Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Buena Vista, Wisconsin

Rules another office applies inside Town of Buena Vista

Town of Buena Vista 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)

  One- and two-family dwellings and modular homes built on land inside Buena Vista town, under the state construction code in chapter SPS 320.

  • The code's stated purpose is uniform statewide construction standards; whether the town adopts it by its own ordinance was not verified.
  • Manufactured homes are covered by a separate purpose statement in SPS 320.01(2) and were not read.

  “the purpose of this code is to establish uniform statewide construction standards and inspection procedures for one- and 2-family dwellings and modular homes in accordance with the requirements of ss. 101.60 and 101.70, stats.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Buena Vista town (Portage County) outside incorporated cities and villages, where the county zoning ordinance applies. This is a Portage County rule administered by the county, not a town ordinance.

  • The ordinance applies to the area 'outside the limits of incorporated cities and villages' and names the Town of Buena Vista among the towns divided into use districts.
  • The passage names R2 single family residence, R1 rural and urban fringe residence, and A4 general agricultural districts among the 18 use districts; the per-district text was not read.
  • Whether the Town of Buena Vista has adopted its own zoning ordinance was not verified.

  use districts: 18 districts

  “including within the following towns: [...] Buena Vista [...] are hereby divided into 18 use districts, namely:”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater (septic) systems on land inside Buena Vista town. Portage County administers this under its Private Sewage System Ordinance; it is a countywide rule that applies inside the town.

  • Portage County's On-Site Waste Section handles sanitary permits and inspections for septic systems within the county's limits.
  • Town-level septic rules were not located.

  “delegated the responsibility of regulation of POWTS [...] to Wisconsin Counties.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New septic systems on land inside Buena Vista town, issued by Portage County under its Private Sewage System Ordinance.

  • Sanitary permit is for new septic systems; the county page does not give fee amounts or application steps.
  • Permit is administered by the county On-Site Waste Section, not the town.

  “issuing sanitary permits for new septic systems.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Newly installed septic systems on land inside Buena Vista town, inspected by Portage County.

  • The inspection duty is stated for newly installed systems; inspection frequency and failing-system orders are not covered in the excerpt.

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

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction on land inside Buena Vista town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home inside Buena Vista town
• Inspections — Building inspection for construction inside Buena Vista town
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificate for new homes inside Buena Vista town
• Local zoning — Whether Buena Vista town (Portage County) adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

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.