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

Town of Plover’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New dwellings built inside the Town of Plover; a separate Portage County zoning permit is also required (see permit_process claim)

  • Construction may proceed only after the UDC building permit is issued by the town.
  • The county contact sheet names Mike Bembenek as the Plover town building inspector; the town's current building inspector page names Ximena Christianson. Confirm the current office before filing.

  “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.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — Permit intake for the Town of Plover: the town's building inspector contact is the town office, not a county office

    “building inspector ximena christianson contact information: phone: 715-540-6321 (office)”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway or culvert connections inside the Town of Plover, depending on the road owner

  • Town roads: contact the town clerk.
  • County roads: contact the Portage County Highway Department.
  • State or federal highways: contact Wisconsin DOT.

  “driveway and culvert permits may be required.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Plover

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

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning district map and district list for land inside the Town of Plover under Portage County zoning

  • The county procedures direct applicants to the county's GIS website for zoning district information; the town site also links a current zoning map.

  “utilize our gis website for zoning district information”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R1 Rural and Urban Fringe district land inside the Town of Plover under Portage County zoning

  • Minimum lot width 200 ft.
  • Footnote (g) and (b) apply; the extraction does not show their full text, so verify in the ordinance.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acres

  “zoning setbacks, area and height requirements for towns under portage county zoning ordinance min floor min lot area min lot min side area (sq ft) (sq ft) width (ft) yard (ft) 720 (g) 2 acres 200 25 (b)”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R2 Single Family district land inside the Town of Plover under Portage County zoning

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

  • Specified — RL Rural Limited district land inside the Town of Plover under Portage County zoning

    “rl rural limited 35 720 10 acres (n) 200 25 (b) 25 (b) unlimited”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R2 Single Family district land inside the Town of Plover under Portage County zoning

  • Side yard 10 ft and rear yard 25 ft, each marked (b) in the table; footnote (b) text is partly misaligned in the extraction, so verify the exact abutting-residential conditions in the ordinance.
  • Detached accessory structures may be 6 feet in the rear yard (table footnote).

  minimum side yard: >= 10 ft (footnote (b)) · minimum rear yard: >= 25 ft (footnote (b))

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

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings and structures near water inside the Town of Plover under Portage County zoning

    “water: 75 feet from the ordinary high water mark (ohwm)”

  • Specified — Septic tank and drainfield placement on land inside the Town of Plover under Portage County zoning

    “Drainfield (5 feet from a property line)”

• Building heightSpecified

  R1 Rural and Urban Fringe district land inside the Town of Plover under Portage County zoning

  • Footnote (a) applies; its text is not clearly legible in the extraction. A footnote in the table reads 'total building height 20 feet maximum', which may apply to a specific case; verify.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (footnote (a))

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R2 Single Family district land inside the Town of Plover under Portage 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 or RV for use on private land inside the Town of Plover

  • Camper placement needs a county zoning permit in agricultural, conservancy and/or rural limited zoning districts.
  • Camper placement is prohibited in other zoning districts.

  “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 the Town of Plover that is not served by public sewer

  • Wisconsin counties regulate private onsite wastewater treatment systems under state statute, and Portage County administers its Private Sewage System Ordinance through the On-Site Waste Section.
  • Commercial buildings must have state approval for building and onsite waste treatment systems before a county sanitary permit issues; this is the state-level step for commercial work.

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

• Septic permitRequired

  New homes and additions inside the Town of Plover that increase bedrooms or disrupt the existing building sewer line

  • A sanitary permit must be issued before the zoning permit for these projects.
  • A licensed plumber must submit the sanitary permit application for any septic system with running water.
  • Homeowners may apply for non-plumbing sanitary permits such as privies or outhouses.

  “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.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Newly installed private septic systems inside the Town of Plover

  • The county inspects newly installed systems and enforces its ordinance and state codes.

  “and inspection of newly installed systems. enforcement of portage county's private sewage system ordinance and applicable state codes”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Non-plumbing sanitation (privies or outhouses) on land inside the Town of Plover

  • Only non-plumbing sanitary permits are open to homeowners; a septic system with running water requires a licensed plumber's application.
  • Non-plumbing permits go through the same county sanitary permit process.

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

• Well permitRequired

  Private water wells built inside the Town of Plover

  • The well installer or the Wisconsin DNR must obtain a well notification number before construction, and the associated fee must be paid.

  “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.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Structural changes to buildings in a mapped floodplain inside the Town of Plover

  • A county zoning permit is required for structural changes to buildings in a floodplain; the county procedures list this as a permit trigger.

  “structural changes to buildings in a floodplain”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit process for new homes and other listed projects inside the Town of Plover; the UDC building permit is a separate town process

  • Return the completed zoning permit application at least 2 weeks before construction starts; construction start includes footings, foundations, basements and slab work.
  • Attach a site drawing with lot dimensions, building location and setbacks, and distances to the road, water, well, and septic tank and drainfield.
  • Stormwater review may also be required case by case.
  • Get a property address from the town clerk before the zoning permit for a new lot.

  “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 Plover or Portage County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside the Town of Plover
• Inspections — Inspections for new construction inside the Town of Plover
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates for new homes inside the Town of Plover
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits on land inside the Town of Plover
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside the Town of Plover

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.