept by the village administrator-clerk/treasurer

  “provision is hereby made for the division of the village of spencer into the following 15 basic zoning districts:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  R-1 AAA single-family residential use district (John Day's First Addition, Eastland Heights, parts of Graupner subdivision, 600 block of Roberts Street) inside Spencer village

  • Two-story or tri-level dwelling minimum 1,648 sq ft
  • All dwellings must have a minimum 4:12 roof pitch

  minimum single-story dwelling: >= 1248 sq ft · minimum two-story or tri-level dwelling: >= 1648 sq ft

  “(1) a single-story dwelling with a minimum of 1,248 square feet. (2) a two-story or tri-level dwelling with a minimum of 1,648 square feet.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district inside Spencer village

    “every building hereafter erected, moved or structurally altered for dwelling purposes shall provide a floor area of not less than 900 square feet per family.”

  • Specified — R-2 residential district inside Spencer village

    “(4) building size. the minimum residential building size shall be 480 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A-1 agricultural district inside Spencer village (existing residential structures and farm dwellings remaining after farm consolidation)

  • R-1 lot area requirements apply to all buildings for human habitation hereafter erected, moved or structurally altered

  minimum lot area: >= 40000 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 120 ft

  “existing residential structures and farm dwellings remaining after the consolidation of existing farms shall be provided with a lot area of not less than 40,000 square feet and a lot width of not less than 120 feet.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district inside Spencer village

    “every single-family residential building hereafter erected, moved or structurally altered shall provide a lot area of not less than 8,500 square feet per family, and no such lot shall be less than 90 feet in width.”

  • Specified — R-2 residential district (older existing areas) inside Spencer village

    “(1) lot size. minimum area (in square feet): 6,600; minimum width (in feet): 66.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Spencer village (R-2 uses the same setbacks)

  • Side yards measured from edge of the eave
  • Street setback applies 'unless otherwise provided in this chapter'

  side yard each side: >= 7.5 ft · street setback: >= 25 ft · rear yard: >= 30 ft

  “the side yards shall be 7 1/2 feet on each side (measured from edge of the eave). (b) unless otherwise provided in this chapter, there shall be a setback on every lot in this district, from each street on which it abuts, of not less than 25 feet. (c) there shall be a rear yard having a depth of not less than 30 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural district inside Spencer village

    “there shall be a minimum building setback of 50 feet from the street right-of-way.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Spencer village (R-2 follows R-1)

  principal structure max height: <= 35 ft · accessory structure max height: <= 20 ft

  “(3) height, maximum permitted (in feet). principal structure: 35; accessory structure: 20.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 agricultural district inside Spencer village

    “no building or parts of a building shall exceed 60 feet in height.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes on foundations in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Spencer village

  • Allowed only when approved as a conditional use
  • R-2 lists the same conditional use; a separate R-MH mobile home district (§ 480-29) and Ch. 328 exist but were not read

  “a building or premises shall be used only for the following purposes when approved as a conditional use: (1) dental and medical clinics. (2) private lodges and clubs. (3) nursing and rest homes and homes for the aged. (4) public utility offices and installations, including transmission lines and substations. (5) mobile homes on foundations. (6) kennels.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  New residential buildings inside Spencer village

  • Sewer, water, grading and graveling must be installed in the streets serving the property before a residential building permit issues
  • A receipt for payment of electrical hookup must be presented to the building inspector
  • No occupancy until sewer and water are available to the property

  “no building permit shall be issued for the construction of any residential building until sewer, water, grading and graveling are installed in the streets necessary to service the property for which the permit is required”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Spencer village

  • Fee amounts are not stated in Ch. 193; they are set by separate village board ordinance (not located)
  • Double fees if work begins before permit; triple if permit not obtained within two business days after a citation

  “permit fees shall be established by ordinance of the village board.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Spencer village

  • Two sets of plans and specifications required with the application
  • Site plan approval by village administrator within 30 days
  • Denials appealable to the zoning board of appeals within 10 days

  “application for a building permit shall be made in writing upon a form furnished by the building inspector or his designee”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Spencer or Marathon County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Spencer village
• Lot coverage — Residential districts inside Spencer village
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Spencer village
• Camping on your land — Camping inside Spencer village
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Spencer village

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.