Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Germania, Wisconsin

Town of Germania’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Structures built, moved, or structurally altered inside Germania town under Shawano County general zoning.

  • A required land-use permit must be obtained before construction or relocation.
  • After-the-fact permits are charged a triple fee.
  • Other permits, including town permits and a Uniform Dwelling Code permit, may also be required.

  “a property owner must obtain a land use permit anytime a structure is to be built, moved, or structurally altered.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Germania, which is listed by Shawano County as under the county's general zoning jurisdiction.

  • The operative zoning authority is Shawano County rather than a separately identified Germania town zoning ordinance.
  • Parcel-specific district, shoreland, floodplain, and wetland conditions may apply.

  “towns under shawano county general zoning jurisdiction included: town of angelica town of aniwa town of birnamwood town of fairbanks town of germania”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Parcels inside Germania town under Shawano County general zoning.

  • A parcel's zoning can be viewed in the Shawano County GIS Viewer.
  • Permitted uses, setbacks, and other limits depend on the identified zoning district.

  “once we determine your zoning, we can then use the code of ordinances to determine what uses are acceptable in that specific zoning district.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures inside Germania town subject to Shawano County general zoning.

  • The applicable setback depends on the parcel's zoning district.
  • Shoreland and floodplain location can impose additional requirements.

  “also in the code of ordinances you can look up your specific zoning district to determine setbacks, and other zoning limitations:”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems inside Germania town.

  • County approval applies to buildings intended for human habitation or occupancy with inside plumbing that are not served by public sanitary sewer.
  • System type depends predominantly on site soils.

  “the shawano county planning & development department is responsible for the review and issuance of sanitary permits and inspection of all powts.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems serving qualifying buildings inside Germania town.

  • With few exceptions, all POWTS work must be performed by a properly licensed plumber with a valid permit.
  • Buildings with inside plumbing that are not served by public sanitary sewer require a County-approved POWTS.

  “with few exceptions, all work performed on a powts must be done by a properly licensed plumber with a valid permit.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems inside Germania town.

  • The County ordinance requires a maintenance program for all POWTS.
  • Maintenance includes specified pumping and visual-inspection or tank-inspection activities and must be recorded with the County.
  • Failure to complete and record service results in a $200 special charge on the next property-tax bill.

  special charge for unrecorded maintenance: 200 USD (added to the parcel's next property-tax bill)

  “the shawano county private on-site waste water treatment system ordinance requires a maintenance program for all private on-site wastewater treatment systems (powts).”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Hunting, fishing, and recreational structures inside Germania town using a privy or non-plumbing toilet.

  • A County privy permit or non-plumbing toilet permit is required.
  • For habitable or occupied buildings with inside plumbing that lack public sewer, a County-approved POWTS is required.

  “if you are building a hunting, fishing, recreational structure a privy permit or non-plumbing toilet permit is required from the county.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  A property inside Germania town that lacks an existing driveway and 911 address, or has an existing driveway but lacks a 911 address.

  • Contact the responsible town, County, or State agency for a driveway culvert permit.
  • An existing driveway does not eliminate the driveway-culvert permit requirement when no 911 address has been issued.

  “even if there is an existing driveway and no 911 address you will be required to get a driveway culvert permit from the appropriate town, county, or state contact to make sure they approve of the access point to have a 911 address issued.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development inside a mapped floodplain or floodway in Germania town.

  • Structures in a floodway are prohibited.
  • Floodplain construction may be possible depending on flood zone and appropriate measures such as floodproofing.
  • Depending on the flood zone, an H&H study by an engineer may be required.

  “building of structures in a flood way is prohibited, building in a floodplain may be possible depending on the zone, and if appropriate steps are followed such as flood proofing.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  County land-use permitting for work inside Germania town.

  • Submit the preliminary land-use application to the County department.
  • County staff review it and advise what permits and additional information are needed.
  • The applicant must provide the appropriate fee; appointments are preferred.

  land-use-permit duration: 12 months (may be renewed prior to expiration for an additional year)

  “upon issuance, a land use permit is in effect for 12 months. a land use permit may be renewed prior to expiration for an additional year.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Germania or Shawano County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built dwellings inside Germania town.
• Building code adopted — Residential construction inside Germania town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of newly constructed residential structures inside Germania town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Residential districts inside Germania town.
• Minimum lot size — Residential and agricultural districts inside Germania town.

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.