Washington County, WI Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Washington County Code § 275-5A sets the baseline: except as reduced under the section, all temporary and permanent structures must be set back 75 feet from the ordinary high-water mark (OHWM) of navigable waters, measured to the nearest part of the building. That standard governs the county's own shoreland zoning district under Chapter 275 and reaches only unincorporated land in the county's eleven towns; West Bend, Hartford, Germantown, Jackson, Slinger, Kewaskum, Richfield and Newburg each zone inside their own limits.

Setback averaging under § 275-5B lets a property owner build closer than 75 feet when neighboring principal structures already sit nearer the water. Where existing structures stand on both adjoining lots within 250 feet, the new setback equals the average of those two distances; where only one neighbor is closer, the setback splits the difference between that structure and the 75-foot standard. Either way, the averaged setback can never drop below 35 feet from the OHWM, and unenclosed decks or patios built with the qualifying structure may share the reduced line.

Separate rules cover accessory features: boathouses and water-access stairs, ramps and lifts are exempt from § 275-5A altogether if they meet the size and location limits in § 275-5C and D, and minor structures such as small unenclosed sheds can sit as close as 35 feet if their combined floor area in the setback zone stays under 200 square feet. All structures also carry a separate 25-foot minimum setback from any mapped wetland under § 275-5H. A permit from the Planning and Parks Department is required before construction begins in the shoreland setback area.