Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, Wisconsin

Village of Fontana-on-Geneva Lake’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village limits; the village's own zoning ordinance and zoning administrator

  • The village zoning map also covers its extraterritorial zoning area (ETZ); ETZ land outside village limits is not answered by this claim.
  • Zoning ordinance text was not opened in this research; presence is shown by village pages naming zoning amendments, a zoning map and a zoning administrator.

  “zoning administrator beginning the week of june 12, 2023 office hours: wednesdays: 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village limits

  • A zoning map for the village and its ETZ is linked from the village page; the district list and boundaries were not read in the map itself.

  “zoning map for village of fontana and etz”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Fontana-on-Geneva Lake

Village of Fontana-on-Geneva Lake does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Dwellings inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village covered by Wisconsin SPS 320 to 325 (Uniform Dwelling Code)

  • Covered dwellings are those described in SPS 320.04 and its exemptions in SPS 320.05; SPS 320.05 was not opened in this research.
  • Enforcement is by the village under the state code's municipal procedure (SPS 320.06).

  “this code applies to all dwellings, dwelling units and foundations for dwelling units, for which the building permit application was made or construction commenced on or after the effective date of this code.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Private on-site wastewater treatment systems on land inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village

  • The statute lets the department or any local governmental unit responsible for regulation issue sanitary permits; which body does so for the village was not verified.
  • Walworth County or village sanitary ordinance not opened.

  ““sanitary permit” means a permit authorizing the installation of a private on-site wastewater treatment system that is issued by the department or any governmental unit responsible for the regulation of private on-site wastewater treatment systems.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installing a private on-site wastewater treatment system on land inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village

  • The property owner must hold a valid sanitary permit before a system is installed.
  • The governmental unit approves or disapproves the sanitary permit under state rules.
  • No person may sell at retail a septic tank for installation in Wisconsin unless the purchaser holds a valid sanitary permit.

  “no person may purchase or install a private on-site wastewater treatment system unless the owner of the property on which the private on-site wastewater treatment system is to be installed holds a valid sanitary permit issued under this section.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Fontana-on-Geneva Lake or Walworth County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-occupant construction inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village
• Certificate of occupancy — New dwellings inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village
• Minimum dwelling size — Main single-family residential district inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village (Village Residential SR-5 district, named in a village Zoning Board of Appeals record seen only in search results)
• Minimum lot size — Main single-family residential district inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village (Village Residential SR-5 district)
• Setbacks — Main single-family residential district inside Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village (Village Residential SR-5 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 Village of Fontana-on-Geneva Lake 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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