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

Town of Marshfield’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, structurally altering or relocating a building inside the Town of Marshfield

  • The permit certifies the building meets the zoning ordinance. Construction may proceed only after the permit is issued.
  • Applications go to the building inspector (Section 3.05(2)).

  “No building shall be erected, structurally altered, or relocated after adoption of this ordinance until a building permit has been issued.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  One- and two-family dwellings inside the Town of Marshfield (Wood County, WI)

  • Scope of the town ordinance: construction and inspection on one- and two-family dwellings built since June 1, 1980, including additions to them.
  • The state Uniform Dwelling Code (chs. Comm 20-25) is the code adopted; other building types are not covered by this town ordinance.

  “The Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code, Chs. Comm 20-25 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, and all amendments thereto, is adopted and incorporated by reference and shall apply to all buildings within the scope of this ordinance.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy of new, altered or moved buildings and vacant land inside the Town of Marshfield

  • Building inspector may issue a temporary certificate of occupancy for part of a building under plan commission rules (Section 3.06(2)).
  • Owner may request a certificate for existing buildings (Section 3.06(3)).

  “no vacant land shall be occupied or used and no building hereafter erected, altered or moved shall be occupied until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued by the building inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Marshfield (Wood County, WI) limits. The town adopted its own zoning ordinance and administers it through its building inspector/zoning administrator.

  • Zoning ordinance title and amendment date: Zoning Ordinance amended January 9, 2023. Section 1.08 says it takes effect after public hearing, town board adoption, and publication; no separate effective date is stated, so effective_at is null.
  • The town zoning ordinance governs use and dimensional rules inside town limits, not the county's unincorporated area rules.

  “This ordinance shall be in effect in all unincorporated lands and waters in the town of Marshfield, Wood County, Wisconsin.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside the Town of Marshfield

  • Five district classifications are established in the ordinance text: R-1, R-2, A, C and I.
  • The official zoning map (referenced in Section 5.02) was not opened, so district boundaries are not confirmed.

  “There are hereby established five (5) district classifications: single-family residential, multiple-family residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Single-Family Residential (R-1) district inside the Town of Marshfield

  • Exceptions are listed in Section 3.07 (1), (2) and (3), not opened.
  • Detached accessory buildings may not exceed 25 feet high (Section 3.07(8)(a)).

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet or 2.5 stories (except as provided in section 3.07 (1), (2) and (3))

  “Maximum Building Height. 35 feet or two and one-half (2½) stories, except as provided in Section 3.07 (1), (2) and (3).”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Campgrounds and resorts in the Commercial (C) district inside the Town of Marshfield

  • Requires a conditional use permit.
  • Minimum 1,200 sq ft of lot area per cabin, trailer, tent or mobile home unit.
  • Must be fenced or hedged and at least 1,000 feet from any residential district boundary.
  • Non-owner occupancy limited to 90 days in one year.

  occupancy limit for non-owners: <= 90 days per year · minimum lot area per unit: >= 1200 sq ft

  “Campgrounds/resorts, when such campgrounds/resorts provide not less than 1,200 square feet of lot area for each cabin, trailer, tent or mobile home, and when such campground is clearly bounded by a fence or hedge and is located not less than 1,000 feet from the boundary of any residential district; provided further, that no person or party other than the owner shall occupy such campground/resort for more than 90 days in one year.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — Campgrounds in the General Agricultural (A) district inside the Town of Marshfield

    “(O) Public park and recreation facilities. (P) Campgrounds. (Q) Greenhouses.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes in the Single-Family Residential (R-1) district inside the Town of Marshfield

  • Mobile homes are not permitted as one-family dwellings except as provided in the conditional use section.
  • Conditional use: must be set on a concrete slab, basement or apron and securely fastened; also subject to section 3.06 and section 6 conditional use procedure.

  “Mobile Homes, provided they are set on a concrete slab, basement or apron, securely fastened with tie downs, are located parallel with the road, are equipped with skirting and meet the provisions of Section 3.06.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Limited — Mobile homes in the Multiple Family Residential (R-2) district inside the Town of Marshfield

    “Mobile homes, provided they are set on a concrete slab, basement or apron, securely fastened with tie downs, are located parallel with the road, are equipped with skirting and meet the provisions of Section 3.06.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Buildings inside the Town of Marshfield without public sanitary sewer

  • Allowed only with a Wood County sanitary permit and a state-approved on-site system.
  • Composting, privies and holding tanks were not addressed in the opened text.

  “State-approved on-site sewage disposal systems may be constructed where no public sanitary sewer system is available, provided that a Wood County Sanitary Permit first be obtained from the Wood County Sanitarian in the County Courthouse in Wisconsin Rapids.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  New habitable buildings on lots abutting a street with a public sanitary sewer inside the Town of Marshfield

  • Connection is required only where a public sanitary sewer is in the abutting street; no distance threshold is stated in the text.
  • Where no public sewer is available, an on-site system with a county sanitary permit is allowed (Section 3.03).
  • The same section requires an adequate supply of potable water for habitable buildings; no public water connection mandate was found.

  “Every building intended for human habitation or occupancy on lots which abut a street in which there is a public sanitary sewer shall be connected with the sewer.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for construction inside the Town of Marshfield

  • The town site lists a building permit fee schedule, dated 9-18-26 on the listing. That label is not treated as an effective date.
  • The fee amounts were not opened in this run.

  “9-18-26 building permit fee schedule 23-01 zoning ordinance - january 9, 2023”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application process inside the Town of Marshfield

  • Applications go to the building inspector and must include the listed items (Section 3.05(2)); the full list was not opened.
  • Septic permits are a separate county step.

  “Application for building permits must be made to the Building Inspector and must include the following:”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Marshfield

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  On-site septic systems on land inside the Town of Marshfield (Wood County administers this countywide, including the town)

  • Wood County #702 Private Sewage System Ordinance and the Wisconsin Uniform Plumbing Code provide the framework (county page).
  • The county page is countywide; the town zoning ordinance defers to the Wood County sanitarian.

  “the wood county planning & zoning office is the county agency responsible for the regulation and inspection of septic systems”

• Septic permitRequired

  On-site sewage systems inside the Town of Marshfield where no public sanitary sewer is available

  • A wood county sanitary permit must be obtained before installation (Section 3.03).
  • Permit application goes to Wood County Planning & Zoning, not the town.

  “State-approved on-site sewage disposal systems may be constructed where no public sanitary sewer system is available, provided that a Wood County Sanitary Permit first be obtained from the Wood County Sanitarian in the County Courthouse in Wisconsin Rapids.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in mapped floodplain or shoreland areas inside the Town of Marshfield

  • The town ordinance refers to the Wood County floodplain and shoreland zoning ordinances, which were not opened; the county rules control the detailed floodplain requirements.
  • The town zoning ordinance includes a floodplain map as part of the ordinance.

  “Include a copy of the Wood County Shoreland or Floodplain Zoning Permit if the proposed project falls within a shoreland or floodplain area using the distances described in this paragraph.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside the Town of Marshfield
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside the Town of Marshfield
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits inside the Town of Marshfield
• Living in an RV — Occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside the Town of Marshfield
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside the Town of Marshfield

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.