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

Town of Farmington’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Farmington town's limits (Washington County, WI); the town administers its own zoning code, not the county's.

  • The zoning code text on the town's site is the 'Town of Farmington Zoning Code adopted October 18, 2005', with amendment footnotes dated 2007, 2014 and 2015.
  • The town's ordinances page also lists 'ord no 2025-02 amending sections of zoning code' and 'ord no 2026-02 amending article j'; those amendments were not opened and may change the text cited here.
  • Zoning districts are RD, CE, AG, CD, ID and PUD (overlay), per sec. 13-1-40.

  “for the purpose of this chapter, the town of farmington is hereby divided into the following six (6) zoning districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Farmington town (RD, CE, AG, CD, ID, PUD overlay)

  • The zoning map is adopted by reference and available in the town clerk's office, per sec. 13-1-41(a).
  • The town site also lists a 'current zoning map' and a 'future land use map'; the map files were not opened.
  • Ordinance text is the 2005 code with later amendments; check ordinance 2025-02.

  “(1) rd residential district (2) ce country estate residential district (3) ag agricultural district (4) cd commercial district (5) id industrial district (6) pud planned unit developments (overlay district)”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings in the AG Agricultural District of Farmington town

  • Two-story minimum is 1,400 sq ft with a first-floor minimum of 800 sq ft; bi-level minimum is cut off in the captured text.

  total floor area, one-story dwelling: >= 1200 square feet · total floor area, two-story dwelling: >= 1400 square feet

  “1. total floor area of a dwelling: a. one (1) story: one thousand two hundred (1,200) square feet. b. two (2) story: one thousand four hundred (1,400) square feet; first floor minimum eight hundred (800) square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  One-family lots in the RD Residential District of Farmington town

  • Lot size depends on creation date: the 40,000 sq ft figure applies to parcels created before the code's adoption date (October 18, 2005); parcels created after that date need 1.5 acres.
  • Frontage: dwellings must abut a public highway with at least 66 ft of frontage.
  • Lot width is measured at the building setback line.

  minimum lot area, parcels created before 2005-10-18: >= 40000 square feet (parcels created prior to the adoption date of this ordinance) · minimum lot area, parcels created after 2005-10-18: >= 1.5 acres · minimum average lot width: >= 125 feet

  “the minimum lot area for one-family units shall be forty thousand (40,000) square feet for parcels created prior to the adoption date of this ordinance, and one and a half (1½) acre parcels created after the adoption date of this ordinance.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — One-family lots in the AG Agricultural District of Farmington town

    “the minimum lot area for one-family units shall be forty thousand (40,000) square feet for parcels created prior to the adoption date of this ordinance, and five (5) acre parcels created after the adoption date of this ordinance.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Dwellings and accessory buildings in the AG Agricultural District of Farmington town (side and rear yards only)

  • Front yard requirement for the AG district was not found in the captured text.
  • Highway setbacks for farm dwellings and structures are governed by sec. 13-1-24, not read.
  • Agricultural accessory buildings of 864 sq ft or less: 5 ft side and rear; over 864 sq ft: 25 ft side and rear.

  side and rear yard, dwelling: >= 25 feet · side and rear yard, agricultural accessory building 864 sq ft or less: >= 5 feet

  “the minimum side and rear yards for dwellings shall be twenty-five (25) feet from the nearest lot lines.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Industrial (ID) district in Farmington town only; not the residential or agricultural districts

  • Applies to principal and accessory buildings in the ID district.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 50 percent

  “(3) maximum coverage. the amount of the total lot area which may be covered by all principal and accessory buildings shall not exceed fifty percent (50%).”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured single-family dwellings in the RD Residential District of Farmington town; does not apply to mobile homes

  • Mobile homes are excluded from single-family dwellings in the RD district; manufactured homes are included in the definition of single-family dwelling.
  • The manufactured home must comply with all listed requirements and limitations in sec. 13-1-42(b)(2); only the opening clause was captured and the sub-items (a. onward) were not read.
  • Ordinance text is the 2005 code with later amendments; check ordinance 2025-02.

  “single-family dwellings, excluding all mobile homes; for purposes of this chapter manufactured homes are included in the definition of single-family dwelling.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New dwellings and structures inside Farmington town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Farmington town
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for new construction inside Farmington town
• Inspections — Inspections of new construction inside Farmington town
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new dwellings inside Farmington 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.