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

Rules another office applies inside Town of Portland

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage systems for land inside the Town of Portland that is not served by a public sewage disposal plant; the Monroe County Sanitation Department administers the permits and inspections, and the rule applies inside Portland town as it does across the county

  • Applies only where the property is not served by a public sewage disposal plant and has running water

  “if you live in an area of monroe county that is not served by a public sewage disposal plant you need a private sewage disposal system to service a dwelling, business, etc. which has running water.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New, repaired, replaced, modified or reconnected private sewage systems inside the Town of Portland, administered by the Monroe County Sanitation Department

  • Applies to properties not served by a public sewage disposal plant with running water
  • Permit also required to repair, replace or modify, reconnect to, or install a privy
  • Applications may be filed online and paid by credit card; printable forms are not described on the page opened

  “sanitary permits are required to: install a new system repair an existing system replace or modify an existing system reconnect to an existing system install a privy”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private sewage systems inside the Town of Portland that are not served by a public sewage disposal plant

  • Certification form at three-year intervals, signed by owner and co-signed by a licensed plumber or licensed septic tank pumper
  • Inspection form certifies proper operating condition, use for designed purpose, and septic less than one-third full of sludge and scum

  inspection interval: 3 years

  “at three-year intervals the county sanitation department will send you a certification form which must be signed by you and co-signed by a licensed plumber or a licensed septic tank pumper”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Privies and other non-standard sanitation inside the Town of Portland, administered by the Monroe County Sanitation Department

  • Installing a privy requires a sanitary permit to comply with state law and county sanitation ordinance requirements

  “install a privy to comply with state law and county sanitation ordinance requirements”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Work inside a mapped floodplain on land in the Town of Portland, under Monroe County floodplain zoning Chapter 50; the county limits these applications to unincorporated areas

  • Permit required before filling, grading and material removal in a floodplain
  • Page notes proposed new floodplain maps for Monroe County in 2026

  “this permit must be obtained before starting any work in a floodplain including filling, grating and material removal.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Sanitary (septic) permit fees for land inside the Town of Portland; the county publishes a 2026 fee schedule

  • Fee amounts were not read; the 2026 schedule was only seen as a linked item on the county sanitation page

  “sanitation dept. fee schedule for 2026 private sewage disposal in monroe county”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  County zoning permit applications for land inside the Town of Portland, which is an unincorporated town; the county page limits these applications to unincorporated areas of Monroe County

  • Online zoning permit applications are paid by credit card; printable applications are paid by mail or drop-off
  • Applications for land inside a city or village go to that municipality

  “note the following applications are for unincorporated areas of monroe county only.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Whether a building permit is required for construction inside the Town of Portland
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for work inside the Town of Portland
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside the Town of Portland
• Inspections — Building inspections inside the Town of Portland
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside the Town of Portland

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.