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

Town of Durand’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  New construction inside the Town of Durand.

  • A Town land-use permit is required for all new construction before the possible building-permit process.
  • parameters are not a substitute for consulting the Town building inspector.

  “Land use permits are required in all the zones to maintain the requirements established for each zone. The required land use permit is not a building permit. A building permit may be required from the towns building inspector after the land use permit is obtained.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Durand, Pepin County, Wisconsin.

  • Land use permits are required in all zones; zoning variances or conditional-use allowances may be required.

  “This Ordinance shall be known as, referred to or cited as the "Town of Durand Zoning Ordinance".”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside the Town of Durand.

  • The official Town page identifies developed districts including residential and agricultural districts and publishes a zoning-map link; district-specific controls were not verified from the inaccessible code PDF.

  “For the purposes of this Ordinance, the Town of Durand is divided into six (6) zoning districts, designated as follows: General Agriculture (GA) Residential District (RD) Commercial District (CD) Commercial Residential District (CRD) General Rural Flexible (GRF) Agricultural Livestock Intensive (ALI)”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater systems for land inside the Town of Durand, which is within Pepin County.

  • A Wisconsin Certified Soil Tester must determine soil and lot suitability; a plumber designs and installs the system and obtains the sanitary permit.
  • A property used for human habitation or occupancy must have either a septic system or public-sewer connection.

  “The zoning staff in the Land Conservation & Planning Department are responsible for administration and enforcement of zoning regulations adopted by Pepin County. [...] The sanitary code, floodplain zoning and shoreland/wetland zoning are state mandated regulations and apply to the entire county.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Private sewage systems serving property inside the Town of Durand.

  • A certified soil tester must determine suitability; the plumber obtains the permit.
  • A sanitary permit is required before a building or land-use permit for structures requiring septic, connecting to an existing sanitary system, or altering system flow or contaminant load.

  “Under State law, a sanitary permit is required before individuals can obtain a building or land use permit for structures that require a septic system, connect to an existing sanitary system, or that alters the flow or contaminant load entering a system.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private onsite wastewater systems inside the Town of Durand.

  • County staff inspect system installation and reconnections.
  • County reminder letters are sent every three years for inspection and/or pumping.

  maintenance reminder interval: per 3 years (Holding-tank requirements are not stated in this excerpt.)

  “Staff from the county are required to inspect the installation of septic systems and re-connections. All septic systems are required to be maintained by the property owner to ensure they are in working condition, Pepin County sends out reminder letters once every 3 years to have their septic system inspected and/or pumped.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Off-grid sanitation for human habitation or occupancy inside the Town of Durand.

  • Human habitation or occupancy requires a septic system or public-sewer connection.
  • The opened source does not establish that any particular alternative sanitation device is allowed.

  “All properties in Pepin County that are used for human habitation or occupancy are required to either have a septic system or be connected to public sewer.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Human habitation or occupancy inside the Town of Durand.

  • The county source establishes the alternative of septic system or public sewer, but does not state a distance or availability threshold requiring a new home to connect to public water or sewer.

  “All properties in Pepin County that are used for human habitation or occupancy are required to either have a septic system or be connected to public sewer.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in floodplain areas inside the Town of Durand.

  • Restrictions depend on floodplain district.
  • All development, including fill placement, requires a permit.

  “All development in the floodplain, including the placement of fill, requires a permit.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  New construction and land-use permitting inside the Town of Durand.

  • All new construction requires Town land-use permit; a building permit may be required after the land-use permit.
  • Variance or conditional-use procedures may apply in a zoned district.

  “Land use permits are required in all the zones to maintain the requirements established for each zone. The required land use permit is not a building permit. A building permit may be required from the towns building inspector after the land use permit is obtained.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built dwellings inside the Town of Durand.
• Building code adopted — Residential construction inside the Town of Durand.
• Inspections — Residential building inspections inside the Town of Durand.
• Certificate of occupancy — New dwellings inside the Town of Durand.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings inside the Town of Durand.

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.