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

Town of Pelican’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Pelican, where Oneida County administers zoning.

  • County zoning applies to unincorporated areas of all 20 townships; the stated exceptions concern Enterprise, Monico, and Sugar Camp, not Pelican.

  “Zoning regulations apply in the unincorporated areas of all 20 townships, except those lands in the Towns of Enterprise, Monico, and Sugar Camp which are greater than 1,000 feet from a lake or 300 feet from a river or stream.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems inside the Town of Pelican.

  • Chapter 13 applies to all geographic areas of Oneida County.

  “The requirements of this ordinance shall apply to all geographic areas of Oneida County.”

• Septic permitRequired

  POWTS and non-plumbing sanitation systems inside the Town of Pelican.

  • Permit is required before installation, establishment, or construction of a structure requiring POWTS or non-plumbing sanitation; minor repairs are excepted from POWTS permitting.

  “Every POWTS shall require a separate application and sanitary permit pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes 145.19.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  New POWTS or non-plumbing sanitation systems serving structures inside the Town of Pelican.

  • Installation must be inspected and approved before occupancy.

  “The POWTS or non-plumbing sanitation system for newly constructed structures or structures requiring a reconnection permit shall be installed, inspected, and approved before the structure may be occupied.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Non-plumbing sanitation systems inside the Town of Pelican.

  • Permitted only where the served structure or premises has no indoor plumbing; if plumbing or running water is supplied, an acceptable other or additional sewage-disposal method is required.

  “A non-plumbing sanitation system may be permitted only when the structure or premises served by the non-plumbing sanitation system is not provided with an indoor plumbing system.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Structures inside the Town of Pelican served by a POWTS when public sewer becomes available.

  • POWTS must be disconnected within one year of sewer availability; local sewer service entity determines availability; disconnected POWTS must be abandoned under SPS 383.

  connection deadline: <= 1 year (After public sewers approved by DNR become available.)

  “When public sewers approved by the Department of Natural Resources become [...] available to the structure or premises served, the POWTS shall be disconnected within one year and a connection made to the public sewer.”

• Permit processPartial

  Sanitary permitting for structures inside the Town of Pelican.

  • Application must be by owner, agent, or contractor before covered construction; application information, plans, site evaluation, and applicable fees are required.

  “A sanitary permit shall be obtained by the property owner, his agent or contractor, in the name of the property owner, prior to the installation, establishment or construction of any structure which requires a POWTS or non-plumbing sanitation system.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Pelican

Town of Pelican 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

  New one- and two-family dwellings inside the Town of Pelican.

  • A Uniform Dwelling Code permit must be issued; County directory lists RC Inspection Agency for Pelican.

  “All municipalities are required to issue a Uniform Dwelling Code Permit for new one and two family dwellings.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  New one- and two-family dwellings inside the Town of Pelican.

  • The cited county official directory identifies RC Inspection Agency for Pelican's building-permit column.

  “All municipalities are required to issue a Uniform Dwelling Code Permit for new one and two family dwellings.”

• Well permitRequired

  New private wells inside the Town of Pelican.

  • High-capacity wells, reconstruction of existing wells, and wells on Native American property are exceptions to the stated advance-notice requirement; a notification number must precede construction.

  well construction notification fee: 50.5 USD (Well Construction Notification; fee is stated as nonrefundable and nontransferable.)

  “Wisconsin law requires that a property owner provide advance notice to DNR before construction of any new private well that is not a high capacity well, and advance notice of any heat exchange drillhole construction (geothermal system) that does not require a written DNR approval.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner construction of dwellings inside the Town of Pelican.
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside the Town of Pelican.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for buildings inside the Town of Pelican.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single Family and General Use zoning areas inside the Town of Pelican.
• Minimum lot size — Single Family and General Use zoning areas inside the Town of Pelican.

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.