Building permits, zoning and land rules in Price County, Wisconsin

At a glance

Building permit

County land-use permit plus a separate UDC building permit for a new one- or two-family dwelling¹⁵

Zoning

County zoning applies broadly; five towns zone their own non-shoreland land⁴

Septic

Sanitary permit through the county Zoning Department, required before the new-dwelling land-use permit²³¹

RV living

Limited on parcels subject to county zoning⁶

Floodplain

Floodplain development permit required in mapped flood-hazard areas⁷

Tiny home

No express tiny-home occupancy rule confirmed; ask the Zoning Department⁸

Owner-builder

An owner who occupies or will occupy the home may take out the UDC permit⁹

Private well

Advance state notification is generally required before construction¹⁰

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Do you need a building permit or land-use permit in Price County, Wisconsin?

Yes, and for a new house it is two permits. Unincorporated Price County requires a land-use permit application and plot plan for a new dwelling, submitted with the property's 911 uniform number, a driveway access permit and the sanitary permit¹¹; the sanitary permit must be obtained before the land-use permit can be released¹. A separate Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code building permit is also required for new one- and two-family dwellings, including stick-built, modular and manufactured homes¹¹². Construction starts only after the plans are approved and the permit is issued and posted¹³.

The county land-use permit fee for a new dwelling is $0.22 per square foot with a $100 minimum, and the county publishes separate lower fees for additions and accessory buildings¹⁴. A permit applied for after the work is done costs double the fee¹⁵. The county's building guide notes that township, state and federal permits may also be required¹⁶. Agricultural buildings have a county land-use-permit exemption only in the circumstances described by the county, and exempt structures still must meet dimensional and setback requirements¹⁷. That exemption does not cover every state, town, sanitary or access approval.

Who issues building permits and land-use permits in Price County, and how do you reach them?

Land-use permits and sanitary permits come from Price County Zoning & Land Conservation at the Normal / Annex Building in Phillips; the office also tells applicants which other approvals a project needs⁸. The county verifies setback distances when it reviews the plot plan¹⁸. Building permits are a different track: Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code applications go to the responsible municipality or its authorized inspection agency, and a certified UDC inspector reviews the submission¹⁹. Ask the Zoning Office to identify the UDC inspector for the parcel⁸.

In the five towns that zone their own non-shoreland land, the town sets zoning, but sanitary permits still go through the county Zoning Department³⁴. Permit fees for the UDC building permit vary by enforcing municipality or inspection contract, while the statewide rules include a permit-seal charge for each new dwelling²⁰. Inspections are required before covered phases are concealed, following the local inspector's instructions²¹. The required inspections on a new one- or two-family dwelling are footings, foundation and reinforcement, rough work, insulation and final, and the applicant notifies the inspector named on the UDC permit when each is ready²².

Does Price County have zoning?

Yes, but the parcel location matters. County zoning governs unincorporated Price County except non-shoreland land in the Towns of Kennan, Catawba, Georgetown, Ogema and Hill; buyers in those exceptions should contact the town chairman about local zoning⁴²³. Shoreland zoning separately reaches land within 1,000 feet of a lake or flowage and within 300 feet of a river, creek or stream⁴.

Price County publishes zoning districts (RR-1, RF-1, A-1, CI-1 and C-1) with district-specific setbacks²⁴. The county's principal-building setback is 10 feet in RR-1, RF-1 and C-1, 20 feet in A-1 and 15 feet in CI-1, and accessory buildings need 5 feet in most of those districts and 10 feet in A-1²⁵. Lots subject to county rules need 20,000 square feet and 100 feet of frontage when they abut water, 10,000 square feet in a sanitary district and 1 acre otherwise²⁶. Newly created lots also need 40 feet of public-road frontage or a recorded 66-foot-wide easement²⁶. We could not confirm a countywide minimum dwelling size; the one size rule we found is in RR-1, where a HUD-code mobile home over 320 square feet counts as the equivalent of a one-family dwelling²⁷. Ask the Zoning Department about the specific district and design⁸.

How do septic permits work in Price County?

Septic permits are a county function everywhere in Price County, including the five towns that zone themselves: apply for the sanitary permit through the Price County Zoning Department³. A sanitary permit is required before issuance of any new dwelling permit². The county describes a state sanitary permit or a qualifying privy permit as the available paths for meeting a new dwelling's sanitary requirement². For a dwelling without pressurized water, Price County allows a privy under conditions: an open-pit privy requires a soil boring and agreement, while a vaulted privy still requires the agreement and is the only privy type identified for shoreland areas²⁸.

Site conditions deserve early attention because the soil dataset rates 0% of county soils as free of severe limits for a conventional drain field²⁹. That screening statistic does not decide an individual site, but it makes a soil evaluation especially important before purchase. Wisconsin also requires private wastewater systems to receive a visual inspection at least once every 3 years³⁰.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Price County?

On parcels subject to Price County zoning, an RV may stay on a parcel for up to 4 months in a calendar year without a permit only when the site has a 911 number and sanitary system; a longer stay requires a land-use permit for a new dwelling.⁶ The county treats a mobile home under 32 feet as an RV for this rule.⁶

A mobile home longer than 32 feet needs land-use and sanitary permits to qualify as habitable, and older mobile homes face an additional restriction in Recreational-Residential districts.³¹ We could not confirm an express tiny-home occupancy rule or a general minimum home size. Ask Price County Zoning & Land Conservation how the proposed structure, foundation, utilities and parcel district affect its classification before buying or placing it.⁸ In one of the five non-shoreland town exceptions, also ask the town chairman about local zoning.⁴

Building a home in Price County: what are the steps?

1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district, shoreland status, floodplain status and required setbacks with Price County Zoning & Land Conservation, and find out whether the parcel sits in one of the five towns that zone their own non-shoreland land⁸⁴.
2. Confirm legal access. A town-road driveway goes through the town, a county-highway driveway goes through the Price County Highway Department, and a state-highway connection needs WisDOT approval.³²³³
3. Complete the soil work and obtain the sanitary permit from the Price County Zoning Department; it must come before the county land-use permit and the new-dwelling permit³²¹.
4. Obtain advance Wisconsin DNR notification before constructing a typical new private well.¹⁰
5. Submit the county land-use permit application and plot plan to the Zoning Department, then the UDC building permit application, plans and fees to the responsible inspection authority¹¹⁹.
6. Begin only after approval and permit posting, then call for inspections before covering each construction phase.¹³²¹

What should you check before buying land in Price County?

Start with the zoning map, parcel district and water proximity because shoreland coverage and the five town exceptions can change who answers the land-use question.⁴ Verify the lot meets the applicable area, frontage and access rules before treating it as buildable.²⁶ If you plan to divide the land, a county land division carries its own fees and review, and a new lot cannot be longer than four times its width unless the Land Use and UW Extension Committee waives the ratio³⁴³⁵. For county-highway frontage, contact the Highway Department about driveway placement; state-highway access instead requires a WisDOT connection permit.³⁶³³

Order septic feasibility work early: the countywide soil screening shows severe conventional-drain-field limitations across the mapped soils, while the permit decision remains site-specific.²⁹ Check mapped floodplain conditions: Price County's floodplain ordinance requires a floodplain development permit in mapped flood-hazard areas, and failing to obtain one is a violation⁷. Wisconsin also limits development in floodways and imposes elevation and access conditions in floodfringe areas³⁷. Budget property carrying costs using the county's 1.4% effective property-tax rate and $2,110 median annual tax bill as broad benchmarks, not a parcel quote.³⁸³⁹

Watch-outs

• A new house needs a county land-use permit and a separate Uniform Dwelling Code building permit, and the sanitary permit must be issued before the land-use permit¹.
• County zoning does not govern non-shoreland areas in five named towns, so contact the town chairman there; sanitary permits still go through the county Zoning Department⁴³.
• RV occupancy without a land-use permit is time-limited and still requires a 911 number and sanitary system on parcels subject to county zoning⁶.

Sources

1. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
2. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
3. Zoning & Land Conservation, quoted and re-checked
4. Zoning & Land Conservation, quoted and re-checked
5. Price County Building Requirements (2026 county census)
6. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
7. Price County Floodplain Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
8. Price County Zoning & Land Conservation (co.price.wi.us)
9. Wisconsin DSPS - Building a Home in Wisconsin (UDC Guide) (2026 county census)
10. Well and heat exchange notification (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
12. UDC (Uniform Dwelling Code / One- and Two-Family Dwellings), quoted and re-checked
13. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
15. Price County Zoning Administration 2025 Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
16. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
17. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
18. Price County Zoning Administration 2025 Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
19. Wisconsin Administrative Code SPS 320.09 (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Wisconsin Administrative Code SPS 302.34 (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. UDC Inspection Requirements, quoted and re-checked
23. Zoning & Land Conservation, quoted and re-checked
24. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
25. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
26. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
27. Article VI: Zoning Districts - Price County, WI, quoted and re-checked
28. co.price.wi.us, quoted and re-checked
29. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
30. Wisconsin Maintenance Program (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
31. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
32. Price County Building Requirements, quoted and re-checked
33. State highway connection permits (driveways & more) (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
34. Price County Board Packet, August 19, 2025, quoted and re-checked
35. Price County Zoning Administration 2025 Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
36. Price County Highway Department (co.price.wi.us)
37. Floodplain Development Basics (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
38. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
39. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 10, 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.