Moving to Mount Pleasant, WI?

Mount Pleasant considers excessive barking a nuisance. Animal control handles complaints. WI Stat. §174 covers dog regulation statewide.

Mount Pleasant enforces quiet hours in Wisconsin's largest village (pop. 27,000). The Foxconn/Wisconsin Innovation development area and I-94 corridor bring commercial and industrial noise considerations.

Mount Pleasant regulates amplified music under the general noise ordinance. Sound amplification permits available for events. WI Stat. §947.01 applies.

Mount Pleasant does not maintain a stand-alone short-term rental noise ordinance. Instead, every dwelling used as a short-term rental (called a 'tourist rooming house' under Wis. Stat. Sec. 97.01(15k)) is bound by the general noise standards in Chapter 90 (Zoning), Division 90-450 (Performance Standards), Sec. 90-450.70 of the Mount Pleasant Code. Sec. 90-450.70 prohibits the operation of any motor vehicle or recreational vehicle in such a manner as to create unreasonable or excessive noise, and (in residential and other non-BP/non-M zoning districts) prohibits any activity that produces a sound level outside the property boundary that exceeds the limits in Table 90-450-3. The Village's prior unreasonable-noise ordinance at former Sec. 54-5 was repealed on February 27, 2023 by Ord. No. 8-2023, and noise enforcement was consolidated into Chapter 90. Mount Pleasant Police are authorized to enforce Sec. 90-450.70.

Mount Pleasant does not have a separate STR parking standard. A dwelling used as a short-term rental (a 'tourist rooming house' under Wis. Stat. Sec. 97.01(15k)) must satisfy the same off-street parking requirements that apply to its underlying residential use under Chapter 90 (Zoning), Division 90-340 (Parking and Access) of the Mount Pleasant Code. Wis. Stat. Sec. 66.1014 prohibits the Village from prohibiting STRs and limits regulation to reasonable health, safety, building, and licensing rules that apply to comparable dwellings; the same statute therefore prevents the Village from imposing parking standards on STRs that exceed those for ordinary one- or two-family dwellings. STR operators must also comply with Chapter 70 Article III (8% room tax) and the state Tourist Rooming House license under Wis. Admin. Code Ch. ATCP 72.

Mount Pleasant regulates but cannot ban STRs under WI Act 59 (2017). DATCP tourist rooming house license may be required. WI Stat. §66.1014.

Wisconsin state room tax is 5% (WI Stat. §77.98). Mount Pleasant levies additional local room tax. Platforms auto-collect in many jurisdictions. Total 10 to 14% typical.

Wisconsin bans all aerial and explosive consumer fireworks. Only non-explosive types legal (sparklers, snakes, smoke devices). WI Stat. §167.10.

Outdoor burning regulated by WI DNR and local ordinance. Mount Pleasant may prohibit most open burning. Garbage burning always illegal. DNR permits required in protection areas.

Mount Pleasant requires vehicles parked on improved surfaces. Front lawn parking prohibited. Driveway modifications require permits.

Mount Pleasant restricts commercial vehicle parking in residential zones. Weight, size, and signage limits apply. Overnight heavy truck storage prohibited.

Mount Pleasant manages parking along commercial corridors and residential subdivisions. Growing development near the I-94 interchange creates expanding parking needs.

The Village of Mount Pleasant Zoning Code limits fences and walls in residential (R) districts to 3.5 feet in front yards and 6 feet along interior side and rear lot lines. Outside R districts, fences and walls may not exceed 8 feet, with administrative site plan review available for taller structures. A village zoning permit is required before constructing, replacing, or altering any fence. Posts, columns, and ornamental caps may extend up to 12 inches above the height limit, and height is measured from average finished grade on the inside of the fence.

WI Stat. §90.02 to 90.14 provides line fence cost-sharing for rural/agricultural land. Urban residential fences: each owner responsible for their own.

Mount Pleasant requires dogs on leash in public. Off-leash in designated parks only. Dog licensing required statewide under WI Stat. §174.

Wisconsin does not preempt local breed-specific legislation. Some WI cities have breed bans. WI Stat. §174.042 covers dangerous dogs based on behavior.

Mount Pleasant may allow residential beekeeping with hive limits and setbacks. Registration with WI DATCP required. WI Stat. §94.76.

Mount Pleasant enforces maximum grass and weed height, typically 8 to 12 inches. Overgrown properties subject to code compliance action and city abatement.

Mount Pleasant enforces weed abatement under WI Stat. §66.0407. WI DNR NR 40 governs invasive species. County enforcement also applies.

Mount Pleasant allows home occupations as accessory use in residential zones. Home occupation permit required. WI cottage food law applies for home bakers.

Mount Pleasant requires building permits for pools, spas, and hot tubs. WI Uniform Dwelling Code governs. Inspections required.

Mount Pleasant requires pool barriers to prevent unsupervised child access. Minimum 48-inch height. Self-closing, self-latching gates. WI Stat. §145.17.

Mount Pleasant enforces pool safety requirements including anti-entrapment drain covers (VGB Act), barriers, and depth markers. WI Stat. §145.17 governs.

The Village of Mount Pleasant regulates accessory dwelling units in Chapter 90 (Zoning) of the Code of Ordinances, adopted under Wis. Stat. Sec. 61.35 (village zoning). Mount Pleasant uses two ADU forms: a 'backyard cottage' (a small detached accessory residential building containing a single self-contained accessory dwelling unit on the same lot as a detached house) and a 'secondary suite' (an attached accessory dwelling within the principal dwelling). Backyard cottages are allowed in all R (Residential) Districts on lots occupied by a single detached house and are subject to the lot and building regulations of Table 90-110-8. Only one backyard cottage is allowed per lot, and a backyard cottage is not permitted on a lot that already contains a secondary suite. Recent amendments presented to the Village Board lowered the maximum height for detached accessory structures to 20 feet (or the height of the principal structure, whichever is less), increased the detached accessory-structure setback from 6 to 10 feet, and added a Building Area Ratio (BAR) for new residential construction.

Sheds in the Village of Mount Pleasant are regulated as accessory structures under Chapter 90 (Zoning), Division 90-330 of the Mount Pleasant Code. Sec. 90-330 limits accessory uses and structures to lawfully established principal uses, requires them to be located on the same lot as the principal use, and requires that the principal use be in place first. The Village's permit threshold is generous: a private shed, deck, pool, or fence and a private garage or accessory structure of less than 750 square feet do not require a zoning compliance permit, while private garages and other accessory structures 750 square feet or larger do require a permit. All accessory structures must comply with the dimensional standards (lot coverage, setbacks, and height) of the underlying zoning district under Division 90-110 (Residential Districts) and the measurement rules in Sec. 90-510. Authority: Wis. Stat. Sec. 61.35 and Sec. 62.23.

Division 90-490 of the Mount Pleasant Code of Ordinances is the 'Floodplain Zoning Ordinance for the Village of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin,' adopted by Ordinance No. 19-2020 effective June 8, 2020 and amended July 24, 2023 and September 25, 2023. The ordinance is adopted under Wis. Stat. Sec. 61.35, Sec. 62.23, and Sec. 87.30 (statutory floodplain zoning) and is designed to meet Wis. Admin. Code Ch. NR 116 and 44 CFR Parts 59-72. Division 90-490 regulates all areas of special flood hazard identified as Zones A, AO, AH, A1-30, AE, VE, V1-30, or V on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map for Racine County. The ordinance establishes the Floodway District (FW), the Floodfringe District (FF) within AE Zones, and the Coastal Floodplain District (CFD) within V, V1-30, and VE Zones along Lake Michigan, with separate provisions in Article VIII for nonconforming uses. The Pike River and Sorensen Creek are principal regulated waterways; the Lower Pike River is also subject to a 150-foot shoreland setback under Division 90-495.