Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Burlington, Wisconsin

Burlington’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building, enlarging, altering, demolishing or moving buildings inside Burlington city

  • Permit from the building inspector, with fee per the city fee schedule
  • Permit also required for heating, air conditioning, occupancy, reroofing and re-siding
  • No permit issued until sewer and water facilities and a road meeting city standards are shown

  “no building or structure, or any part thereof, shall hereafter be built, enlarged, altered or demolished within the city or moved into, within or out of the city except as hereinafter provided, unless a permit therefor shall first be obtained by the owner or his agent from the building inspector.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  One- and two-family dwellings inside Burlington city

  • Applies also to alterations and additions to dwellings built before the UDC

  “the wisconsin uniform dwelling code, chapters sps 320 through 327, and all amendments thereto, are hereby made a part of this code by reference and shall apply to all one- and two-family dwellings and alterations and additions thereto.”

• InspectionsRequired

  New buildings, additions and alterations inside Burlington city

  • Final inspection by the building inspector; other inspection stages are in § 115-13 (not quoted)

  “the building inspector shall make a final inspection of all new buildings, additions and alterations.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New buildings, additions and alterations inside Burlington city

  • Issued only if the final inspection finds no violation of the chapter or any other ordinance
  • Occupancy must match the use stated in the certificate

  “no building, or part thereof, shall be occupied until such final inspection or certificate has been issued, nor shall any building be occupied in any manner which conflicts with the conditions set forth in the certificate of occupancy.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Burlington city limits (Racine County)

  • Zoning map is kept at the city clerk's office

  “for the purpose of this chapter, the city of burlington is hereby divided into the following 24 basic zoning districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Burlington city zoning districts

  • Plus overlay districts (floodplain, shoreland wetland, historic, PUD, wellhead protection)

  basic zoning districts: 24 districts

  “for the purpose of this chapter, the city of burlington is hereby divided into the following 24 basic zoning districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  A-1 Agricultural/Holding District, Burlington city

  • Applies to farm dwellings and other residential structures in A-1
  • RS-1 minimum dwelling size not found

  minimum dwelling area: >= 800 sq ft · maximum building height: <= 60 ft

  “no farm dwelling or other residential structure shall be less than 800 square feet in area.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A-1 Agricultural/Holding District, Burlington city

  • Five-acre minimum applies to farm structures; 40,000 sq ft applies to accessory farm dwellings and existing residential structures

  farm parcel area: >= 5 acres · farm parcel width: >= 300 ft · farm dwelling lot area: >= 40000 sq ft · farm dwelling lot width: >= 120 ft

  “accessory farm dwellings, existing residential structures, and farm dwellings remaining after the consolidation of existing farms shall provide a lot area of not less than 40,000 square feet and a lot width of not less than 120 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — RS-1 Single-Family Residence District, Burlington city

    “lots shall be a minimum of 14,000 square feet in area and shall be not less than 80 feet in width.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  RS-1 Single-Family Residence District, Burlington city

  • Article VI has additional setback provisions not reviewed

  street yard: >= 25 ft · side yard each side: >= 8 ft · side yards total: >= 20 ft · rear yard: >= 25 ft

  “a minimum street yard of 25 feet from the right-of-way of all public streets shall be required.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 Agricultural/Holding District, Burlington city

    “there shall be a minimum building setback of 25 feet from the street right-of-way.”

• Building heightSpecified

  A-1 Agricultural/Holding District, Burlington city

  • Article VI has additional height provisions not reviewed

  maximum building height: <= 60 ft

  “no building or parts of a building shall exceed 60 feet in height.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — RS-1 Single-Family Residence District, Burlington city

    “no building or parts of a building shall exceed 35 feet in height.”

• Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

  New buildings needing a building permit inside Burlington city

  • Building inspector must be satisfied sewer and water facilities meet state law and city ordinances
  • No distance or availability threshold is stated in the quoted section

  “no building permit shall be issued under any circumstances until the building inspector is satisfied that the party desiring the permit has sewer and water facilities in accordance with the laws of the state and the ordinances of the city and that the same will be utilized by the applicant and the building which he/she desires to build will be connected with such utilities.”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permits inside Burlington city

  • Permit issued by the building inspector
  • Building permits expire 24 months after issuance if a new dwelling's exterior is not completed

  “the building permit shall expire 24 months after issuance if the dwelling exterior has not been completed.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Burlington or Racine County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Burlington city
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage in Burlington city districts
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Burlington city
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Burlington city
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Burlington 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.