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

Town of Stark’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Stark town under the town's own Zoning Ordinance, Town of Stark, Vernon County, Wisconsin

  • Uses are allowed only as principal permitted uses listed for a district; uses not specifically permitted are prohibited in each district.
  • Conditional uses require review, a public hearing and approval by the town zoning committee.

  “2.05 site and use restrictions the following site and use restrictions and regulations shall apply: 1. all lots shall have access to a public road.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts established by the Town of Stark zoning ordinance

  • Districts named in the ordinance include residential (sec. 3.08), farmland preservation (sec. 3.09), business (sec. 3.10) and industrial (sec. 3.11).

  “3.09 farmland preservation district 1. purpose a. the intent of this district is to maintain highly productive agricultural lands in food and fiber production”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings in the farmland preservation zoning district (sec. 3.09) inside Stark town

  • The residential district (sec. 3.08) also sets a minimum dwelling size in the official text, but that passage could not be quoted cleanly and is not recorded as a claim here.

  minimum dwelling size: >= 300 sq ft living space

  “7. minimum dwelling size a. 300 sq. feet living space.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots on private sewer systems inside Stark town

  • Minimum lot size is set by each zoning district (residential, farmland preservation, business, industrial); where a district sets a larger minimum it controls.
  • Residential district lot-size text (sec. 3.08) and other district figures contain characters that prevented clean quotation; they are listed in the follow-up questions.

  “the lot area for uses requiring a private sewer system shall be determined in accordance with section h65 of the wisconsin administrative code unless the zoning district establishes a larger minimum lot size.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees charged by Stark town for construction inside the town

  • Fee amounts are as stated on the town FAQ page; the page gives no effective date.
  • Driveway permit fee and other zoning fees are not listed on this page.

  building permit fee, single-family dwelling: 100 USD · building permit fee, other buildings or additions: 50 USD

  “a permit for all other buildings or additions to other buildings is $50.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Stark

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  New single-family houses and certain additions in Stark town, under the state Uniform Dwelling Code

  • The town page calls the code state-mandated but does not name the administrative code chapter.

  “under the new state-mandated uniform dwelling code (udl), new single-family houses and certain additions to houses also need to be inspected.”

• InspectionsRequired

  New single-family houses and certain additions in Stark town; inspections are arranged by the town

  • The town has contracted with an inspection provider for these inspections; the provider is not named on the page.

  “the town of stark has contracted for these inspections to be made.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage systems on lots inside Stark town; approval is by the Vernon County sanitarian under the town zoning ordinance

  • The quoted criterion appears in the industrial district (sec. 3.11); the town's residential and business districts use the same county sanitarian approval criterion in the ordinance text, but that text could not be quoted cleanly.

  “11. sanitary criteria a. must be approved by county sanitarian.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit treatment in Stark town
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new construction inside Stark town
• Setbacks — Front, rear and side setbacks for structures inside Stark town
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits for structures inside Stark town
• Building height — Building height limits inside Stark 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.