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

Town of Hudson’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Town of Hudson limits (St. Croix County, WI) under the Town's own zoning ordinance, Chapter 105 of the Town code.

  • Land is zoned into eight district types under Chapter 105, Article II; the zoning map that assigns each parcel was not opened.
  • The adoption ordinance and administration clauses were not located in the text read; a search snippet reported Ord. No. 2021-2 but this was not verified on an official page.

  “for the purpose of general zoning, there are created eight types of districts.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning district types for land inside Town of Hudson limits

  • Eight district types are listed in § 105-6: residence, agricultural, agricultural/residential, conservancy, commercial, industrial, commercial/light industrial, and planned unit development.
  • The district map itself was not opened, so parcel-level district assignment is not confirmed.

  “the district types are: a. residence district. b. agricultural district. c. agricultural/residential district.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Every dwelling erected in the Town of Hudson (all zoning districts)

  • Applies per family dwelling unit.
  • The minimum is measured by floor area, and the section states one-story and two-story minimums separately (§ 105-7b).

  minimum floor area, one-story dwelling: >= 720 square feet (Per family dwelling.) · minimum floor area, two-story dwelling: >= 1000 square feet (Per family dwelling.)

  “every dwelling hereafter erected in the town of hudson shall provide for not less than 720 square feet of floor area for a one-story building for each family dwelling therein, nor less than 1,000 square feet of floor area for a two-story building for each family dwelling therein.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Main buildings in the Town of Hudson Agricultural District (§ 105-9)

  • Front yard setback not located in the text read; highway setbacks apply to corner lots (§ 105-9e(1)).
  • Agricultural warehouses, shops and storage yards must be at least 100 feet from the nearest boundary of any lot used for the same purpose (§ 105-9h).
  • Narrow-lot rule for lots under 80 feet wide of record applies as in § 105-9e(2).

  aggregate side yards, main building: >= 25 feet (Narrow-lot rule in § 105-9e(2).) · minimum single side yard, main building: >= 10 feet (Narrow-lot rule in § 105-9e(2).) · rear yard, main building: >= 25 feet (Accessory buildings: 3 feet minimum (§ 105-9f).)

  “the aggregate width of the side yards for the main building shall not be less than 25 feet and no single side yard shall be less than 10 feet wide”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Main buildings in the Town of Hudson Residence District (§ 105-8)

    “the aggregate width of the side yards for the main building shall not be less than 25 feet and no single side yard shall be less than 10 feet wide”

  • Specified — Main buildings in the Town of Hudson Agricultural/Residential District (§ 105-10)

    “the aggregate width of the side yards for the main building shall not be less than 25 feet and no single side yard shall be less than 10 feet wide”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Accessory buildings (not part of the main building) in Town of Hudson zoning districts, measured against the required rear yard only. This is not a whole-lot coverage percentage.

  • No general lot-coverage (percent of lot) limit was located in the text read (Article II).
  • Accessory building height is also capped at 35 feet (§ 105-7d).

  accessory buildings footprint as share of required rear yard: <= 30 percent (Applies to accessory buildings not part of the main building.)

  “accessory buildings which are not a part of the main building shall not occupy more than 30% of the area of the required rear yard and shall not be more than 35 feet in height.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the Town of Hudson Residence District (§ 105-8)

  • Residential buildings may be raised by up to 10 feet or one story if every required yard is increased by one foot for each foot of height above the 35-foot limit (§ 105-8d).
  • Churches, schools and other public and quasi-public buildings may reach 60 feet or five stories if yards are increased (§ 105-7e(1)).
  • Chimneys, towers, silos, barns, farm structures, and mechanical appurtenances are excepted from height limits (§ 105-7e(2)).

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (Residential buildings may add up to 10 feet or one story with increased yards; churches and public buildings up to 60 feet.)

  “no building shall be more than 35 feet in height, with height measurements commencing at the level of the lowest usable floor (basement or ground story); provided, however, that residential buildings may be increased in height by not more than 10 feet or one story when all yards and other required open spaces are increased in width by one foot for each foot in height by which such building exceeds the normal height limit of the district.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings used for human habitation in the Town of Hudson Agricultural District (§ 105-9)

    “no building used for human habitation shall be more than 35 feet in height, with height measurements commencing at the level of the lowest usable floor (basement or ground story)”

  • Specified — Buildings used for human habitation in the Town of Hudson Agricultural/Residential District (§ 105-10)

    “no building used for human habitation shall be more than 35 feet in height, with height measurements commencing at the level of the lowest usable floor (basement or ground story)”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile home parks in the Town of Hudson Agricultural/Residential District only, by special exception

  • Allowed only as a special exception approved by the Town board under § 105-33 (cross-referenced in § 105-10g(3)).
  • Subject to the Town mobile home ordinance adopted February 7, 1972, adopted by reference (text not opened; Chapter 59 Mobile Homes and Mobile Home Parks is listed in the Town TOC).
  • The read text does not address a single manufactured home on an individual lot; that question is open.

  “(g) mobile home parks, subject to the provisions of the town mobile home ordinance adopted february 7, 1972, which is adopted herein by reference.”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Accessory buildings (private garages and other buildings incidental to residential use) in the Town of Hudson Residence District

  • Accessory buildings may not be used as a separate dwelling unit (§ 105-8b(5)).
  • Attached or other accessory-dwelling forms in other districts were not located in the text read.

  “accessory buildings, including private garages and buildings clearly incidental to the residential use of the property; provided, however, that no accessory building may be used as a separate dwelling unit.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creation of lots by major or minor subdivision or certified survey inside Town of Hudson limits

  • Lots must have sufficient area to satisfy town setback, sanitary and zoning requirements (§ 90-6c).
  • Major subdivision = five or more lots; minor subdivision or certified survey map = four or fewer lots (§ 90-4, per search snippet, not verified).
  • St. Croix County Chapter 13 Land Division Ordinance also applies per search snippet; not opened.

  “c. minimum lot size standards. the size, shape and orientation of all lots shall be appropriate to the uses intended and shall contain sufficient area to satisfy all town setback and sanitary requirements”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Hudson

Town of Hudson does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems (POWTS) and other non-plumbing sanitation inside Town of Hudson limits, administered by the St. Croix County Community Development Department

  • Chapter 12 Sanitary Ordinance, effective June 4, 2024, applies to the whole county outside federal and state land.
  • No Town of Hudson septic ordinance or delegation to a town sanitary district was located in the text read.

  “this ordinance applies to the entire geographical area of st. croix county except on land owned by the federal and state government.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit for new construction inside Town of Hudson limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for Town of Hudson residential construction
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for construction inside Town of Hudson limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Town of Hudson limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Town of Hudson limits

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.