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

Town of Belmont’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New dwellings in Belmont town (Portage County); the Portage County procedures list the Town of Belmont among the towns that issue these permits

  • Required for all new dwellings and may be required for other improvements.
  • The county procedures name Ethan Meddaugh (715-340-2611) as the contact for the towns of almond and belmont; the town home page names Charlie Warzynski as building permit administrator. Confirm the current issuer.
  • Separate from the Portage County zoning permit.

  “towns of almond and belmont: ethan meddaugh (715) 340-2611”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Belmont

Town of Belmont 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

  New dwellings inside Belmont town, under the Uniform Dwelling Code (state code administered locally)

  • The county procedures document states the UDC building permit is issued by the town, not the county.

  “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

  Zoning district information for land inside Belmont town (county zoning)

  • County GIS website publishes zoning district information; the county standards table lists districts R1 Rural & Urban Fringe, R2 single family, R3, R4, R5 waterfront, A1 through A20, RL, REC, CON, C1 through C4, and IND.
  • District boundaries for individual parcels in Belmont were not opened.

  “please contact our office with any questions, or utilize our gis website for zoning district information.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific

  R1 Rural & Urban Fringe district land inside Belmont town (county zoning)

  • Minimum floor area for the R1 district is shown as 720 sq ft in the county table; the table footnote text reads as quoted, and its mapping to individual rows is not clearly legible in the source.
  • Seasonal dwellings have a lower minimum per the footnote.

  minimum floor area, year-round dwelling: 720 sq ft (footnote text; seasonal dwellings 400 sq ft)

  “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 — R2 single family district land inside Belmont town (county zoning)

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

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific

  R2 single family district land inside Belmont town (county zoning)

  • Minimum lot area and width as stated in the R2 row of the county table.

  minimum lot area, R2: 20000 sq ft · minimum lot width, R2: 100 ft

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

• SetbacksDistrict specific

  R2 single family district land inside Belmont town (county zoning)

  • R2 row: 10 ft side yard and 25 ft rear yard as shown in the table, with footnotes (b) and (l)(m) referenced; verify footnote mapping against the ordinance.
  • Water setback 75 ft from ordinary high water mark (ohwm) per table footnote.

  side yard, R2 (table value): 10 ft (table footnote (b) referenced; verify) · rear yard, R2 (table value): 25 ft (table footnote (b) referenced; verify)

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

• Building heightSpecified

  R1 Rural & Urban Fringe district land inside Belmont town (county zoning)

  • Table footnote states total building height 20 feet maximum; it is not clear which structures this applies to. Verify against the ordinance.

  maximum building height, R1: <= 35 ft (footnote text on accessory height is unclear)

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R2 single family district land inside Belmont town (county zoning)

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

• Living in an RVLimited

  Placing a camper for occupancy on land inside Belmont town under Portage County zoning

  • Camper placement is allowed only in the agricultural, conservancy and/or rural limited zoning districts; the county procedures say it is prohibited in other districts, which includes the R1 and R2 residential districts.
  • A zoning permit is required for placement of campers in those districts.
  • Seasonal camper permit fee is $50 per the county fee schedule.

  seasonal camper permit fee: 50 USD (asterisked fee; triple fee for work started before approval)

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

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping with a camper on land inside Belmont town under Portage County zoning

  • Same camper-placement rule as the RV occupancy claim: allowed only in agricultural, conservancy and/or rural limited districts; prohibited in other districts.
  • No separate temporary camping rule was found in the opened pages.

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater (septic) systems on land inside Belmont town, administered by Portage County On-Site Waste

  • Applies inside Belmont town because the county administers its private sewage system ordinance countywide; the county page does not name the town separately.

  “for decades, under state statute, the state of wisconsin has delegated the responsibility of regulation of powts (private onsite waste treatment systems) also known as septic systems, to wisconsin counties.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Newly installed septic systems inside Belmont town

  • Inspection applies to newly installed systems; the county page does not state the inspection timing or fee here.

  “administration of the private sewage system ordinance, including issuing sanitary permits for new septic systems. and inspection of newly installed systems.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Non-plumbing sanitation such as privies or outhouses on land inside Belmont town

  • Requires a non-plumbing sanitary permit from the county on-site waste program.
  • Systems with running water require a licensed plumber's sanitary permit application instead.

  “homeowners are allowed to apply for non-plumbing sanitary permits such as privies or outhouses.”

• Well permitRequired

  Private well construction inside Belmont town

  • A well notification number from the state Department of Natural Resources is required before construction, with a fee.

  “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 and culvert access inside Belmont town

  • Permit depends on the road owner: town roads through the town clerk; county roads through the Portage County highway department; state or federal highways through WisDOT.
  • Whether a driveway permit is needed is case-specific.

  “driveway and culvert permits may be required.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Structural changes to buildings in a floodplain inside Belmont town

  • Requires a county zoning permit; shoreland and floodplain areas are regulated by the county zoning ordinance.

  “structural changes to buildings in a floodplain”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  County zoning permit process for projects inside Belmont town

  • Zoning permit required for new homes, commercial/agricultural/industrial buildings, floor-area additions, signs, ponds, new accessory buildings of 100 sq ft or more, land use changes, floodplain structural changes, and soil disturbance over 1,000 sq ft.
  • Application due at least 2 weeks before construction start (footings, foundations, basements, slabs).
  • Site plan must show setbacks, septic tank, drainfield and well locations; property owner must stake the structure.
  • Stormwater plan review may be required; address assignment from the town clerk; UDC building permit from the town; driveway/culvert permits per road owner.

  “return the completed application to our office at least 2 weeks prior to the intended start of construction.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home built by the owner in Belmont town
• Inspections — Building inspections for new construction in Belmont town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Belmont town
• Local zoning — Whether Belmont town (Portage County) itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits for Belmont town land

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.