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

Town of Fremont’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building, plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning work inside the Town of Fremont.

  • Fees must be paid before issuance.
  • The ordinance allows the Building Inspector to authorize minor repairs or alterations valued below $50 without a permit if they do not change occupancy, area, structural strength, fire protection, exits, light, or ventilation.
  • A permit lapses if work is not commenced within six months of issuance.

  plan-waiver threshold: <= 2000 USD (Building Inspector may waive plans for alterations, repairs, or moving if the character of the work is sufficiently described in the application.)

  “No building, plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilating or air-conditioning work shall be performed in the Town of Fremont unless a permit therefore is obtained as required by the provisions of this chapter.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Existing and proposed buildings and structures inside the Town of Fremont.

  • Ordinary repairs are excepted as defined in § 4.03.
  • Matters otherwise provided for by other ordinances or statutes are excepted.

  “These regulations shall be known as the Town Building Code.”

• InspectionsRequired

  New buildings and alterations inside the Town of Fremont subject to the Town Building Code.

  • Builder must notify the Building Inspector when ready.
  • The listed inspections are foundation-form/before foundation, lath-and-plaster/before paneling, and final inspection.

  “After completion the Building Inspector shall make a final inspection of all new buildings and alterations.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New buildings inside the Town of Fremont.

  • Commercial, industrial, and multifamily buildings additionally require Fire Department approval.
  • A partial certificate may be issued before full completion if the portion can safely be occupied.
  • The Building Official must issue a certificate within 10 days after written application when a building or structure is entitled to it.

  “No building hereafter erected shall be used or occupied in whole or in part until the certificate of use and occupancy shall have been issued by the Building Official or designees.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lots created through subdivisions outside a sanitary district inside the Town of Fremont.

  • Applies to subdivisions, not as a general minimum for every existing residential parcel.
  • A subdivision of four or more lots providing central sewage or other Town-acceptable alternative individual treatment systems may create lots no smaller than one acre.
  • Applicable zoning and other laws may impose additional requirements.

  minimum lot size outside sanitary district: >= 4 acres (Except for specified subdivisions of four or more lots with central sewage or Town-acceptable alternative individual treatment systems; then no lot smaller than one acre.)

  “Minimum Lot size out of a sanitary District shall not be less than 4 Acres except as follows:”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailers and recreational vehicles on residential and vacant parcels inside the Town of Fremont.

  • One travel trailer may be parked in an accessory private garage/building or in a driveway of an existing residential unit, but living quarters may not be maintained more than 30 days in a calendar year and no business may be conducted.
  • Parking an occupied or unoccupied travel trailer on a vacant parcel for more than 30 days in a calendar year requires a conditional-use permit.
  • Special short-term events require a permit from the Zoning Administrator and public-health sanitarian upon compatibility and public-health, safety, and welfare findings.

  residential-unit living-quarters limit: <= 30 days per calendar year (Applies to one travel trailer parked in an accessory private garage or building, or in a driveway of an existing residential unit.)

  “The parking of only one travel trailer in an accessory private garage or building, or in a driveway of an existing residential unit, is permitted, provided no living quarters shall be maintained in excess of 30 days during the calendar year, and further provided no business is conducted there.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Recreational and tourist camps inside the Town of Fremont.

  • A Town license is required before operating a recreational or tourist camp.
  • Town zoning and Waupaca County Shoreland Zoning restrictions apply.
  • Patron occupancy may not exceed 30 consecutive days or 60 days in one license year.
  • The camp may not be used as a permanent or semipermanent habitation place.

  maximum patron occupancy: <= 30 consecutive days (Also limited to 60 days in one license year.)

  “That the period of occupancy of any patron of said camp shall not exceed 30 consecutive days or sixty days in one license year.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes inside the Town of Fremont.

  • Occupied or occupancy-available mobile homes are generally limited to a manufactured/mobile-home community or secondary farm residence.
  • Temporary emergency placement following destruction of a legally established residence may continue only during reconstruction and no longer than 24 months.
  • Existing nonpark mobile homes on the ordinance's effective date may remain subject to stated conditions.

  emergency reconstruction placement: <= 24 months (When a legally established residential structure is rendered uninhabitable by fire, wind, flooding, or other calamity.)

  “No person shall keep or locate a mobile home upon any lot or parcel in the Town at any time when such mobile home is occupied or available for occupancy, except in a manufactured/mobile home community or as a secondary farm residence.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and subdivisions inside the Town of Fremont.

  • The ordinance does not apply to transfers by will or court order, leases of 10 years or less, mortgages, easements, and specified adjoining-owner exchanges that do not create additional lots or reduce resulting lots below applicable minimum size.
  • A subdivision includes division creating three or more parcels or building sites of four acres or less, successive divisions within five years, or creation of a street longer than 150 feet.

  subdivision triggering parcel count: >= 3 parcels or building sites (When any is four acres or less, including successive division within five years; also triggered by a street over 150 feet.)

  “The jurisdiction of this chapter shall include all lands within the Town of Fremont.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Subdivision development on floodable land inside the Town of Fremont.

  • Applies where floodplains are determined and delineated on an applicable zoning map or by the Plan Commission from available sources.
  • Platting must provide sufficient area for private disposal systems and locate the lowest floor two feet above normal high-water line.
  • The ordinance refers to the Waupaca County Floodplain and Shoreline Ordinance.

  lowest floor elevation above normal high-water line: >= 2 feet (For floodplains determined and delineated on an applicable zoning map or by the Plan Commission from available sources.)

  “If floodplains have been determined and are delineated on an applicable zoning map, or as determined by the Plan Commission from sources available to it, the subject platting shall be designated accordingly so that all building sites have sufficient area for the efficient operation of a private disposal system and so that the lowest floor level of a building shall be 2 feet above the normal high water line.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Town building permits.

  • Building permit fees are indicated on Appendix A Fee Schedule as adopted by the Town Board.
  • Escrow fees are likewise indicated on the fee schedule.
  • The actual dollar schedule was not established in the opened ordinance text.

  “The fees for building permits shall be as indicated on the Appendix A Fee Schedule as adopted by the Town Board”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Town land-use permits for construction or substantial changes of use.

  • Ordinary upkeep and maintenance and signs are listed land-use-permit exceptions, though signs must comply with applicable regulations.
  • Parcel compliance with the Town Subdivision Ordinance is required.
  • When applicable, sanitary-permit issuance is a precondition of land-use-permit issuance.
  • Fees are doubled if work starts before a permit is requested or issued.

  “Applications for land use permits shall be made on forms furnished by the administrator.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-performed residential construction inside the Town of Fremont.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside the Town of Fremont.
• Setbacks — Residential structures inside the Town of Fremont.
• Lot coverage — Residential parcels inside the Town of Fremont.
• Building height — Residential structures inside the Town of Fremont.

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.