Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Bear Creek, Wisconsin

Town of Bear Creek’s own rules

• Building permitLimited

  Construction inside Bear Creek town: the town itself does not issue building permits

  • The town site says residents should contact its building inspector to learn whether a permit is needed; it does not state the permit thresholds.
  • The town page does not name the agency that issues building permits; whether the county or a state agency does is unconfirmed.
  • Waupaca County issues land use permits for structures on a property for more than 30 calendar days in a year (see the permit process claim); that is separate from a building permit.

  “*** No building permits are issued from the township*** Please contact our building inspector to see if a permit is needed”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Bear Creek

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

• Zoning districtsPublished

  County Chapter 34 zoning districts applying to land inside Bear Creek town where no town zoning was found

  • Chapter 34 lists base districts including rr-o, sr, and other rural districts in its Section 4.0 table.
  • Applicability to the town depends on whether the town has adopted its own zoning, which was not confirmed.

  “Each town within which this Zoning Ordinance applies has adopted the Ordinance independently of one another and generally on different dates, as follows: Town Date Bear Creek June 15, 2010”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Rural residential overlay (rr-o) district lots inside Bear Creek town where county Chapter 34 applies (no town zoning found)

  • Applies only if the parcel is in the rr-o district; lots in shoreland areas are subject to chapter 32 minimum lot sizes (table note 1).
  • Table note 7: minimum lot sizes are measured exclusive of the road right-of-way.
  • Column labels in the extracted table text are garbled; the 2 acre and 100 ft values are read from the rr-o row.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acre (Shoreland lots follow chapter 32) · minimum lot width: >= 100 ft

  “rr-o rural residential - overlay 2 acre 100 ft 15 ft 35 ft”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Sewered residential (sr) district lots, which apply only where sewered; Bear Creek town rural land is not confirmed to be in an sr district

    “sr sewered residential 20,000 sf 100 ft 10 ft 35 ft”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Rural residential overlay (rr-o) district structures inside Bear Creek town where county Chapter 34 applies

  • The 15 ft value sits in the row between lot width and height; the extracted table does not clearly label which yard it governs. Confirm in the Section 4.0 table and Section 2.8 before relying on it.
  • Highway setbacks follow Section 2.8, which was not opened.

  setback (15 ft column, yard not confirmed): >= 15 ft (Highway setback per section 2.8 governs where greater)

  “rr-o rural residential - overlay 2 acre 100 ft 15 ft 35 ft”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Sewered residential (sr) district structures, applicable only where sewered

    “sr sewered residential 20,000 sf 100 ft 10 ft 35 ft”

• Building heightSpecified

  Rural residential overlay (rr-o) district structures inside Bear Creek town where county Chapter 34 applies

  • Table column header reads maximum building height; the value is read from the rr-o row.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft

  “rr-o rural residential - overlay 2 acre 100 ft 15 ft 35 ft”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Sewered residential (sr) district structures, applicable only where sewered

    “sr sewered residential 20,000 sf 100 ft 10 ft 35 ft”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private on-site wastewater (septic) systems on land inside Bear Creek town, administered by Waupaca County Planning and Zoning Office under state code

  • The county page says the office inspects installations for compliance to state codes, so state rules also apply.
  • The county's sanitary ordinance text was not opened; the county's 2012 sanitary ordinance (Chapter 35) was seen only in search results.

  “The Planning and Zoning Office issues all Sanitary Permits for the County and inspects all system installations for compliance to State codes.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Installation and periodic maintenance inspection of private septic systems on land inside Bear Creek town

  • Installation: the county inspects all system installations for compliance to state codes.
  • Maintenance: septic tanks must be inspected at least every three years and pumped when needed; the county mails forms three years after the last service.
  • Maintenance fee on the county page is $10 per year per septic tank set.

  maintenance inspection interval: <= 3 years (and pumped when needed)

  “Septic tanks must be inspected at least every three years and pumped when needed.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creating new lots or land divisions on land inside Bear Creek town

  • The county subdivision ordinance (Chapter 37) governs; its thresholds were not opened.
  • The county reviews all land divisions for compliance with the county subdivision ordinance.

  “Reviews all land divisions to make sure they are compliant with the Waupaca County Subdivision Ordinance”

• Permit feesPublished

  Zoning, land use and sanitary permit fees for land inside Bear Creek town

  • The county says its fee schedule increased effective January 1, 2026; the fee amounts sit in a linked 2026 fee schedule document that was not opened.
  • Septic maintenance fee is $10 per year per septic tank set (septic page).

  “NOTE: Effective January 1, 2026, the Planning and Zoning Office fee schedule will be increasing. Please see the document below for fees.”

• Permit processPartial

  Land use permits for structures on land inside Bear Creek town

  • Land use permit is required for structures on a property more than 30 calendar days in a year, per the county page.
  • The county page says Dupont, Fremont and Harrison issue their own land use permits for properties not in shoreland areas; Bear Creek is not named there.
  • The county page lists online application forms; the application steps were not opened.

  “Issues Land Use Permits for all structures that will be on your property for more than 30 calendar days in a year (Dupont, Fremont and Harrison issue their own Land Use Permits for properties not in shoreland areas.)”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Bear Creek town
• Building code adopted — Building code that governs one- and two-family dwellings inside Bear Creek town
• Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Bear Creek town
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new homes inside Bear Creek town
• Local zoning — Land inside Bear Creek town, Waupaca County, WI: whether the town adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance

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.