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

Town of Rome’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Moving, erecting, breaking ground for, enlarging, altering, moving, demolishing, or razing a building or structure inside the Town of Rome.

  • The cited section contains exceptions, including certain shoreland structures permitted by Adams County, agricultural non-dwelling buildings, and specified replacement work.
  • parameters are subject to the permit-procedure section.

  “Permit required. No building or structure of any kind shall be moved within or into the Town, no new building or structure, or any part thereof, shall hereafter be erected, or ground broken for the same, and no existing building shall be enlarged, altered, moved, demolished or razed within the Town, except as herein provided, until a permit has been obtained by the owner, or his authorized agent, from the Building Inspector.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  One- and two-family dwellings inside the Town of Rome.

  • Future amendments, revisions, or modifications of the incorporated administrative-code provisions are intended to become part of Chapter 142.

  “State code adopted. The regulations with respect to one- and two-family dwellings in Chapters SPS 320 through 325 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code are hereby adopted and by reference are made a part of this chapter as if fully set forth herein.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction performed under a Town building permit inside the Town of Rome.

  • Permit holder or agent must give 48 hours' notice, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays; construction stages are identified in Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320.10.

  inspection notice: >= 48 hours (Excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.)

  “The Building Inspector, upon 48 hours' notice from the permit holder or his agent, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, shall make the requested inspections and shall either approve that portion of the construction completed or shall notify the permit holder or his agent wherein the same fails to comply with the chapter.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Post-effective-date buildings, additions, and non-similar changes of use inside the Town of Rome.

  • A certificate is not required by the quoted provision for a change from one permitted use to another similar permitted use.

  “No building, or addition thereto, constructed after the effective date of this chapter, and no addition to a previously existing building shall be occupied, until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the Building Inspector. No change in a use, other than that of a permitted use to another similar permitted use, shall be made until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the Building Inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Town of Rome, Wisconsin.

  • Zoning controls are administered under Town of Rome Chapter 360.

  “Article V Zoning Districts and Maps [...] Article VI R-1 Single-Family Residence District”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside the Town of Rome.

  • The published Chapter 360 table of contents identifies districts and a zoning map; parcel-specific classification requires the map and applicable district provisions.

  “Article V Zoning Districts and Maps [...] Article VI R-1 Single-Family Residence District [...] Article VIII R-2 One- and Two-Family and Manufactured Dwelling Residence District”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Occupancy of buildings inside the Town of Rome.

  • Before occupancy, the quoted rule requires water and either a septic or sewer system, plus grading and graveling in roads needed to serve the property.

  “Utilities required. No person shall occupy any building until a septic or sewer system, water, grading, and graveling are installed in the roads necessary to service the property.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Non-dwelling buildings used exclusively for agricultural purposes inside the Town of Rome.

  • Only applies to non-dwelling buildings used exclusively for agricultural purposes; the exemption includes the Town building-permit requirement.

  “The construction of non-dwelling buildings used exclusively for agricultural purposes are exempt from the provisions of this chapter, including the requirement of a building permit.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside the Town of Rome.

  • Chapter 326 is referenced by the Town building-permit process; its detailed division standards were not opened.

  “A signed representation by the owner that the parcel for which the application is made is in compliance with all Town ordinances, including but not limited to Chapter 360, Zoning, and Chapter 326, Subdivision of Land, as well as restrictions on nuisance violations.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Property proposed for a Town building permit inside the Town of Rome.

  • The 33-foot public-road-abutment requirement does not apply to structures on real estate zoned PUD.

  public road frontage: >= 33 feet (Does not apply to structures on real estate zoned PUD (Planned Unit Development District).)

  “No building permit shall be issued unless the property on which the building is proposed to be built abuts a public road by at least 33 feet. This requirement shall not apply to structures located on real estate that is zoned PUD (Planned Unit Development District).”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Commercial building permit applications inside the Town of Rome.

  • Fees are determined under the Town of Rome Fee Schedule and Wis. Admin. Code SPS 302.31; no dollar amount was extracted.

  “Fees per Town of Rome Fee Schedule and Ch. SPS 302.31, Wisconsin Administrative Code.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Town building-permit applications inside the Town of Rome.

  • Application must be written on the form furnished by the Building Inspector or designee and must include the listed property, use, and County Sanitation information; plans have separate timing and content requirements.

  “Application for a building permit shall be made in writing upon a form furnished by the Building Inspector or his designee and shall state the name and address of the owner of the land and also the owner of the building, if different; the legal description of the land upon which the building is to be located; the name and address of the designer; the use to which said building is to be put; the County Sanitation number; and such other information as the Building Inspector may require.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction inside the Town of Rome.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings in Town of Rome zoning districts, including R-1 Single-Family Residence District.
• Minimum lot size — Lots in Town of Rome zoning districts, including R-1 Single-Family Residence District.
• Setbacks — Structures in Town of Rome zoning districts, including R-1 Single-Family Residence District.
• Lot coverage — Lots in Town of Rome zoning districts, including R-1 Single-Family Residence District.

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.

Off-grid gear

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

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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