Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin

Town of St. Croix Falls’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings within the ordinance scope inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • For a building permit, a town land-use permit and a Polk County sanitary permit, or evidence that no sanitary permit is required, must first be obtained.
  • parameters threshold applies to alterations exceeding $2,500 in any 12-month period.
  • Restoration or repair to a prior code-compliant condition, residing, re-roofing, finishing interior surfaces, and cabinetry are exempt.

  alteration value threshold: > 2500 USD (in any twelve month period)

  “without first obtaining a building permit for such work from the building inspector.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Dwellings and applicable commercial buildings inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • The ordinance incorporates amendments to the Uniform Dwelling Code and specified Wisconsin commercial codes by reference.

  “all amendments thereto, are adopted and incorporated in this code by reference.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Approved site-plan projects inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • The applicant must act within one year of Town Board approval; otherwise the application is null and void.

  certificate of occupancy deadline: <= 2 years (after holding a building permit)

  “hold a certificate of occupancy within two (2) years of holding a building permit”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • County shoreland and floodplain zoning also applies where applicable.

  “The Town has adopted its own Zoning Ordinances.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • District locations are shown on official Town zoning maps available from the Zoning Administrator, Town Clerk, and Town Hall.

  number of district types: 6

  “It divides the area to which it applies into six (6) districts.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Every dwelling erected inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • Basement area may be included only if it has an entrance directly accessible from outside or at least one window not over four feet above the basement floor.

  minimum dwelling area: >= 400 square feet

  “Every dwelling erected in the town shall provide a minimum four hundred (400) square feet.”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Travel trailers and recreational vehicles on private lots inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • The zoning district must allow a single-family residence and the parcel must have a dwelling or principal structure.
  • One RV may be used 14 of 60 days without a permit unless stated exceptions apply.
  • A seasonal permit permits use May 1 through December 1; December 2 through April 30 is limited to 14 days.
  • Seasonal use may not be a primary residence and requires stated sanitary and setback compliance.

  unpermitted RV-use limit: per 14 days (per 60 days) · seasonal permit period: May 1 through December 1 (14 days total from December 2 through April 30)

  “One travel trailer is allowed to be used on a lot 14 out of 60 days”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping with a travel trailer or recreational vehicle on private lots inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • The ordinance treats travel trailers and recreational vehicles as camping units.
  • The seasonal-permit conditions include sanitary-system and setback requirements and prohibit use as a primary residence.

  unpermitted camping-unit use: per 14 days (per 60 days)

  “Travel trailers and recreational vehicles are considered camping units for the purpose of this section.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny homes used as dwellings inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • The 400-square-foot minimum applies to every dwelling erected in the Town; other zoning and permit requirements also apply.

  minimum dwelling area: >= 400 square feet (basement may count only under stated access or window conditions)

  “Every dwelling erected in the town shall provide a minimum four hundred (400) square feet.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory buildings in the Residential District inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • A bunkhouse is the stated exception; only one bunkhouse is allowed per parcel.

  “no accessory building, other than a bunkhouse, may be used as a separate dwelling unit”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land into two or more parcels inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • After the ordinance effective date, no land may be subdivided or platted and no plat or deed recorded except under the chapter and Town approval.
  • The Town Board may waive a requirement after Plan Commission recommendation and public hearing upon stated findings.

  regulated land division: >= 2 parcels (for transfer, development, or tax-assessment purposes)

  “shall apply to any division of land into two or more parcels”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Town-issued permits and applications inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • All fees are due at application unless otherwise noted.
  • The schedule lists a $50 land-use permit fee and building-permit fees; fees vary by project type.

  land use permit fee: 50 USD

  “The following Fees are established for use with permits, licenses, etc. issued in accordance with ORDINANCE No. 11-03 Relating to Fees for the Town of St. Croix Falls. All fees are due at the time of application unless otherwise noted.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of St. Croix Falls

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

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 and R-2 Residential District unsewered single- or two-family lots inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • R-1 requires two acres and 200-foot minimum width; R-2 requires 30,000 square feet and 100-foot minimum width.

  R-1 minimum lot area: >= 2 acres (unsewered lots) · R-2 minimum lot area: >= 30000 square feet (unsewered lots)

  “the minimum lot area shall be two (2) acres”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural District productive agricultural land inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

    “a minimum lot size of thirty-five (35) acres of land in productive agricultural operations”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural District main buildings inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • For lots less than 100 feet wide that were recorded at passage, aggregate side-yard rules apply.

  minimum rear yard: >= 25 feet (main building) · minimum side yard: >= 10 feet (lots 100 feet or more wide)

  “There shall be a rear yard of not less than twenty-five (25) feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Residential District main buildings inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

    “The minimum permitted side yard width shall be ten (10) feet.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential District buildings inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • Residential buildings may increase height by up to 10 feet or one story if required yards and open spaces are increased one foot per foot of added height.

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (or two and one-half stories, whichever is greater)

  “thirty five (35) feet in height, whichever is greater.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural District buildings inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

    “thirty-five (35) feet in height or two and a half (2 ½) stories, whichever is greater.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewerage systems inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • The Town states that the Polk County Sanitary Ordinance applies in the Town.

  “Sanitary permits must be obtained from the Polk County Zoning Administrator.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction or structural alteration of a private sewerage system inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • A sanitary permit is needed before construction of a new dwelling or new commercial building.

  “A sanitary permit is needed to begin construction of a new dwelling”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Floodplain land inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • Polk County Floodplain Zoning applies in the Town.
  • Town permit applications involving floodplain-zoned land must include detailed lot-elevation and fill-or-storage information.

  “When the application concerns land subject to floodplain zoning, the plans shall also include detailed information”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Rental of a single-family dwelling in the Residential District inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

  • The stated permitted rental use requires a lease agreement of at least seven days.

  minimum lease length: >= 7 days (single-family dwelling rented to a single-family unit)

  “provided there is a lease agreement of a minimum of seven (7) days in length.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.
• Inspections — Residential building inspections inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.
• Septic inspection — Private sewerage-system inspections inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.
• Off-grid sanitation — Off-grid sanitation inside the Town of St. Croix Falls.

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.