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

Rules another office applies inside Town of How

Town of How 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)

  Onsite wastewater (septic/POWTS) systems on land inside How town limits, Oconto County, WI

  • The county page describes the Oconto County Zoning Office Sanitary Department enforcing the county sanitary ordinance, which it says is promulgated under Wis. Stat. ch. 145 and SPS chapters 381-391.
  • The page does not mention the Town of How; no town-level sanitary rule for How town was found because townofhow.com did not load.

  “the sanitary department of the oconto county zoning office enforces the oconto county sanitary ordinance.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Private onsite wastewater treatment system (POWTS) work serving habitable structures on land inside How town, Oconto County, WI

  • The page says 'with few exceptions' all POWTS work must be by a licensed plumber and permitted by Oconto County; the exceptions are not listed on the page.
  • The page directs residents to the zoning office to ask when a permit is needed and whether a licensed plumber must do the work.
  • Status is conditional because work may proceed only after the county permit is issued.

  “with few exceptions, all work performed on a powts must be by a properly licensed plumber and permitted by oconto county.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Sanitation for habitable structures on land inside How town, Oconto County, WI

  • Privies or alternatives such as composting toilets are allowed only if the habitable structure has no plumbing and no water service.
  • Holding tanks are permitted only as a last resort, per the county page.
  • Otherwise every habitable structure must be served by a POWTS (septic system).

  “if a habitable structure does not contain plumbing and has no water service, then privies, otherwise known as out-houses, or other alternatives to privies (i.e., composting toilets, etc.) may be used as a powts.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit for new construction inside How town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits or licensing inside How town
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside How town
• Inspections — Building inspection for construction inside How town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside How 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.