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

Town of Pittsfield’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings within Town Code Chapter 36's scope in Pittsfield town.

  • A permit is required before covered work.
  • A permit will not issue for a habitable structure until a Brown County sanitary permit is shown, including planned reconnections to existing sanitary systems.
  • Restoration or repair to the prior code-compliant condition, re-siding, re-roofing, interior finishing, and cabinetry installation are exempt.
  • Decks and porches require a permit regardless of size or cost.

  alteration value threshold: > 5000 USD (Applies with the alternative 50-square-foot threshold in any 12-month period.) · alteration area threshold: >= 50 square feet (Applies with the alternative $5,000-value threshold in any 12-month period.)

  “No person shall alter, in excess of $5,000 value and/or 50 square feet or more, in any twelve-month period, build, or add onto any building within the scope of this chapter without first obtaining a building permit for such work from the Building Inspector.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings within the scope of Town Code Chapter 36 in Pittsfield town.

  • Chapter 36 covers construction and inspection of one- and two-family dwellings built since June 1, 1980; it also includes specified pre-1980 additions, alterations, and detached garages.

  “The Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code and Wisconsin Commercial Building Code, and all amendments thereto, are adopted and incorporated by reference and shall apply to all building within the scope of this chapter.”

• InspectionsRequired

  One- and two-family dwelling construction and specified additions, alterations, and detached garages in Pittsfield town.

  • The chapter includes one- and two-family dwellings built since June 1, 1980.
  • It also includes specified work on dwellings built before June 1, 1980 and detached garages serving one- and two-family dwellings.

  “The scope of this chapter includes the construction and inspection of one- and two-family dwellings built since June 1, 1980.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within Pittsfield town, Wisconsin.

  • The code describes itself as the Town of Pittsfield Zoning Ordinance, Brown County, Wisconsin.

  “This chapter shall be known, cited and referred to as the "Town of Pittsfield Zoning Ordinance, Brown County, Wisconsin."”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts within Pittsfield town.

  • The code lists R-1 Primary Residential, R-1S Residential Sanitary Sewered, R-2 Estate Residential, R-3 Multifamily Residential, A-1 Agriculture, AG-FP Agricultural Farmland Preservation, B-1 Business, I-L Light Industrial, and Conservancy/Floodplain districts.

  “§ 275-21 R-1 Primary Residential District. [...] § 275-22 R-1S Residential District, Sanitary Sewered. [...] § 275-23 R-2 Estate Residential District. [...] § 275-24 R-3 Multifamily Residential Districts. [...] § 275-25 A-1 Agriculture District. [...] § 275-26 AG-FP Agricultural Farmland Preservation District. [...] § 275-27 B-1 Business District. [...] § 275-28 I-L Light Industrial District. [...] § 275-29 Conservancy/Floodplain District.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in Pittsfield town zoning districts, including R-1 Primary Residential and A-1 Agriculture districts.

  • The applicable established district controls lot size.
  • The specific R-1 and A-1 dimensional schedules were not available in the opened source text.

  “Lot size shall comply with the required regulations of the established district.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings in Pittsfield town zoning districts.

  • Accessory farm buildings and listed towers, silos, spires, utilities, and mechanical appurtenances are exempt.
  • Certain public/quasi-public buildings may reach 60 feet with increased yards.
  • Residences may exceed a district limit by up to 10 feet if yards and open spaces are correspondingly increased.

  public/quasi-public building maximum height: <= 60 feet (Required front, side, and rear yards must each increase one foot for each foot above the otherwise-applicable district height limit.) · residential increase above district height limit: <= 10 feet (All yards and other required open spaces must increase one foot for each foot above the district limit.)

  “Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the height of any building hereafter erected, converted, enlarged or structurally altered shall be in compliance with the regulations established herein for the district in which such building is located.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  New residences and businesses, and existing residences and businesses with failing septic systems, inside Pittsfield town.

  • Sewer mains must be adjacent to the property.
  • The requirement is contingent on Brown County Planning Commission acceptance into the sewer service area.
  • An application must be made to the Town Board to change Pittsfield Sanitary District boundaries.

  “All new residences and businesses, and existing residences and businesses with a failing septic system, shall be connected to the public sanitary sewerage system when sewer mains are adjacent to the property. This requirement is contingent on acceptance by the Brown County Planning Commission into the sewer service area. Application must be made to the Town Board to change the boundaries of the Pittsfield Sanitary District.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  A new home on a qualifying farm in Pittsfield town seeking a sewage holding tank.

  • The parcel must be at least 35 contiguous acres.
  • It must have produced gross farm revenue of at least $6,000 in each of the prior three years.
  • The farm operator must document at least 75% of gross income from the farm in each of the past three years.

  minimum contiguous farm acreage: >= 35 acres · minimum gross farm revenue: >= 6000 USD (Required in each of the previous three years.) · minimum farm share of operator gross income: >= 75 percent (Required in each of the past three years.)

  “In order to qualify as the farm operator, a person must be able to show, using tax returns or other suitable documentation, that he/she has earned at least 75% of his gross income on the farm in each of the past three years.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Each residential lot in Pittsfield town.

  • The driveway must extend to the lot's active minimum public-road frontage from the residence.
  • The driveway must be entirely on the same residential lot.

  “Each residential lot shall have a private driveway extending to that lot's active minimum public road frontage from said residence. Said driveway to be contained entirely on the same residential lot.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permits in Pittsfield town.

  • The building-permit fee is determined by resolution.

  “The building permit fee shall be determined by resolution.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building-permit applications for covered buildings in Pittsfield town.

  • A permit must be obtained from the Building Inspector before covered work.
  • For habitable structures, evidence of a Brown County sanitary permit must be shown before issuance.
  • Structural changes or major mechanical-system changes involving extensions require permits; specified repair and finish work is exempt.

  “No person shall alter, in excess of $5,000 value and/or 50 square feet or more, in any twelve-month period, build, or add onto any building within the scope of this chapter without first obtaining a building permit for such work from the Building Inspector.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Pittsfield

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

• SetbacksSpecified

  Manufactured-home spaces in approved manufactured-home communities in Pittsfield town.

  • Utility outlets and garages serving more than one manufactured-home space may be within the side or rear setback of a common lot line.
  • A towing hitch may protrude into the front-yard setback.

  front yard setback: 10 feet · rear yard setback: 20 feet · side yard setback: 5 feet (Each side.)

  “Each manufactured home space shall provide a front yard setback of 10 feet and a rear yard setback of 20 feet. Side yards shall have a minimum setback of five feet each.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Sanitary permits required for habitable structures inside Pittsfield town.

  • The Town will not issue a building permit for a habitable structure until evidence of a Brown County sanitary permit is shown.
  • The restriction includes planned reconnections to existing sanitary systems.

  “A building permit will not be issued for a habitable structure until evidence is shown that a sanitary permit has been obtained from Brown County.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Habitable structures inside Pittsfield town that need a Town building permit.

  • Evidence of the Brown County sanitary permit is a prerequisite to Town issuance of a building permit.
  • The condition includes planned reconnections to existing sanitary systems.

  “A building permit will not be issued for a habitable structure until evidence is shown that a sanitary permit has been obtained from Brown County. The preceding restriction shall also include planned reconnections to existing sanitary systems.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction in Pittsfield town.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of structures in Pittsfield town.
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwellings in Pittsfield town zoning districts.
• Lot coverage — Lots in Pittsfield town zoning districts.
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land in Pittsfield town.

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 Pittsfield 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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