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

Village of Baldwin’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New buildings, additions, alterations inside Baldwin village

  • Permit issued by the village building inspector.
  • No permit required for minor repairs and alterations costing less than $2,000 that do not change occupancy, area, structural strength, fire protection, exits, light or ventilation, or for roof surface replacement.
  • No residential permit issued until sewer, water, grading and graveling are installed in the streets serving the property.

  minor repair exemption: < 2000 USD (must not change occupancy, area, structural strength, fire protection, exits, natural light or ventilation)

  “no new building or structure, or any part thereof, shall hereafter be erected, or ground broken for the same, or enlarged, altered, moved, demolished, razed or used within the village, except as herein provided, until a permit therefor shall first have been obtained by the owner, or his/her authorized agent, from the building inspector or his/her designee.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Baldwin village

  • Also adopts SPS 375-379 for buildings constructed prior to 1914.
  • Chapter does not apply to children's play structures and agricultural buildings.

  “the following wisconsin administrative codes and subsequent revisions are adopted for municipal enforcement: [1] (a) chapters sps 320 to sps 325, uniform dwelling code.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Baldwin village, St. Croix County, WI

  • Ordinance text has amendments through December 11, 2023; the PDF contains some Michigan/Lake County template language.

  “for this ordinance, the village of baldwin is hereby divided into the following zoning districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District, Baldwin village

  • Duplex: 750 sq ft per unit; minimum dwelling width 24 feet.

  minimum gross floor area single-family: >= 720 sq ft (exclusive of basements, garages, porches, breezeways; 720 sq ft on first floor)

  “every single-family dwelling shall have a minimum gross finished floor area of not less than seven hundred twenty (720) square feet, exclusive of basements, garages, porches, and breezeways with a minimum 720 square feet gross floor area on the first floor.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-2 Single-Family Residential District, Baldwin village

    “every single-family dwelling shall have a minimum gross finished floor area of not less than one thousand (1,000) square feet exclusive of basements, garages, porches, and breezeways with a minimum 700 square feet gross floor area on the first floor.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District, Baldwin village

  • Minimum frontage 50 feet single-family, 100 feet duplex.
  • Subject to variance by the zoning board of appeals.

  minimum lot area single-family: >= 15000 sq ft · minimum lot area duplex: >= 20000 sq ft

  “1) minimum lot area: no single-family dwelling shall be established on any parcel less than 15,000 square feet in size/no duplex shall be established on any parcel less than 20,000 square feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District, Baldwin village

  • Subject to general provisions and variances.

  front setback: >= 30 feet · side setback: >= 10 feet · rear setback: >= 35 feet

  “3) setbacks: a) front: thirty (30) feet from right-of-way. b) side: ten (10) feet. c) rear: thirty-five (35) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Single-Family Residential District, Baldwin village

    “3) setbacks: a) front: thirty (30) feet from right-of-way. for corner lots, the setback facing the street shall be twenty (20) feet. b) side: ten (10) feet. c) rear: fifty (50) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District, Baldwin village

  maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

  “5) maximum lot coverage: thirty (30) percent”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Single-Family Residential District, Baldwin village

    “5) maximum lot coverage: forty (40) percent”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District, Baldwin village

  • Measured from average finished grade.

  maximum height: <= 35 feet

  “4) maximum height: no principal or accessory building or structure shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height from the average finished grade.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 Single-Family Residential District, Baldwin village

    “4) maximum height: no structure shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height from the average finished grade or 2 ½ stories.”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit applications inside Baldwin village

  • Two complete sets of plans, plot plan and erosion control plan are required with the application.

  “application for a building permit shall be made in writing upon a form furnished by the building inspector or his/her designee”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Baldwin village
• Inspections — Construction inside Baldwin village
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new buildings inside Baldwin village
• Camping on your land — Camping inside Baldwin village
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Baldwin 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.