Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Whitehall, Wisconsin

Whitehall’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, moving, enlarging or altering structures inside Whitehall city

  • Must also comply with the zoning ordinance and other local, county and state regulations
  • Permit expires within six months unless substantial work has commenced
  • Residential permits not requiring a unified dwelling code permit may be approved by the building/zoning inspector; others need property committee approval

  “no structure, land or water shall hereafter be used and no structure or part thereof shall hereafter be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted, or structurally altered without a building permit”

• Local zoningPresent

  All lands and waters inside Whitehall city limits

  • Adopted under Wis. Stat. 62.23; jurisdiction covers incorporated areas of the city

  “this ordinance shall be known as, referred to, or cited as the "zoning ordinance, city of whitehall, wisconsin."”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Whitehall city zoning districts

  • Districts: R-1, R-2 multi-family, B business, I-1, I-2, A agriculture, C conservancy; boundaries on the city zoning map

  “seven (7) zoning districts are (r-1) (r-2) (b) (i-1) (i-2) (a) (c)”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A Agriculture district, Whitehall city

  • Minimum lot width 160 ft; minimum lot depth 200 ft

  minimum lot area: >= 1 acre

  “minimum lot area: 1 acre b) minimum lot width: 160 feet c) minimum front yard: 30 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 Residential district, Whitehall city

    “minimum lot area: 8,000 square f eet. minimum lot width: 80 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  A Agriculture district, Whitehall city

  • Front yard 30 ft

  front yard: >= 30 feet · rear yard: >= 100 feet (all buildings) · side yard: >= 100 feet

  “d) minimum rear yard: 100 feet for all buildings e) minimum side yard: 100 feet f) minimum lot depth: 200 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 Residential district, Whitehall city

    “minimum front yard: 30 feet from street or alley right-ofway. d) minimum rear yard: 25 feet e) minimum side yards: 10 feet for each.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 and R-2 residential districts, Whitehall city

  • One principal dwelling and up to two accessory structures per lot

  maximum coverage by dwelling and accessory structures: <= 35 percent of lot area

  “there shall be not more than one (1) principal dwelling and two (2) accessory structures, including a private garage, in either residential district, and the principal dwelling and the accessory structures shall not cover more than 35% of the lot area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Residential district, Whitehall city

  • Whichever is less: 3 stories or 35 feet

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (or 3 stories, whichever is least)

  “g) maximum building height: 3 stories or 35 feet, whiche ver is least.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A Agriculture district, Whitehall city

    “f) minimum lot depth: 200 feet g) maximum building height: 35 feet”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  HUD-code manufactured homes as dwellings in R-1 district, Whitehall city

  • Mobile homes as defined (pre-HUD, towable units, travel trailers) are excluded from R-1 principal uses
  • Manufactured home must be installed per manufacturer instructions on an enclosed foundation
  • Mobile home parks need a conditional use permit in R-1

  “only one-family and two-family dwellings, including manufactured homes but not including mobile homes as herein defined.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions resulting in a subdivision inside Whitehall city and its extraterritorial plat approval area

  • Chapter 17.08 covers procedure, plats, design standards, required improvements

  “this ordinance applies to any division of land within the city or its extra-territorial plat approval jurisdiction which results in a subdivision as defined herein.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building permit fees inside Whitehall city

  • $2.00 minimum
  • 50 cents per $1,000 for construction cost over $10,000
  • New construction may require additional inspection fees set by the inspector and/or property committee
  • Ordinance text amended 2007; current fee schedule not checked

  building permit fee, first $10,000: per 1 USD per $1,000 of cost ($2 minimum)

  “c) fees: the fees for building permits shall be $1.00 for every $1,000 or part thereof of the cost of the proposed building project, water project, or land use alteration where a permit is required up to the first $10,000.00 of construction cost ($2.00 minimum), and 50¢ per $1,000.00 or part thereof of the cost of the proposed building project, water project, or land alteration for projects over $10,000.00 of construction cost.”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit applications inside Whitehall city

  • Application forms furnished by the city clerk with site sketch
  • Permit posted on premises during construction

  decision deadline: <= 30 days

  “applications for a building permit shall be made in duplicate to the building/zoning inspector on forms furnished by the city clerk”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Whitehall city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Whitehall city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Whitehall city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Whitehall city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Whitehall city

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.