Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Baraboo, Wisconsin

Baraboo’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, enlarging, altering, moving or demolishing buildings inside Baraboo city

  • Permit obtained from the city building inspector.
  • Fees per the city's official fee schedule.

  “until a permit therefore shall first have been obtained by the owner, or his authorized agent, from the building inspector.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Baraboo city; city adopts state Uniform Dwelling Code by reference

  • Also adopts state flammable/combustible liquids code (ATCP 93) and state well drilling code (NR 812).

  “the uniform dwelling code - department of safety and professional services (dsps) chs. 316, 320 through 325, 360 through 366, and 375 through 387, the state flammable combustible, and hazardous liquids code - agriculture, trade, and consumer protection (atcp) ch. 93, and the state well drilling code - natural resources (nr) 812 of the wisconsin administrative code are hereby adopted by reference and the building inspector shall enforce the pro”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings under construction inside Baraboo city

  • Structural portions must be approved by the building inspector before being covered.

  “no structural portion of any part of any building or structure shall be covered or concealed in any manner whatsoever without having the approval of the building inspector.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New, converted or enlarged buildings inside Baraboo city

  • Issued after inspection of structure, plumbing, wiring and fire hazards, with no violations pending.
  • Certificate must be posted on the premises.

  “no building or structure shall be occupied or used, in whole or in part, until a certificate of 10. fences 11. signs/canopy 12. park fees. see also §17.50 14-4 occupancy shall have been issued by the building inspector and posted on the premises;”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Baraboo city limits (Chapter 17 General Zoning of the city code)

  • Chapter 14 charges the city department of building inspection with enforcing the zoning code.

  “the department of building inspection shall be responsible for the supervision of the plumbing, electrical and building codes of the city, the safety inspection of all premises including structures and appurtenances located thereon, and the enforcement of the zoning code.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts in Baraboo city

  • Full district list not reviewed; only some residential district text read.

  “this district is for medium-density residential use. it is appropriate to use this district as a transitional land use between low- and highdensity residential districts, and residential and commercial districts.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family residential district in Chapter 17 with an 8,500 sq ft minimum lot (district name not captured)

  • District label not identified.

  minimum lot area: 8500 square feet · minimum lot width: 75 feet

  “(5) lot size requirements. (a) minimum lot area: 8,500 square feet. (b) minimum lot width: 75 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Residential district in Chapter 17 with a 12,500 sq ft minimum lot (district name not captured in the excerpt)

    “(5) lot size requirements. (a) minimum lot area: 12,500 square feet. (e) parks or playgrounds. (b) minimum lot width: minimum 100 feet.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Building where public sewer/water are not available inside Baraboo city

  • Applies only where sewer and/or water are not available.
  • Issuing body not identified in the text quoted.

  “if sewer and/or water are not available, no permit shall be issued until a well and/or a septic tank or holding tank permit has been issued.”

• Well permitRequired

  Building where public water is not available inside Baraboo city

  • Applies only where sewer and/or water are not available.

  “if sewer and/or water are not available, no permit shall be issued until a well and/or a septic tank or holding tank permit has been issued.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New buildings inside Baraboo city

  • Certificate of occupancy withheld until sewer and water are available to the property; where not available, a well and/or septic or holding tank permit is needed first.
  • Exact mandatory-connection distance rule (Chapter 13) not reviewed.

  “a certificate of occupancy shall not be issued until such utilities are available to service the property.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Baraboo city
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family districts inside Baraboo city
• Lot coverage — Residential districts inside Baraboo city
• Building height — Residential districts inside Baraboo city
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Baraboo 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.