Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Village of Gilman, Wisconsin

At a glance

Zoning

Yes: the village adopts and administers its own zoning code¹

Building permit

Required from the village Zoning Administrator; minor work of $2,000 or less can be exempt²

Where to apply

Village Clerk, who forwards the application to the Zoning Administrator²

Manufactured homes

Allowed on an enclosed permanent foundation on owner-held land⁴

R-1 minimum lot

13,068 sq ft for existing platted lots; 17,424 sq ft for new lots⁵

Sewer

R-1 district is to be municipally sewered unless extensions are not available⁶

Septic permit

Not confirmed inside the village; Taylor County Zoning issues sanitary permits in the county³

Owner-builder

State rule lets an owner who will occupy the home pull the construction permits⁷

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 15, 2026.

Does Gilman, Wisconsin have zoning, and what does it mean for lots and setbacks?

Yes. The Village of Gilman adopts and administers its own zoning code, so zoning inside village limits is set by the village, not by Taylor County¹. The code sorts village land into residential, rural development, commercial, industrial, public/institutional, conservancy and wellhead-protection districts¹.

Dimensions depend on the district. In the R-1 Single-Family Residence District, an existing platted lot needs at least 13,068 square feet and a new platted lot needs at least 17,424 square feet⁵. In the RD Rural Development District, the minimum lot area is 17,424 square feet and the minimum width is 100 feet⁸. R-1 principal buildings need a 30-foot front yard to the foundation and a 6-foot side yard⁹. Accessory buildings in RD follow the R-1 accessory-building yard rule¹⁰.

Manufactured homes can be used as dwellings in Gilman if they sit on an enclosed permanent foundation on land the home's owner owns, are off their wheels and connected to utilities, and have no tow bars, wheels or axles attached⁴. We could not confirm village rules on tiny homes, accessory dwellings, RV living or minimum house size, so ask the Village Clerk before you buy.

Do you need a building permit in Gilman, and who issues it?

Yes. Inside the Village of Gilman, no building or structure may be erected, structurally altered or relocated until the village Zoning Administrator has issued a building permit². Exceptions include re-roofing without a change in roof design, painting, and listed work whose total improvement cost is $2,000 or less².

Apply through the Village Clerk, who submits the application to the Zoning Administrator, and expect the permit to be tied to compliance with the village zoning code and applicable building codes². The village's fees for zoning permits, variances, rezonings and conditional uses follow a fee schedule set by the Village Board; the code itself does not list dollar amounts, so ask the Clerk for the current schedule¹¹.

For a new one- or two-family home, Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code also requires a state-code permit, with enforcement by a municipality, county or the state depending on delegation¹². We could not confirm which inspector covers new homes inside Gilman or what village inspections are required, so ask the Clerk's office.

Who do you call about building permits in Gilman?

Start with the Village of Gilman Clerk/Treasurer's Office at 715-447-8650 or clerk@gilmanwi.gov; the village hall is at 380 E. Main St.¹³. The village, not Taylor County, receives building permit applications for land inside village limits².

The county's rules are for unincorporated land. Taylor County has no comprehensive countywide zoning, and its shoreland zoning applies in unincorporated areas¹⁴. For land outside Gilman, see the Taylor County page.

How do septic permits work inside Gilman?

We could not confirm who issues septic permits for a lot inside the Village of Gilman, or whether private systems are allowed there at all. What the village code does say is that the R-1 district is to be municipally sewered unless sewer extensions are not available, and the Village Board may require sewer in the future⁶. A single-family lot in the village should therefore be assumed to connect to village sewer⁶, so ask the Village Clerk about sewer availability before you plan a septic system.

If a private system is allowed, Taylor County requires a valid sanitary permit before any private sewage system is installed³. The Taylor County Zoning Department administers those permits and inspections under state administrative code standards¹⁵. Its published fee for a conventional system is $300¹⁶. Call the Taylor County Zoning Department at 715.748.1485 to confirm whether this applies to your address¹⁷.

Building a home in Gilman: the steps, in order

1. Call the Village Clerk at 715-447-8650 to confirm the zoning district of the lot and whether village sewer is available¹³⁶.
2. Check the district's lot size and setback rules, such as the R-1 minimums for lot area and front yard⁵⁹.
3. Ask the Clerk, and the Taylor County Zoning Department if a private system might be involved, about septic and sewer before you apply; a building permit cannot be issued for a new dwelling on a private onsite system until a sanitary permit has been issued¹⁸.
4. Submit the building permit application to the Village Clerk for the Zoning Administrator².
5. If you will live in the home yourself, Wisconsin lets the owner-occupant take out the construction and erosion-control permits without a certified Dwelling Contractor⁷.
6. Call for inspections before covering each phase of work; the state inspector has two business days after your request¹⁹.

What stays with Taylor County, and what to check before you buy in Gilman

Septic permits, shoreland zoning, floodplain zoning and subdivision control are the county's lanes, run by the Taylor County Zoning Department¹⁷. If the lot sits near a lake or stream, county shoreland rules apply in unincorporated areas, including a 75-foot setback from the ordinary high-water mark²⁰; ask whether any of that reaches a village parcel. A private well also needs a state Well Construction Notification before drilling²¹. A driveway onto a state highway needs a WisDOT connection permit²².

For cost context, Taylor County's effective property tax rate is 1.4%²³, and its median property tax bill is $2,647 per year²⁴.

Watch-outs

• Septic authority inside Gilman village limits was not confirmed; ask the Taylor County Zoning Department and the Village Clerk before assuming a private system is allowed on a village lot³.
• The R-1 district is to be municipally sewered unless extensions are not available, and the Village Board may require sewer in the future⁶.
• We could not confirm village rules on tiny homes, RV living, accessory dwellings or short-term rentals; ask the Village Clerk before buying with one of those plans²⁵.
• The county's rules apply to unincorporated Taylor County, not to land inside the village¹⁴.

Sources

1. Gilman, Wisconsin Code of Ordinances (Village of Gilman), quoted and re-checked
2. § 151.23 Permit required (Village of Gilman), quoted and re-checked
3. Chapter 32 – Sanitary Code, quoted and re-checked
4. § 157.078 Manufactured homes exempted (Village of Gilman), quoted and re-checked
5. § 157.054 R-1 Single-Family Residence District (Village of Gilman), quoted and re-checked
6. § 157.054 R-1 Single-Family Residence District (Village of Gilman), quoted and re-checked
7. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. § 157.056 RD Rural Development District (Village of Gilman), quoted and re-checked
9. § 157.054 R-1 Single-Family Residence District (Village of Gilman), quoted and re-checked
10. § 157.056 RD Rural Development District (Village of Gilman), quoted and re-checked
11. § 157.134 Fees for permits, variances, rezonings, conditional uses and signs (Village of Gilman), quoted and re-checked
12. UDC (Uniform Dwelling Code / One- and Two-Family Dwellings), quoted and re-checked
13. Village of Gilman Clerk/Treasurer's Office (gilmanwi.gov)
14. Taylor County Land and Water Resource Management Plan, quoted and re-checked
15. Zoning | Taylor County, quoted and re-checked
16. Zoning | Taylor County, quoted and re-checked
17. Taylor County Zoning Department (co.taylor.wi.us)
18. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Chapter 31 – Shoreland Zoning, quoted and re-checked
21. Well and heat exchange notification (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. State highway connection permits (driveways & more) (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
24. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
25. Lodging Establishments (Wisconsin statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 15, 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.