Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Hillsboro, Wisconsin

Hillsboro’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction inside Hillsboro city

  • Not required for replacement of same size doors and windows, storm windows, minor repairs, flooring, or private sidewalks.
  • Fees can be doubled and a stop work order posted if work proceeds without a permit.

  “ordinances and state statutes require building permits. if you do not get a building permit when required the fees can be legally doubled, a stop work order will be posted and you could be fined for every day the work is not in compliance.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Hillsboro city (Vernon County), Title 13 Chapter 1 zoning ordinance

  • Annexed land is placed in the R-5 rural development district unless the annexation ordinance temporarily places it in another district.

  “for the purpose of this chapter, the city of hillsboro is hereby divided into the following fourteen (14) zoning districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Hillsboro city zoning districts

  • Districts: R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, CON, C-1, C-2, I-1, L-1, P-1, PUD, A-1 and MW overlay.
  • Zoning map is available in the office of the city clerk.

  “(1) r-1 single-family residential district (low density) (2) r-2 single-family residential district (medium density) (3) r-3 two-family residential district (4) r-4 multiple-family residential district (5) r-5 rural development district (6) con conservancy district (7) c-1 general commercial district (8) c-2 highway commercial district (9) i-1 industrial/commercial district (10) l-1 light industrial/institutional district (11) p-1 general park district (12) pud planned unit development (13) a-1 agricultural district (14) mw municipal well recharge area overlay district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Hillsboro city

  • Principal structures also need minimum width of each side 20 feet.

  minimum building dimensions: >= 1200 sq ft

  “(4) building dimensions. minimum one thousand two hundred (1,200) square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-5 rural development district inside Hillsboro city

    “c. building area: 1. the total floor area of a dwelling shall be not less than one thousand six hundred (1,600) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  A-1 agricultural district inside Hillsboro city

  • Source text reads 'seven thousand (7,000) feet' without 'square'.

  minimum lot area: >= 7000 feet (as written) · minimum width: >= 70 feet

  “a. width: minimum seventy (70) feet. b. area: minimum seven thousand (7,000) feet.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district inside Hillsboro city

    “(1) lot area. a. minimum ten thousand (10,000) square feet. b. width: minimum ninety (90) feet.”

  • Specified — R-5 rural development district inside Hillsboro city (default district for annexed land)

    “a. area: lots shall be a minimum of five (5) acres in area and shall be not less than one hundred twenty-five (125) feet in width at front setback.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Hillsboro city

  street yard: >= 25 feet · rear yard: >= 25 feet · side yard each side: >= 7 feet

  “a. street: minimum twenty-five (25) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-5 rural development district inside Hillsboro city

  • No lot coverage limit found for R-1 in the section read.

  maximum building coverage: <= 35 percent

  “2. building coverage on the lot shall not exceed thirty-five percent (35%) of the total lot area.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Hillsboro city

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “(2) building height. maximum thirty-five (35) feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes in the R-1 district inside Hillsboro city

  • Must be on approved foundation, no wheels, foundation siding, roof pitch minimum 2:12 with nonreflective cover, pitched roof with overhanging eaves.
  • Mobile homes excluded from single-family dwellings in R-1; mobile home parks are conditional in R-4.

  minimum width: >= 24 feet · minimum length: >= 36 feet

  “(2) manufactured homes complying with all of the following requirements and limitations: a. the home shall be at least twenty-four (24) feet in width and thirty-six (36) feet in length.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Installing or modifying private driveways inside Hillsboro city

  • Driveway permits are handled through the zoning administrator (city administrator).

  “installing and modifying private driveways on your property”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals inside Hillsboro city

  • Requires state tourist rooming house license, pre-inspection, state seller's permit, room tax filing and insurance.
  • Operating without municipal or state license can result in fines.

  “obtain a state of wisconsin tourist rooming house license have a pre-inspection completed obtain a state of wisconsin department of revenue sellers permit file room tax information with all required parties obtain insurance for the property”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Hillsboro city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Hillsboro city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Hillsboro city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Hillsboro city
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Hillsboro 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.