Sauk County, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

Sauk County Code § 7.065 sets the secondary standards that apply whenever auto body work, vehicle repair, or vehicle maintenance is approved on a residential or agricultural lot, including as a qualifying home-based use under Section 7.052. The facility cannot generate excessive noise, smoke, odors, heat, dust, or glare detectable from the nearest public road or dwelling, other than a dwelling occupied by the repair facility's own owner. All materials used in the operation must be stored inside a building, and all major repairs, maintenance, and service work, apart from vehicle storage itself, must happen inside an enclosed structure rather than in a driveway or yard.

Vehicles awaiting work must likewise be stored inside an enclosed building, though the ordinance allows temporary outdoor parking for up to seven days before a vehicle counts as stored. The facility is capped at no more than three vehicles on the property that lack a valid state registration or license plate, which keeps a home repair operation from becoming an informal junkyard. Any such facility located in an agriculture zoning district must also meet the vegetative buffer standards of Section 7.042, screening the operation from neighboring parcels.

Together these standards mean a Sauk County resident can run a repair business from home, but only behind closed doors, with a tight limit on how many disabled or unregistered cars can sit on the lot at once.