Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Stevens Point’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Stevens Point city limits

  • Annexed territory automatically becomes part of the R-1 district until the Plan Commission and Common Council adopt definite districts.

  “the city of stevens point, wisconsin is hereby divided into classes or districts. the use, height and area regulations are uniform in each class or district”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Stevens Point city

  • Districts include C, R-LD, R-1 to R-5, B-1 to B-5, M-1, M-2, U-1, PD and overlays.

  “"c" conservancy "r-ld" low density "r-1" suburban single family residential "r-2" single family residential "r-3" single and two family residential”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 suburban single family residence district inside Stevens Point city

  • Irregular lots due to street layout need 100 ft minimum at front building line

  minimum lot area: >= 16500 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 105 ft (100 ft at front building line for irregular lots)

  “minimum 16,500 s.f. minimum 105' (lots of irregular shape due to street layout shall be a minimum of 100' at front bldg. line)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 single family residence district inside Stevens Point city

    “1 fam./unit 1 unit/lot provided lot is 8,000 sq.ft. 60 ft., 80 ft. for corner lots”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-2 single family residence district inside Stevens Point city

  • Side yard applies to buildings not over 2 1/2 stories
  • Street and rear setback figures not extracted due to ambiguous table layout

  side yard total of both sides: >= 20 ft (one side not less than 8 ft)

  “20 ft. total of both sides, one side not less than 8' for buildings not over 2 ½ stories”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots with an accessory dwelling or commercial unit inside Stevens Point city

  • Limit stated only for ACU/ADU construction; district-wide coverage limits not located

  maximum impervious lot coverage with ADU: <= 60 percent

  “no construction of an acu or adu shall result in an impervious lot coverage ratio exceeding 60% of the total lot area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-2 single family residence district inside Stevens Point city

  • R-1 height not extracted because table columns were ambiguous

  maximum structure height: <= 35 ft (nor over 2 1/2 stories)

  “80 ft. for corner lots not over 35' nor over 2 ½ stories”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units in R-LD, R-1 to R-5 districts inside Stevens Point city

  • Conditional use approval required
  • Must meet principal-structure setbacks and sit at least 10 feet from other structures
  • Lot must meet minimum single-family lot area; R-3 lots need 10,000 sq ft
  • Impervious coverage may not exceed 60%
  • Minimum size per Ch. 21.08; maximum per Ch. 30 detached accessory structure rules

  minimum lot size, R-3 ADU: >= 10000 sq ft

  “acus and adus shall be a conditional use in the r-ld, r-1, r-2, r-3, r-4 and r-5 zoning districts.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits inside Stevens Point city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Stevens Point city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Stevens Point city
• Inspections — Building inspection inside Stevens Point city
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates inside Stevens Point city

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.