Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Merrimac, Wisconsin

Village of Merrimac’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New 1 and 2 family, commercial, agricultural and accessory buildings, additions, alterations and major equipment/electrical/HVAC/plumbing work inside Merrimac village

  • Permit issued by the municipal building inspector.
  • Violations: forfeiture of $25 to $1,000 per day of non-compliance plus costs.

  “no owner or contractor may commence construction of any building or mechanical system prior to obtaining a valid permit from the municipal building inspector.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building construction inside Merrimac village

  • Adopts Wis. Admin. Code chs. SPS 302.31, 305, 316, 320-325, 327, 361-366, 375-379 and 381-387 (including Uniform Dwelling Code, electrical, plumbing, commercial building code).
  • Village adopted certified municipality status under SPS 361.60 for commercial plan review and inspection.

  “the following chapters of the wisconsin administrative code, as well as all subsequent revisions, are adopted by the municipality and shall be enforced by the building inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Merrimac village limits (Chapter 185, Zoning)

  • Village zoning ordinance is Chapter 185 with 13 articles including districts, conditional uses, nonconforming uses, administration and appeals.

  “article iii zoning districts districts established 9 zoning map 10 interpretation of district boundaries 11 r-1 single-family residential district 12 r-2 single- and two-family residential district 13 r-3 multifamily residential district 14”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Merrimac village

  • District sections are listed on the village ordinances page; the zoning map itself and the full district text were not opened.
  • A wellhead protection area overlay district (185-21a) was added in 2022.

  “r-1 single-family residential district 12 r-2 single- and two-family residential district 13 r-3 multifamily residential district 14 b-1 general business district 15 b-2 commercial district 16 b-3 business park district 17 i-1 industrial district 18 a-1 agricultural district 19 c-1 conservancy district 20 f-1 floodplain district 21”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Vacation rental (short-term rental) establishments inside Merrimac village

  • Allowed by conditional use only in R-1, R-2, R-3, A-1, B-1 and B-2 districts.
  • Must provide state tourist rooming house license, one off-street parking stall per guest bedroom, local manager within 25 miles, minimum 1 night stay.
  • Permit non-transferable; room tax of 7% of gross receipts applies, effective October 1, 2021.
  • Maximum occupants: state licensed number or two per bedroom plus two, whichever is less.

  room tax: 7 percent of gross receipts

  “vacation rental establishments may be permitted only by conditional use in the following districts:”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building permit fees inside Merrimac village

  • Fee schedule approved May 12, 2020; the permits page links a 2025 fee schedule PDF whose amounts were not opened.
  • Resident fee includes a 25% village surcharge on the building inspector's charge.

  village surcharge on inspector fees: 25 percent

  “the village has an additional fee of 25% to cover our costs; therefore, the total fee paid by the resident appears under "fees."”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Merrimac village
• Inspections — Inspections of construction inside Merrimac village
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates inside Merrimac village
• Minimum dwelling size — R-1 and A-1 districts inside Merrimac village
• Minimum lot size — R-1 and A-1 districts inside Merrimac village

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.