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

Town of Jackson’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Structures located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, or structurally altered inside Jackson town.

  • A zoning permit is required unless an exception in § 2.04 applies.
  • The permit application must contain the information applicable under § 2.03.
  • The zoning administrator grants or denies the permit in writing within 60 days; the permit is good for one year and may be extended through the stated process.

  zoning permit decision period: <= 60 days · zoning permit duration: 1 year (May be extended upon application and personal appearance with completion plans before the Town Park and Planning Commission.)

  “No structure shall hereafter be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, or structurally altered until after having secured a zoning permit from the Town Zoning Administrator, unless otherwise excepted pursuant to Section 2.04 of Title X.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Zoning permits and zoning compliance for land and structures inside Jackson town.

  • The ordinance expressly requires an onsite inspection in connection with issuance of Title X permits.
  • The source does not establish a complete construction-code inspection schedule.

  “The Zoning Administrator shall issue, after onsite inspection, all permits required by Title X and shall maintain records of all permits issued.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy or use of vacant land, buildings, or premises inside Jackson town where § 2.04 applies.

  • The certificate must be issued by the zoning administrator.
  • It must be applied for at the time of occupancy of land or a building.
  • It applies to the enumerated erection, alteration, movement, use-change, and nonconforming-use circumstances.

  “No vacant land shall be occupied or used; and no building or premises shall be erected, altered, moved or create change in use; and no nonconforming use shall be continued by a new owner, renewed, changed, or extended until a certificate of compliance shall have been issued by the Zoning Administrator.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Jackson town.

  • District boundaries are established on the Town of Jackson Zoning Map, which accompanies Title X.
  • The certified zoning map is available to the public in the Town Clerk's office.

  “For the purpose of Title X, the Town of Jackson is hereby divided into the following 15 Zoning Districts:”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds in the A-1 Agricultural District and P-1 Park and Recreation District inside Jackson town.

  • Campgrounds are conditional uses.
  • Adequate sewage disposal and restroom facilities are required.
  • Property boundaries must be clearly marked.
  • Individual campsites must be at least 200 feet from property boundaries.
  • Fire-hazard provisions and emergency-vehicle access are required.

  minimum campsite distance from property boundary: >= 200 feet

  “Subject to the provisions of subsection 2, campgrounds are conditional uses which may be permitted in the following districts: A-1 Agricultural District P-1 Park and Recreation District”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile-home parks in the R-3 Multi-Family Residential District inside Jackson town.

  • A mobile-home park is a conditional use in R-3.
  • The park must be at least 10 acres and 330 feet wide.
  • There must be at least six mobile-home sites per acre and 20 percent open space exclusive of streets.
  • Single-module sites must be at least 5,000 square feet and 50 feet wide; double-module sites must be at least 6,000 square feet and 60 feet wide.
  • No mobile-home site may be rented for less than 30 days.

  minimum mobile-home park size: >= 10 acres · minimum mobile-home park width: >= 330 feet · minimum rental period: >= 30 days

  “Mobile Home Parks in the R-3 Residential District provided that: (1) Minimum park size shall be 10 acres. (2) Minimum park width shall be 330 feet. (3) Minimum number of mobile home sites shall be six (6) per acre.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land division inside Jackson town.

  • The Town identifies Title XI as its Land Division Ordinance; the detailed substantive requirements were not extracted.

  “Title XI Land Division Ordinance March 2020”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Direct access from property inside Jackson town to controlled-access roads or expressways.

  • Permission must be obtained from the highway agency with access-control jurisdiction.
  • No direct access is allowed to expressways or controlled-access arterial streets without that permission.

  “No direct private access shall be permitted to the existing or proposed rights-of-way of expressways, nor to any controlled access arterial street without permission from the highway agency that has access control jurisdiction.”

• Permit processPartial

  Town building and zoning applications inside Jackson town.

  • Applications may be sent to town hall, dropped at the clerk's office, or placed in the drop box.
  • The page separately provides building, heating and air, plumbing, electrical, planning, conditional-use, and zoning-variance application links.

  “Please send applications to the town hall at 3146 Division Road, Jackson, WI 53037. You may also drop off applications in the clerk's office or use the drop box outside the door.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Jackson

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Farm or other residential dwellings in the A-1 Agricultural/Rural Residential District inside Jackson town.

  • Multi-story dwellings must also have a minimum first-floor area of 1,000 square feet.

  minimum floor area, one-story dwelling: >= 1200 square feet · minimum floor area, multi-story dwelling: >= 1800 square feet · minimum first-floor area, multi-story dwelling: >= 1000 square feet

  “The total minimum floor area of a farm dwelling or other residential dwelling shall be 1,200 square feet for a one-story dwelling and 1,800 square feet for a multi-story dwelling. Multi-story dwellings shall have a minimum first floor area of 1,000 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Jackson town.

    “The total minimum floor area of a dwelling shall be 1,200 square feet for a one-story dwelling and 1,800 square feet for a multi-story dwelling. Multi-story dwellings shall have a minimum first floor area of 1,000 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Jackson town.

  • Corner lots must be at least 175 feet wide.
  • The Town Park and Planning Commission may require a clustered residential development under § 4.06(L) instead.

  minimum lot area: >= 60000 square feet · minimum lot width: >= 150 feet (Corner lots: 175 feet.)

  “Lots shall have a minimum area of 60,000 square feet and shall be not less than 150 feet in width. Corner lots shall be a minimum of 175 feet in width.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Parcels in the A-1 Agricultural/Rural Residential District inside Jackson town.

    “Parcels shall have a minimum area of five (5) acres and shall be not less than 330 feet in width.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal structures in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Jackson town.

  • The 100-foot-from-centerline or 42-foot-from-right-of-way street-yard rule applies to unplatted lots.
  • The 75-foot-from-centerline street-yard rule applies to lots in a platted subdivision.
  • A 75-foot shore yard applies from the highwater elevation of navigable water.

  minimum single side yard: >= 10 feet · minimum aggregate side yards: >= 25 feet · minimum rear yard: >= 50 feet

  “There shall be a side yard on each side of all principal structures. The minimum single side yard shall be 10 feet and there shall be an aggregate side yard of not less than 25 feet. There shall be a rear yard of not less than 50 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Structures in the A-1 Agricultural/Rural Residential District inside Jackson town.

    “A minimum street yard (setback) of 100 feet from the road centerline or 42 feet from the road right-of-way, whichever is greater, right-of-way shall be required. A minimum shore yard of 75 feet from the highwater elevation of any navigable water shall be required. There shall be a side yard on each side of all structures not less than 25 feet in width.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Jackson town.

  • Accessory buildings have a separate 15-foot height limit and 864-square-foot area limit.

  maximum principal-building height: <= 35 feet · maximum accessory-building height: <= 15 feet

  “No building or parts of. a principal building shall exceed 35 feet in height.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Farm and residential buildings in the A-1 Agricultural/Rural Residential District inside Jackson town.

    “No farm building or farm related building shall exceed 50 feet in height. No farm dwelling or other residential dwelling shall exceed 35 feet in height.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private on-site wastewater treatment systems serving property inside Jackson town.

  • For a zoning permit where municipal sewerage service is unavailable, the town requires a copy of the Washington County permit for an on-site soil absorption sewage-disposal system.
  • Certain POWTS require state approval before the county sanitary-permit application.

  “This plan shall include a copy of the permit issued by the Washington County Land Use and Parks Department for the installation of an on-site soil absorption sanitary sewage disposal system, or other appropriate means of waste disposal.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation or repair of a septic system serving property inside Jackson town.

  • The owner must obtain a Washington County Sanitary Permit.
  • A Master Plumber or Master Plumber-Restricted Sewer is responsible for obtaining the permit and for installation or repair.
  • The application requires an application, site plan, site evaluation, and system design.
  • Certain POWTS require state approval before application to the county.

  “Activities relating to the installation or repair of septic systems requires the owner of the property to obtain a Washington County Sanitary Permit.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  POWTS installed in Jackson town under a Washington County sanitary permit.

  • County inspections ensure installation complies with state codes.

  “A Washington County Land Use Inspector will ensure that the POWTS is installed in compliance with state codes through a series of inspections.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Jackson town.
• Building code adopted — Building-code adoption for construction inside Jackson town.
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Jackson town.
• Living in an RV — Residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside Jackson town.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Jackson 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.