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

Town of Almond’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New dwellings in Almond town, Portage County, WI; UDC permit issued through the town's building inspector

  • Permit is required for all new dwellings and may be required for other improvements (county summary).
  • The county document describes a separate county zoning permit; zoning permit and building permit are different approvals.
  • Commercial buildings require a state commercial building inspector (Jon Molledahl, per the county contact sheet), not the town UDC inspector.

  “town building (udc) permits-almond ethan meddaugh, building inspector (715)340-2611”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Almond

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  New dwellings in Almond town (Portage County, WI) - the state Uniform Dwelling Code is enforced through the town building inspector

  • The county document cites the Uniform Dwelling Code (UDC) building permit as the permit required for new dwellings; it does not quote the adopting statute or administrative code, so the statute citation is not verified here.
  • Commercial buildings are handled by a state commercial building inspector, not the town UDC inspector (per the county contact sheet).

  “a uniform dwelling code (udc) building permit is required for all new dwellings and may be required for other improvements. these permits are issued by the town.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts that apply to land in Almond town under the Portage County Zoning Ordinance

  • The ordinance divides the listed towns, including Almond, into 18 use districts (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, A1, A2, A3, A4, A20, RL, REC, CON, C1-C4, IND, PD); the full district list and maps were not opened.
  • This is the county ordinance, not a Town of Almond ordinance.

  “including within the following towns: alban, almond, amherst, belmont, buena vista, carson, dewey, eau pleine, hull, lanark, linwood, new hope, plover, sharon and stockton are hereby divided into 18 use districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings on parcels zoned R1 (rural and urban fringe) under Portage County zoning in Almond town

  • Footnote (g) as printed: 720 square feet for year-round dwelling (6 months or more/calendar year), 400 square feet for seasonal dwellings (less than six months calendar year).
  • Table note also states that less than 720 square feet may be allowed for farm dwellings (footnote e as printed).

  minimum floor area, year-round dwelling: >= 720 sq ft (400 sq ft allowed for seasonal dwellings (less than six months per calendar year))

  “720 square feet for year-round dwelling (6 months or more/calendar year), 400 square feet for seasonal dwellings (less than six months calendar year).”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Dwellings on parcels zoned R2 (single family) under Portage County zoning in Almond town

    “r2 single family 35 720 20,000 100 10 (b) 25 (b) 2,800 (l)(m)”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Parcels zoned R2 (single family) under Portage County zoning in Almond town

  • Minimum lot width 100 ft (same row of the county table).

  minimum lot area: >= 20000 sq ft

  “r2 single family 35 720 20,000 100 10 (b) 25 (b) 2,800 (l)(m)”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings on parcels zoned R2 (single family) under Portage County zoning in Almond town

  • Side yard shown as 10 ft and rear yard as 25 ft, each with footnote (b) as printed; footnote (b) text as printed reads 'detached accessory structures may be 6 feet in the rear yard'.
  • Water setback printed in the table: 75 feet from the ordinary high water mark (ohwm).
  • Septic setbacks printed in the table: septic tank 2 feet from a property line; drainfield 5 feet from a property line; swimming pool 10 feet; drainfield 15 feet to navigable waterways and 25 feet to septic tank / 50 feet to drainfield, as printed (cell mapping not fully legible).
  • Road setbacks (right-of-way and centerline by road type) appear in the table but cannot be cleanly mapped from the extracted text; check the PDF before relying on them.

  side yard: >= 10 ft (footnote (b)) · rear yard: >= 25 ft (footnote (b): detached accessory structures may be 6 feet in the rear yard)

  “r2 single family 35 720 20,000 100 10 (b) 25 (b) 2,800 (l)(m)”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings on parcels zoned R1 (rural and urban fringe) under Portage County zoning in Almond town

  • Footnote (a) appears on the R1 height cell as printed; its text is 2 acres unless otherwise specified by 7.1.6.1(c), so the height footnote mapping is unclear.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft

  “zoning district r1 rural & urban fringe max height (ft) (a) 35”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Buildings on parcels zoned R2 (single family) under Portage County zoning in Almond town

    “r2 single family 35 720 20,000 100 10 (b) 25 (b) 2,800 (l)(m)”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Placing a camper (RV) on land in the agricultural, conservancy, or rural limited districts of Almond town under Portage County zoning

  • Camper placement is prohibited in other zoning districts.
  • A county zoning permit is required for camper placement in the listed districts.
  • Long-term occupancy limits and the district list in the county zoning ordinance were not verified.

  “placement of campers in agricultural, conservancy and/or rural limited zoning districts (prohibited in other districts)”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage (septic) systems on land inside Almond town, Portage County, WI

  • The county contact sheet lists the county zoning coordinators as the private sewage system contact; the sheet's heading reads 'Zoning information unincorporated areas/portage county', so the scope for the town should be confirmed with the county.
  • Commercial buildings must have state approval for building and onsite waste treatment systems before a county sanitary permit issues (county procedures document).

  “private sewage systems-portage county chris mrdutt & emmett simkowski, zoning coordinators”

• Septic permitRequired

  New homes and home additions in Almond town that use a private septic system

  • Required before a zoning permit can be issued for new homes and for additions that increase the number of bedrooms or disrupt the existing building sewer line.
  • A licensed plumber must submit the sanitary permit application to the county for any septic system with running water; homeowners may apply for non-plumbing sanitary permits such as privies or outhouses (county procedures).
  • Construction may proceed only after the sanitary permit and zoning permit are issued (county procedures state the order of steps).

  “a sanitary permit is required before a zoning permit can be issued for new homes and additions to homes which increase the number of bedrooms or disrupt the existing building sewer line.”

• Well permitRequired

  Private well construction on land inside Almond town

  • A well notification number must be obtained from the Wisconsin DNR and the fee paid before well construction; the well installer may handle this.
  • Wetland or floodplain work may need separate permits (county procedures).

  “private well construction: contact your well installer or the wisconsin department of natural resources (dnr) to obtain a required well notification number and pay the associated fee prior to well construction.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway or culvert access on county roads from land in Almond town

  • Driveway and culvert permits may be required; town roads are handled by the town clerk, and state highways by WisDOT (county summary).
  • County road driveway permits are through the Portage County Highway Department.

  “driveway and culvert permits may be required. contact the appropriate agency depending on your location”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning permit application process for work in Almond town

  • Submit the application at least 2 weeks before construction starts (construction start includes footings, foundations, basements and slab work).
  • Attach a lot drawing with setbacks and distances to the road, water body, well, septic tank and drainfield; stake the structure location.
  • Stormwater review may be required separately, and a property address must be obtained from the town clerk for new or vacant lots.
  • Driveway and culvert permits may be required; town roads go through the town clerk and county roads through the county highway department.

  “submit a completed zoning permit application form including property owners signature to our office using the contact information listed above.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a dwelling in Almond town
• Inspections — Inspections for construction in Almond town
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new dwellings in Almond town
• Local zoning — Land inside Almond town (Town of Almond, Portage County, WI) - whether the town adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits on parcels in Almond 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.