Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Pine Grove, Wisconsin

Town of Pine Grove’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New dwellings inside Pine Grove town; the town's UDC building inspector (Benjamin Grimm, (715) 305-8814 per county contact sheet) issues the permit

  • Permit may also be required for other improvements.
  • A zoning permit (county) is separate and is not a building permit.
  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.

  “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.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Pine Grove

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

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Land inside Pine Grove town that lies within shoreland or floodplain areas: Portage County zoning permit applies there. Not a finding that Pine Grove has its own zoning ordinance.

  • The county procedures document says the county zoning permit applies to Pine Grove residents only where the project is within shoreland or floodplain areas.
  • The same document lists the towns where a county zoning permit is needed for any project (Alban, Almond, Amherst, Belmont, Buena Vista, Carson, Dewey, Eau Pleine, Hull, Lanark, Linwood, New Hope, Plover, Sharon, Stockton). Pine Grove is not on that list; this omission is an inference, not an explicit statement.
  • When a county zoning permit is required in these areas it covers construction of new homes, additions that increase floor area, placement of campers in agricultural, conservancy and/or rural limited zoning districts, accessory buildings of 100 square feet or more, and soil disturbance greater than 1,000 square feet including driveways.
  • A separate stormwater review may be required case by case.

  accessory building size requiring county zoning permit: >= 100 square feet (accessory building under 100 square feet is exempt if it meets setbacks, yard and open space requirements) · soil disturbance requiring county zoning permit: > 1000 square feet (includes driveways)

  “residents of the towns of grant and pine grove will also need a portage county zoning permit if their project is located within shoreland or floodplain areas.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater (septic) systems on land inside Pine Grove town, administered by Portage County On-Site Waste under the county private sewage system ordinance

  • The county says state law has delegated POWTS regulation to Wisconsin counties.
  • The county's ordinance is Chapter 7.9, Portage County Private Sewage System Ordinance, applying with Wisconsin SPS 383 (per county on-site waste page).

  “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 on land inside Pine Grove town

  • The inspection duty stated is for newly installed systems; inspection requirements for existing systems are a separate monitoring duty.

  “and inspection of newly installed systems.”

• Permit processPartial

  County zoning permit process for projects in Pine Grove town shoreland or floodplain areas; UDC, sanitary and well steps are handled by other bodies

  • Apply at least two weeks before construction starts (footings, foundations, basements and slab work count as construction start).
  • Attach a site drawing with setbacks and stake the structure for verification.
  • Separate stormwater plan review may apply; call the office first.

  application lead time before construction: >= 2 weeks

  “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 Pine Grove or Portage County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home built by the owner inside Pine Grove town
• Inspections — Building inspections for new construction inside Pine Grove town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Pine Grove town
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts for land inside Pine Grove town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Pine Grove 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.