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

Rules another office applies inside Town of Union

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

• Building permitRequired

  Structures on property in the Town of Union that will be on the property for more than 30 calendar days in a year

  • Waupaca County issues the land use permit; the county page parenthetically notes '(dupont, fremont and harrison issue their own land use permits for properties not in shoreland areas.)', so Union is not in that exception list.
  • Shoreland permits are issued by the county for all structures within shoreland in all townships, per the same page.

  land use permit threshold: > 30 calendar days per year (Dupont, Fremont and Harrison issue their own land use permits for non-shoreland properties)

  “issues land use permits for all structures that will be on your property for more than 30 calendar days in a year”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private onsite wastewater (septic) systems for land inside the Town of Union

  • The Waupaca County Planning and Zoning Office issues all sanitary permits for the county, which includes Union town land.
  • The county Code of Ordinances lists Chapter 35 as the Sanitary Ordinance; the Town of Union's published ordinance list includes no sanitary ordinance. Chapter 35 text was not opened.

  “The Planning and Zoning Office issues all Sanitary Permits for the County”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land into lots inside the Town of Union

  • The county planning office reviews all land divisions against the Waupaca County subdivision ordinance.
  • The subdivision ordinance is Chapter 37 of the county code; its text was not opened.

  “Chapter 37 - Waupaca County Subdivision Ordinance”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Planning and zoning permit fees for land inside the Town of Union

  • The county planning page says the fee schedule increases effective January 1, 2026 and links a 2026 fee schedule document, which was not opened, so the amounts are not recorded.
  • The page also says the sanitary maintenance fee is $10 annually and appears on the property tax bill.

  “effective january 1, 2026, the planning and zoning office fee schedule will be increasing. please see the document below for fees.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit application process for building, land use and sanitary permits for land inside the Town of Union

  • Applications are available through the county zoning office; the page says the office accepts cash, checks, or credit card payments.
  • The town page directs applicants to call the county before starting work; step-by-step review timing was not found.

  “accepts cash, checks, or credit card payments”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a dwelling inside the Town of Union
• Building code adopted — New one- and two-family dwellings inside the Town of Union
• Inspections — Inspections of new dwellings inside the Town of Union
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new dwellings inside the Town of Union
• Local zoning — Land inside the Town of Union (Waupaca County) limits: whether the town has 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.