Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Chimney Rock, Wisconsin

Rules another office applies inside Town of Chimney Rock

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

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of a dwelling or other structure on land inside Chimney Rock town, where the Trempealeau County Department of Land Management issues the combined land use and uniform building permit

  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued; the permit is subject to the listed conditions of approval.
  • The town or city must sign a municipality acknowledgement on every permit before it is presented and paid at the county office.
  • The form lists 'issuing jurisdiction' as Trempealeau County and a 'zoning approval' line, so county zoning approval is part of the permit.
  • Permit fees are not refundable.

  “* required for all permits – must be signed by town or city official prior to presentation and payment at the county office.”

• Owner-builder exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Owner-occupants building their own dwelling on land inside Chimney Rock town without a dwelling contractor certification

  • The applicant must be or will be an owner-occupant of the dwelling.
  • Without a dwelling contractor certification the owner must check the owner-occupancy statement on the form.
  • Owners who hire a contractor who is not bonded or insured face the consequences stated in the form's cautionary statement.

  “i vouch that i am or will be an owner-occupant of this dwelling for which i am applying for an erosion control or construction permit without a dwelling contractor certification”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Structures on lots inside Chimney Rock town, per the setback table on the Trempealeau County land use permit form; the form does not name a zoning district, so district-specific limits are not established

  • The table's layout in the captured text is not clearly aligned, so the side and rear yard figures are taken from the minimum values printed in the table.
  • The form states the minimum setback required applies 'whichever is greater' for the listed row values.
  • The form lists road setbacks by highway class and a stream setback measured from the ordinary high water mark.
  • Whether the county zoning ordinance text sets these same numbers for Chimney Rock town is not verified.

  side yard lot line setback: >= 10 feet (minimum) · rear yard lot line setback: >= 10 feet (minimum) · stream setback: >= 75 feet from ordinary high water mark · state highway setback: >= 110 feet from centerline (or 50 feet from right of way) · county highway setback: >= 75 feet from centerline (or 42 feet from right of way) · township road setback: >= 63 feet from centerline (or 30 feet from right of way)

  “110’ from centerline or 50’ from right of way 75’ from centerline or 42’ from right of way 63’ from centerline or 30’ from right of way 75’ from ordinary high water mark minimum 10 feet minimum 10 feet”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation of a private on-site wastewater treatment system (septic system) on land inside Chimney Rock town; the sanitary permit is issued by the governmental unit responsible for private on-site systems, whose identity for this town is not verified

  • The sanitary permit is issued by the governmental unit responsible for regulating private on-site systems, after it approves or disapproves the application under department rules.
  • A sanitary permit is valid for 2 years from the date of issue and renewable.
  • The sanitary permit may be transferred to a subsequent owner of the land, but the subsequent owner must obtain a new copy from the issuing agent.

  “no person may purchase or install a private on-site wastewater treatment system unless the owner of the property on which the private on-site wastewater treatment system is to be installed holds a valid sanitary permit issued under this section.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private on-site wastewater treatment systems installed on land inside Chimney Rock town; the inspecting body is the governmental unit responsible for private on-site systems, whose identity for this town is not verified

  • Inspection is required after construction but before backfilling, no later than the end of the next workday (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) after notice from the plumber in charge.
  • Inspection duties are imposed on the governmental unit responsible for private on-site systems by Wis. Stat. 145.20(2)(d).

  “inspect all private on-site wastewater treatment systems after construction but before backfilling no later than the end of the next workday, excluding saturdays, sundays and holidays, after receiving notice from the plumber in charge.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Sanitary permits for private on-site wastewater treatment systems on land inside Chimney Rock town; the governmental unit that sets the local fee is not verified

  • The local governing body may set a sanitary permit fee above the state rule amount.
  • A governmental unit may not charge more than one sanitary permit fee in any 12-month period.
  • The $25 groundwater fee is in addition to the sanitary permit fee under sub. (2).

  groundwater fee per sanitary permit: 25 USD (in addition to the sanitary permit fee)

  “the governmental unit responsible for the regulation of private on-site wastewater treatment systems shall collect a groundwater fee of $25 for each sanitary permit.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building and land use permit process for land inside Chimney Rock town, as shown on the Trempealeau County Department of Land Management form

  • The form shows the application is submitted to the county Department of Land Management, with a town or city signature, county zoning approval, and a state permit seal number.
  • The form does not set out a complete step-by-step process, fee schedule, or review timeline; those remain unverified.
  • Permit fees are not refundable.

  “trempealeau county land use and uniform building permit application trempealeau co. dept. of land management 18600 hobson st., whitehall, wi 54773 (715)538-1916”

Still unanswered

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

• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for a new dwelling inside Chimney Rock town
• Local zoning — Whether the Town of Chimney Rock itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance for land inside the town
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts applicable to land inside Chimney Rock town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for the main single-family residential district inside Chimney Rock town
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size for the main single-family residential and agricultural districts inside Chimney Rock 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.