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

Town of Garfield’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, addition or alteration of any building or structure inside Garfield town

  • Issued by the town zoning administrator, subject to the requirements of the town building inspection and issuance of building permits ordinance.
  • Land subject to the Polk County shoreland protection ordinance must first receive a Polk County sanitary permit and land use permit.

  “No construction, alteration or addition to any building or structure shall commence before a building permit, land use permit or any other zoning permit, which may be required by this or any other ordinance, has been issued.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Garfield town limits (Polk County, WI), administered under the town's own zoning ordinance

  • Ordinance No. 3-2010 took effect February 1, 2011 and was amended October 11, 2011 and January 8, 2012 per the cover page; the PDF on the town site is labeled updated 5.2024.
  • The zoning ordinance states that Polk County shoreland, sanitary and subdivision ordinances may keep a permitted use from proceeding.

  “This Ordinance shall divide the Town into districts and establish regulations in regard to location, erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration and use of structures and land.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Garfield town

  • Article 3 lists residential, agricultural, agricultural-residential, commercial and conservation districts; district boundaries are in Article 3 Section C, which was not opened, and a zoning map is also posted on the town site.

  “divided into the following five (5) zoning districts: 1. Residential 2. Agricultural 3. Agricultural – Residential 4. Conservation 5. Commercial”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal residence or farm operation lots in the agricultural district (Article 3 Section E) inside Garfield town

  • The depth-to-width proportion for such a lot may not exceed three to one (3:1), depth to width.
  • Separately created residential parcels under the agricultural district text carry their own minimum of two acres and conformance with the town subdivision ordinance.

  minimum lot area, principal residence or farm operation: >= 20 acres

  “The minimum lot area for a principal residence or farm operation shall be twenty (20) acres.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Residential parcels on sewered lots in the agricultural-residential district (Article 3 Section F) inside Garfield town

    “Sewered lots. Buildings or other parts of buildings hereafter erected or structurally altered for single or two-family dwelling purposes shall provide a lot area of not less than one (1) acre.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building and land-use permit fees inside Garfield town

  • Building permit fee is determined by the building inspector based on square footage; no dollar amount is published for it.
  • Fee schedule also lists impact fee, conditional use, zoning change, variance and tourist rooming house fees.

  impact fee: 3021.4 USD · driveway permit: 100 USD · conditional use permit: 450 USD · zoning change permit: 700 USD · variance application: 450 USD

  “Building Permits------This fee is determined by our building inspector based on square footage.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning and building permit application process inside Garfield town

  • Applications go to the town zoning administrator on forms the administrator furnishes; the town site also has a Forms & Permits page not opened.
  • Sanitary permits are handled by Polk County, outside the town process.

  “Applications for building and land use permits shall be submitted to the Zoning Administrator.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Garfield town
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Garfield town
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Garfield town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new buildings inside Garfield town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Garfield 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.