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

Town of Cary’s own rules

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Cary town subject to Wood County Ordinance #700; district placement is determined by the official zoning map.

  • Ordinance #700 identifies Forestry and Recreation and Unrestricted districts.
  • In Forestry and Recreation, all other uses, including family dwellings, are prohibited.
  • In the Unrestricted district, any land use is allowed unless in conflict with law.

  districts: Forestry and Recreation district; Unrestricted district (Boundaries are shown on the official zoning map dated November 14, 1934.)

  “the territory included in the boundaries of the following towns, to wit: arpin, auburndale, cameron, cary, cranmoor, dexter, grand rapids, hanson, hiles, marshfield, milladore, port edwards, remington, richfield, rock, rudolph, saratoga, seneca, sherry, sigel, and wood, are hereby divided into two classes of use districts as follows, to wit: (a) forestry and recreation district, and (b) unrestricted district.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private septic systems serving land inside Cary town.

  • The regulatory framework includes the Wisconsin Uniform Plumbing Code and Wood County Ordinance #702.

  “the wood county planning & zoning office is the county agency responsible for the regulation and inspection of septic systems as well as the issuance of sanitary permits and any code enforcement that may be required.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installation, extension, enlargement, conversion, structural alteration, or change of use of a private onsite wastewater treatment system inside Cary town.

  • No permit is required for servicing or repairing a POWTS or holding tank, or replacing broken or clogged sewer or effluent line pipes, if the work is done by State-licensed individuals and reported in advance to the POWTS Administrator.
  • A sanitary permit issues only after a completed application, required fee, and conformity with applicable state, county, and township rules; a temporary permit may issue for extenuating circumstances.
  • Permit activity must be completed within two years unless renewed before expiration.

  permit completion period: 2 years (Unless renewed and renewal fee is paid before expiration.)

  “no person shall install, extend, enlarge, convert, structurally alter or change the use of a powts or a powts component without appropriate sanitary permits and without full compliance with the provisions of this ordinance.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems inside Cary town.

  • The installing plumber must permit field inspection after construction and before backfilling.
  • All POWTS must be on a three-year maintenance program.
  • Treatment, holding, or dispersal components must be visibly inspected at least every three years.

  maintenance inspection interval: per 3 years (Applies to POWTS with treatment, holding, or dispersal components.)

  “all powts that utilize a treatment, holding or dispersal component shall be visibly inspected at least once every three (3) years to determine if the powts is performing as designed, if the component needs to be serviced, and whether wastewater or effluent from the powts is ponded on or discharged to the surface of the ground.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Private onsite wastewater treatment systems inside Cary town.

  • A sanitary permit and compliance with Ordinance #702 are required for installation or modification.
  • A Certificate of Compliance must issue before a newly installed or modified POWTS may be used.

  “no person shall use any powts before the newly installed or modified system is inspected by the county and the certificate of compliance has been issued.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  New, revised, or added driveway/access points from land inside Cary town onto a Wood County Trunk Highway.

  • Applies only where access is onto a County Trunk Highway.
  • Cost varies; see the county application.

  “any time a new access point is needed off of a county trunk highway, you will need to obtain a "highway access control permit". you must also obtain the permit if a revision or addition is made to any existing driveway/access point.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development inside Cary town that is within a shoreland or floodplain zone.

  • Approval is required before filling, grading, ponding, lagooning, dredging, excavation, soil disturbance, certain structural work, new construction, and specified landscaping work.
  • Additional State DNR permits may be needed near lakes and streams.

  “approval by the wood county planning and zoning office is required prior to starting work within a shoreland or floodplain zone for the following projects:”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Owners of septic systems inside Cary town.

  • The fee is billed to Wood County property owners with septic systems.
  • The program is intended to cover maintenance, equipment, office supplies, vehicle expense, fuel, program staff, and administrative costs.

  septic system program fee: 25 USD (Billed once every three years to owners of septic systems.)

  “in order to cover the cost of this program the county has a $25 septic system program fee for all owners of septic systems to be paid 1 time every 3 years.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Cary

Town of Cary 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

  Construction or substantial renovation of permanent structures inside Cary town.

  • A county sanitary permit is required before the municipality can issue a building permit where a private sewage system is involved.

  “wisconsin law requires all municipalities to issue building permits to construct or substantially renovate permanent structures. a county sanitary permit is required before the municipality can issue a building permit.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside Cary town.
• Building code adopted — Residential construction inside Cary town.
• Inspections — Building construction inside Cary town, excluding septic-system inspection.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings inside Cary town.
• Local zoning — Land inside Cary town, Wisconsin.

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.