Bolthole Index

Wood County, Wisconsin

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in the Village of Biron, Wisconsin

The Village of Biron, Wisconsin requires building permits from the village Building Inspector before covered construction, alterations, moving or demolition.1 Biron administers its own zoning; Wood County Planning & Zoning handles private septic permits and inspections.23 Biron residential construction cannot receive an occupancy permit until sewer installation and required street grading and graveling are complete.4

At a glance

Building permits
Required from the village Building Inspector before covered work1
Zoning
Village zoning, with requirements that differ by district25
Private septic
Wood County Planning & Zoning issues sanitary permits and inspects systems3
Minimum dwelling size
R-1: 750 square feet per family6
Minimum lot size
R-1: 12,000 square feet per family; generally 100 feet wide7
Owner-builder
Owner-occupants can obtain state construction and erosion-control permits; village building permits still apply81
Residential occupancy
Sewer installation and required street grading and graveling must be complete4

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Biron Building Inspector

Village building-permit applications and construction inspections

715-421-9845

451 Kahoun Road Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494

Zoning

Village of Biron Clerk

Village ordinance records, permit fee schedule and routing zoning questions to the responsible village official

715-423-6584

[email protected]

451 Kahoun Rd, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494

Septic permits

Wood County Planning & Zoning Office, Sanitary Program

Private septic regulation, inspections and sanitary permits

(715) 421-8466

Wood County Courthouse 400 Market Street Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494

Online permits →

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Biron means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in the Village of Biron, WI?

Biron requires a building permit from the village Building Inspector before covered building construction, enlargement, alteration, relocation, demolition or use.1 A Biron building-permit application must identify the owner, property and legal description, designer and intended use, with plans and other information required by the inspector.9 The inspector must grant or deny the application within 10 business days after receiving the application, plans and fees.9

An owner who occupies or will occupy the home can obtain Wisconsin construction and erosion-control permits under the owner-occupant allowance.8 Biron still requires the village building permit for covered work.1

Who issues building permits in the Village of Biron?

The Village of Biron Building Inspector issues building permits for covered work inside village limits.1 The village’s published building-permit information directs applicants to mail or drop off completed applications at the municipal center and provides the inspector’s inspection contact.10 Use the building-inspector contact below for project scope and inspection scheduling; ask the Village Clerk for the current fee schedule kept on file with that office.1011

Biron’s permit fee is doubled when building work starts before the permit, except in emergency cases.11 Private septic permits and inspections remain with Wood County Planning & Zoning rather than the village building office.3

Does the Village of Biron have zoning, lot limits and setbacks?

Biron administers village zoning, including separate agricultural and residential districts.2 In Biron’s R-1 Single-Family Residential District, the minimum lot area is 12,000 square feet per family and minimum width is 100 feet; corner lots laid out or divided after the chapter’s effective date require 115 feet of width.7 R-1 principal buildings require a 25-foot front yard, an 8-foot yard on each side with at least 20 feet total, and a 40-foot rear yard; accessory buildings have 3-foot side and rear yards.12

Biron’s A-1 Agricultural District instead requires a minimum building setback of 50 feet from the street right-of-way.13 A-1 applies R-1 lot-area requirements to new, moved or structurally altered habitation buildings, but existing residential structures and farm dwellings remaining after farm consolidation require at least 40,000 square feet and 120 feet of width.14 Ask the Village Clerk to route a parcel-specific zoning question before choosing a building footprint.15

How do septic permits work inside the Village of Biron?

Wood County Planning & Zoning regulates private septic systems, issues sanitary permits and performs inspections throughout Wood County, including systems inside Biron.3 For a project requiring a private onsite wastewater treatment system, Wood County’s appropriate sanitary permit must be issued before covered work, construction or a change of use begins.16 A sanitary application requires the application form, soil report, approved plans, any required holding-tank agreement and the applicable fee.17

Biron separately conditions residential occupancy permits on sewer installation and completion of necessary street grading and graveling.4 Before buying a Biron lot for a septic-served home, resolve the village sewer occupancy condition with the Building Inspector and the private-system requirements with the county Sanitary Program.4103

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Village of Biron?

We could not confirm Biron’s rules for living in an RV, temporary camping on private land or tiny-home occupancy; ask the village Building Inspector about the proposed use and ask the Village Clerk for the relevant ordinance text.1015 Biron’s R-1 district does establish a minimum dwelling floor area of 750 square feet per family for buildings erected, moved or structurally altered for dwelling purposes.6 A proposed R-1 tiny dwelling must therefore be evaluated against that floor-area requirement as well as village building-permit requirements.61

For a building with plumbing fixtures that is not connected to public sewer, Wisconsin requires suitable wastewater treatment, recycling, dispersal or holding arrangements.18 Ask Biron’s Building Inspector how the residential sewer occupancy condition applies to the proposed home.104

Building a home in the Village of Biron: what are the steps?

  1. Establish the Biron zoning district and fit the proposed home and lot to that district’s dimensional rules; R-1 and A-1 have different requirements.7141213
  2. Resolve sewer service and the village residential occupancy condition with the Building Inspector; if the project requires a private septic system, obtain Wood County’s appropriate sanitary permit before covered construction.41016
  3. Submit the village building-permit application, required plans and fees, and obtain the building permit before starting covered work.91
  4. Request inspections at the required stages; Biron generally prohibits proceeding beyond an inspection point until inspection is completed, subject to the ordinance’s timing exception.19
  5. Before occupancy, satisfy Biron’s sewer installation and required street grading and graveling condition.4

What should you check before buying land in the Village of Biron?

For land outside Biron’s limits, use the Wood County guide for the county’s unincorporated-area zoning answer; Biron’s own zoning governs land inside the village.202 For a proposed Biron lot division, the village requires compliance with the applicable zoning district, public-street frontage and lot-design standards.21 Confirm those constraints before treating a larger property as multiple building sites.21

For a new private well that is not high-capacity, Wisconsin requires advance DNR notification, and some DNR-approved county ordinances add a well permit.22 We could not confirm Biron’s additional private-well requirements; ask the Village Clerk for the applicable village ordinance before relying on a well-served design.15 Ask the Building Inspector about the village sewer occupancy condition at the same time.104

Watch-outs

  • Biron’s residential occupancy permit depends on sewer installation and required street grading and graveling, so resolve service conditions before buying a building lot.4
  • Biron doubles the building-permit fee for work begun before the permit, except in emergency cases.11
  • We could not confirm Biron RV occupancy, temporary camping or accessory-dwelling rules; ask the Village Clerk for the applicable ordinance and the Building Inspector about the proposed use.1510

Sources

  1. Building Code 14.06: Building Permits and Inspection (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  2. Ordinances | Village of Biron (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  3. Sanitary Program, quoted and re-checked
  4. Building Code 14.06: Building Permits and Inspection (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  5. Ordinances | Village of Biron (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  6. Zoning Code 17.25: R-1 Single-Family Residential District (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  7. Zoning Code 17.25: R-1 Single-Family Residential District (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  8. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. Building Code 14.06: Building Permits and Inspection (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  10. Village of Biron Building Inspector (storage.googleapis.com)
  11. Building Code 14.08: Permit Fees (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  12. Zoning Code 17.25: R-1 Single-Family Residential District (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  13. Zoning Code 17.24: A-1 Agricultural District (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  14. Zoning Code 17.24: A-1 Agricultural District (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  15. Village of Biron Clerk (biron.wi.gov)
  16. Wood County Ordinance #702 Private Sewage System Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
  17. Sanitary Program, quoted and re-checked
  18. Wisconsin Administrative Code, SPS 382 (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. Building Code 14.06: Building Permits and Inspection (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  20. Zoning in Wood County (2026 county census)
  21. Subdivisions and Platting 17.6.73: Lot Design Standards (Village of Biron), quoted and re-checked
  22. Well and heat exchange notification (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Biron

Village of Biron’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction, movement, enlargement, alteration, demolition, or use of buildings and structures in Biron village.

    • Permit must be obtained from the Building Inspector before the covered work or use.
    • Alterations, repairs, or moving may have plans waived if the Building Inspector finds the application sufficiently descriptive.
    • Building Inspector must grant or deny after receiving the application, plans, and fees within 10 business days.
    “No building of any kind shall be moved within or into the Village and no new building or structure, or any part thereof, shall hereafter be erected, or ground broken for the same, or enlarged, altered, moved, demolished or used within the Village, except as herein provided, until a permit therefor shall first have been obtained by the owner, or his authorized agent, from the Building Inspector.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Permitted construction in Biron village.

    • Permittee or authorized representative must request inspections at appropriate enforcement times.
    • Building Inspector must inspect within 48 hours after notification, except final inspection.
    • Construction may not proceed beyond the inspection point until inspection is completed, unless the 48-hour rule is not met excluding weekends and holidays or otherwise agreed.

    inspection response time: 48 hours (Except final inspection; Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excluded from the 48-hour calculation.)

    “The Building Inspector shall perform the requested inspection within 48 hours after notification, except the final inspection. Construction may not proceed beyond the point of inspection until the inspection has been completed, except if inspection has not taken place within 48 hours of notification, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, unless other- wise agreed upon between the permittee and the Building Inspector.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Biron village; the Village publishes and administers Chapter 17, Zoning Code.

    “Chapter 17: Zoning Code [...] 17.24 - A-1 Agricultural District [...] 17.25 - R-1 Single-Family Residential District”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts established by Biron village.

    • The official ordinance index identifies A-1 Agricultural, R-1 Single-Family Residential, R-2 Residential, R-3 Two Family Residential, R-4 Multiple Family Residential, R-MH Mobile Home, I-1 Industrial, G-1 Institutional, C-1 Conservancy, and MW Municipal Well Recharge Area Overlay districts.
    “17.24 - A-1 Agricultural District [...] 17.25 - R-1 Single-Family Residential District [...] 17.26 - R-2 Residential District [...] 17.27 - R-3 Two Family Residential District [...] 17.28 - R-4 Multiple Family Residential District [...] 17.30 - I-1 Industrial District [...] 17.31 - G-1 Institutional District [...] 17.32 - C-1 Conservancy District [...] 17.33 - R-MH Mobile Home District [...] 17.34 - MW Municipal Well Recharge Area Overlay District”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Dwelling buildings in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District.

    • Applies per family to buildings erected, moved, or structurally altered for dwelling purposes.

    minimum floor area: >= 750 square feet per family

    “Every building hereafter erected, moved or structurally altered for dwelling purposes shall provide a floor area of not less than seven hundred fifty (750) square feet per family.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    A-1 Agricultural District.

    • Human-habitation buildings use R-1 lot-area requirements.
    • Existing residential structures and farm dwellings remaining after farm consolidation have the separate 40,000-square-foot and 120-foot-width minimums.

    minimum lot area for existing residential structures and farm dwellings after farm consolidation: >= 40000 square feet · minimum lot width for existing residential structures and farm dwellings after farm consolidation: >= 120 feet

    “The lot area requirements for the R-1 Single-Family Residential District shall apply to all buildings for human habitation hereafter erected, moved or structurally altered. [...] Existing residential structures and farm dwellings remaining after the consolidation of existing farms shall be provided with a lot area of not less than forty thousand (40,000) square feet and a lot width of not less than one hundred twenty (120) feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — R-1 Single-Family Residential District.
      “Every building hereafter erected, moved or structurally altered shall provide a lot area of not less than twelve thousand (12,000) square feet per family and no such lot shall be less than one hundred (100) feet in width, provided that no corner lot laid out or divided after the effective date of this Chapter shall be less than one hundred fifteen (115) feet in width.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    A-1 Agricultural District.

    • Side-yard and rear-yard requirements for human-habitation buildings cross-reference R-1.
    • Farm buildings housing animals, barnyards, and feed lots must be at least 100 feet from navigable water or a district boundary and 200 feet from a residential-district boundary.

    building setback from street right-of-way: >= 50 feet · animal farm building/barnyard/feed lot distance from navigable water or district boundary: >= 100 feet · animal farm building/barnyard/feed lot distance from residential district boundary: >= 200 feet

    “There shall be a minimum building setback of fifty (50) feet from the street right-of-way. [...] There shall be a side yard on each side of the principal structure as provided in the R-1 District. [...] The rear yard requirements for the R-1 Single Family Residential District shall apply to all buildings for human habitation hereafter erected, moved or structurally altered.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — R-1 Single-Family Residential District.
      “Front yard: twenty-five (25) feet. [...] Side yard: eight (8) feet on either side with a minimum of twenty (20) feet total for principal buildings, three (3) feet for accessory buildings. [...] Rear yard: forty (40) feet for principal buildings, three (3) feet for accessory buildings.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    R-1 Single-Family Residential District.

    • Accessory structures have a lower maximum than principal structures.

    principal structure maximum height: <= 35 feet · accessory structure maximum height: <= 20 feet

    “Maximum permitted (in feet); principal structure: thirty-five (35); accessory structure: twenty (20).”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    Residential construction inside Biron village.

    • No occupancy permit may be issued for residential construction until sewer is installed and required street grading and graveling are complete.
    “No occupancy permit shall be issued for the construction of any residential building until sewer is installed and grading and graveling of the street necessary to service the property for which the permit is required is completed.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision and lot design inside Biron village.

    • Lot size must meet the applicable zoning code.
    • Residential lots within each block should have a minimum average depth of 100 feet.
    • Every lot must front or abut a public street for at least 30 feet.
    • Lot width must comply with zoning and may not be less than 66 feet at the building setback line.
    • Each lot must be located only within one zoning district.

    minimum residential lot average depth: >= 100 feet · minimum public-street frontage: >= 30 feet · minimum lot width at building setback line: >= 66 feet

    “Residential lots within each block shall have a minimum average depth of one hundred (100) feet. [...] Every lot shall front or abut for a distance of at least thirty (30) feet on a public street. [...] Width of lots shall conform to the requirements of the appropriate Zoning Code, but in no case shall a lot be less than sixty-six (66) feet in width at the building setback line. Each lot shall be located only within one (1) zoning district.”
  • Permit feesPublished

    Building permits in Biron village.

    • The fee schedule is incorporated by reference and is on file with the Village Clerk.
    • If work begins before a permit, the total fee is doubled except in emergency cases.
    “The permit fee schedule is hereby included by reference and is on file in the office of Village Clerk. NOTE: Upon failure to obtain a permit before work of a building has been started, except in emergency cases, the total fee shall be doubled.”
  • Permit processPublished

    Building-permit applications in Biron village.

    • Application must identify the owner, land, legal description, designer, and intended use, plus other information the Building Inspector requires.
    • Two complete plan sets and two plot plans are generally required.
    • Building Inspector may waive plans for alterations, repairs, or moving if the application sufficiently describes the work.
    • Decision deadline is 10 business days after receipt of application, plans, and fees.

    application decision deadline: 10 business days

    “After the receipt of an application, plans and fees required by this section, the Building Inspector shall grant or deny the application within 10 business days.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Biron or Wood County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders seeking an exemption from Biron village building-permit or inspection requirements.
  • Lot coverage — Land inside Biron village.
  • Living in an RV — Occupancy of recreational vehicles on land inside Biron village.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Biron village.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Biron village.
10 more unanswered
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Biron publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Wood County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of Wood County: county rules, score and offices