Dane County, WI Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Principal building cap
- 2.5 stories or 35 feet
- Accessory building cap
- 12 feet without a permit
- Relief route
- conditional use permit under 10.251(3)(a)
- Neighboring SFR-1/SFR-2 accessory cap
- 16 feet by right
- Zone
- SFR-08 Single-Family Residential, Small Lots
Summary
In Dane County's SFR-08 single-family district, ch. 10.251(6) caps a principal residence at two and a half stories or 35 feet, whichever limit is reached first, and limits an accessory building to 12 feet unless the owner secures a conditional use permit under ch. 10.251(3)(a).
(6) Building height. (a) Principal buildings. Residential buildings shall not exceed two and a half stories or 35 feet in height. (b) Accessory buildings. Unless under an approved conditional use permit under s. 10.251(3)(a), residential accessory buildings shall not exceed 12 feet in height.
Full Breakdown
Ch. 251(6) governs building height in the SFR-08 (Single-Family Residential, Small Lots) zoning district, the county's classification for compact residential lots in the unincorporated towns that have adopted Dane County zoning, it has no reach inside Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, Middleton, Verona, Stoughton or Monona, which each zone under their own municipal code. 5-story cap used one district over in SFR-1 (ch. 252(6)) and SFR-2 (ch. 253(6)). Accessory buildings in SFR-08 are held to a flatter 12 feet unless the property owner obtains a conditional use permit under ch.
251(3)(a), a noticeably tighter accessory limit than the neighboring SFR-1 and SFR-2 districts, where ch. 252(6)(b) and ch. 253(6)(b) both allow accessory buildings up to 16 feet by right, with no conditional use process required. Height is measured under the same Chapter 10 zoning ordinance that sets lot dimensions and setbacks for the district, so a homeowner planning a two-story garage or workshop taller than the 12-foot accessory cap needs to apply for the conditional use permit before construction rather than after, since the county's building and zoning permit review checks the plan against ch. 251 before a permit issues.
Violations & Fines
The Dane County Planning and Development Department reviews building permits against ch. 10.251(6) before issuance, and a structure built over height without the required conditional use permit is a zoning violation; the county can order the excess brought into compliance or removed and may pursue a forfeiture action in circuit court for continued noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a house be in Dane County's SFR-08 zoning district?
Can I build a taller garage or shed than 12 feet?
Is the accessory building height limit the same in every Dane County residential zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dane County
Compare Dane County to another location·View the Wisconsin building setbacks & zoning overview
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