Building permits, zoning and septic in Village of Sturtevant, Wisconsin

At a glance

Building permits

Required for new homes; start with the village office¹²

Zoning

Village zoning ordinance applies³

Septic permits

Racine County Development Services; sanitary approval before building on an unsewered parcel⁴

RV living

Floodplain and campground restrictions confirmed; ordinary-lot occupancy remains unconfirmed⁵

Owner-builder

Owner who occupies or will occupy the home may take out UDC construction and erosion-control permits⁶

Private wells

Advance DNR notification required for a new private well that is not high capacity⁷

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Village of Sturtevant, WI?

New homes in Sturtevant require a building permit under Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code, and construction begins only after plans are approved and the building permit is issued and posted.¹ The UDC is enforced in all Wisconsin municipalities for covered homes.⁸

An owner who currently occupies the home or will occupy it after completion may take out the construction and erosion-control permits under the state owner-builder allowance.⁶ That allowance concerns who applies: Sturtevant home construction still needs the required building permit and phase inspections.¹⁹

Who handles building permits and inspections in Village of Sturtevant?

Start with Village of Sturtevant Building Inspection & Permits: building permit materials are available on the village website or at the office at 2801 89th Street.² The village lists SafeBuilt for building inspection services and gives the inspection phone as (262) 346-4575.²

Sturtevant’s inspection page requires 24-hour notice and says next-day service is possible if you call by 4 p.m.² The village forms page lists building, electrical, HVAC and plumbing permit forms, together with site-plan review and conditional-use applications.¹⁰ Ask the building office which application packet fits your project and how to reach the village zoning administrator.

Does Village of Sturtevant have zoning, lot-size and setback rules?

Sturtevant has a village zoning ordinance with a table of permitted and conditional uses by zoning district.³ The village publishes residential, commercial, industrial and governmental/institutional district designations.¹¹ Start a parcel review by asking the village zoning administrator to identify the zoning district and whether the proposed home or accessory use is permitted or needs conditional-use approval.

We could not confirm Sturtevant’s district-specific minimum lot sizes, setbacks, minimum dwelling sizes or accessory-dwelling permissions; ask the village zoning administrator for the applicable dimensional schedule before buying. The village publishes site-plan review, conditional-use and zoning-change applications.¹⁰

How do septic permits work inside Village of Sturtevant?

Racine County Development Services issues private onsite wastewater treatment system sanitary permits for the entire county, including Sturtevant; a sanitary permit comes before a zoning/building permit for an unsewered parcel.⁴ Contact the county sanitary permit counter at 262-886-8440 or [email protected], at 14200 Washington Avenue, Sturtevant, WI 53177.¹²

POWTS construction and installation inspections must follow the plan-review conditional approval letter; contact the agency that issued the sanitary permit.¹³ Wisconsin also requires visual septic-system inspections at least every 3 years.¹⁴ We could not confirm a general village water/sewer connection rule; ask the village about utility service before planning private sanitation.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Village of Sturtevant?

Sturtevant’s confirmed RV restrictions concern flood-fringe areas and campgrounds; we could not confirm permission to occupy an RV as a residence on an ordinary village lot.⁵ In a flood fringe, the village rule requires a stay shorter than 180 consecutive days and either a fully licensed vehicle ready for highway use or compliance with specified elevation and anchoring requirements.⁵

We could not confirm Sturtevant’s tiny-home occupancy rules or which districts allow an accessory dwelling. Ask the village zoning administrator about the proposed structure, parcel and intended occupancy before treating an RV or small building as housing. A new home covered by the UDC still needs a building permit.¹

Building a home in Village of Sturtevant: what are the steps?

1. Ask the village zoning administrator to identify the parcel’s district and the permitted or conditional-use route for the proposed home.³
2. Confirm village water and sewer availability; for an unsewered parcel, obtain the Racine County sanitary permit before zoning/building permit issuance.⁴
3. Obtain the village building permit packet and prepare the listed application, erosion-control, compliance and homeowner cautionary forms.¹⁰
4. Submit the required UDC forms, fees, plans and prerequisite approvals to the municipality or authorized inspection agency; begin construction after plan approval and building permit issuance and posting.¹⁵¹
5. Arrange phase inspections before covering work, and take occupancy after a final inspection finds no major health or safety violations.⁹¹⁶

What should you check before buying land in Village of Sturtevant?

For a proposed private well in Sturtevant that is not high capacity, Wisconsin requires advance DNR notification; we could not confirm whether the village allows a private well at a particular address.⁷ Ask the village about public utility service and local approval before arranging well construction. If access would connect directly to a state highway, a new connection requires a WisDOT permit.¹⁷

Racine County’s soil rating is countywide: only 2.3% of soils are rated not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so a private system needs a site evaluation and may need an engineered design; the rating does not mean septic is impossible.¹⁸ For land outside village limits, consult the Racine County guide.

Watch-outs

• Sturtevant’s floodplain RV restrictions do not establish permission for residential RV occupancy on an ordinary village lot; ask the village zoning administrator about your intended use.⁵
• An unsewered Sturtevant parcel needs Racine County sanitary approval before a zoning/building permit can be issued.⁴

Sources

1. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
2. Village of Sturtevant Building Inspection & Permits (sturtevant-wi.gov)
3. Code of Ordinances, Chapter 17, Sec. 17.50, Permitted uses and conditional uses (Village of Sturtevant), quoted and re-checked
4. Racine County Development Services (racinecounty.gov)
5. Code of Ordinances, Chapter 20, Sec. 20.85, Development in flood fringe area (Village of Sturtevant), quoted and re-checked
6. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Well and heat exchange notification (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. One- & Two-Family (Uniform Dwelling Code) (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Village of Sturtevant Building Permit Forms (sturtevant-wi.gov)
11. Code of Ordinances, Chapter 17, Sec. 17.50, Permitted uses and conditional uses (Village of Sturtevant), quoted and re-checked
12. Racine County Development Services — Ives Grove Office Complex (racinecounty.gov)
13. Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (POWTS), quoted and re-checked
14. Wisconsin Maintenance Program (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. Wisconsin Administrative Code SPS 320.09 (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. State highway connection permits (driveways & more) (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.