Before You Build in Mount Pleasant, WI: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

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 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.

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.