Building Setbacks & Zoning in Wisconsin (2026)

Wisconsin Statute § 59.692 and Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 115 establish uniform statewide shoreland zoning…

Appleton sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks by zoning district in Chapter 23. In the R-1A single-family…

Ashwaubenon's zoning code ties most yard setbacks to the district a lot sits in, using Table 17-5-100 for the base…

Beloit's residential district table sets a 30-foot front and rear setback in the R-1A, R-2, R-3 and R-4 districts and…

Brown County requires a 75-foot setback from the ordinary high-water mark for every building and structure in the…

Burlington's Rs-1 Single-Family Residence District requires a 25-foot street yard from any public right-of-way, side…

In Dane County's SFR-08 single-family district, the county's small-lot residential zone in unincorporated towns, front…

De Pere's zoning ordinance normally sets minimum front, rear and interior side setbacks by residential district, but…

Fitchburg's R-L Low Density District requires a 30-foot front setback, ten-foot side setback, 25-foot street-side…

Within shoreland areas of unincorporated Fond du Lac County, buildings and structures must sit at least 75 feet back…

Front-yard setbacks in Green Bay's residential districts run 10 feet in RR, R-1, and R-2, and 20 feet in R-3, with…

The Village of Little Chute's RC single-family district sets a 25-foot front yard, seven-foot individual (15-foot…

Madison's SR-C1 single-family district requires a 30-foot front yard setback, 6-foot side yards, and a rear yard equal…

Marathon County's zoning Table 2 sets a 20-foot side and 35-foot rear yard setback in the General Agriculture (G-A)…

In Middleton's SR-L Single-Family Residential Low Density district, City of Middleton Zoning Code Section 10.02.10(7)…

In the City of Milton's SR-7 single-family district, principal buildings must sit back 20 feet from the front lot line…

Milwaukee's zoning code sets separate front, side and rear yard setback minimums for each residential district…

A single-family home in Mosinee's R-1 district must sit back at least 30 feet from the front lot line, 10 feet from an…

Neenah sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by zoning district, starting at 25 feet in front and six feet…

New Berlin sets front, side and rear yard minimums by residential zoning district in Table 275-33-2, and separately…

Outagamie County's RSF single-family district sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks that shift with sewer…

Racine County sets a 75-foot shore setback, 100-foot street and rear setbacks, and a 50-foot side setback for the R-1…

General yard setbacks are set by your city, village, or town zoning. Rock County directly enforces the mandatory…

Rothschild requires every building or accessory structure, including sheds, parking structures, and fences, to sit at…

Sun Prairie sets minimum yard setbacks by dwelling-unit type rather than by a single citywide number. On a standard…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, the R-1 single-family district's Sec. 74-54 table sets a 25-foot rear yard…

In the unincorporated towns of Washington County, Wisconsin, new principal structures within the shoreland zone, land…

In Waukesha's RS-1 Single-Family Residential District, Municipal Code Sec. 22.24 sets a thirty-five-foot street yard…

In unincorporated towns zoned by Waukesha County, typical residential setbacks are a 50-foot front-yard setback (35…

Wausau's Title 23 zoning code sets minimum front, side, rear and street-side setbacks for every zoning district in its…

Wauwatosa's zoning code sets minimum yard setbacks by residential district under Municipal Code Section 24.02.030…

West Allis sets minimum yard setbacks by zoning district, RA-1 requires 30 feet front, 25 feet rear, and 8 feet side…

Winnebago County sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by zoning district in Chapter 23's Exhibit 8-2, and…

Homes in Appleton's R-1A single-family district cannot exceed 35 feet in building height. The R-1A district, the city's…

The Village of Ashwaubenon caps most main buildings, including houses, at 36 feet under Municipal Code Section…

Beloit caps residential buildings at 2½ stories or 35 feet in the R-1A, R-1B and R-2 districts, while the…

Brown County bans structures over 35 feet within 75 feet of a navigable lake, river or stream's ordinary high-water…

Burlington caps single-family homes in the Rs-1 Residence District at 35 feet under City Code Section 315-16E, the same…

In Dane County's SFR-08 single-family district, ch. 10.251(6) caps a principal residence at two and a half stories or…

Fitchburg caps residential structures in the R-L Low Density District at 35 feet or three stories, whichever is less…

Within shoreland areas of unincorporated Fond du Lac County, the county may not permit any structure taller than 35…

Green Bay's residential zoning table, Table 44-2 under Municipal Code § 44-554, caps building height at 35 feet (2.5…

Kenosha County's R-1 Rural Residential District caps buildings at 35 feet under County Code § 12.32.010(f), the base…

Single-family homes in Little Chute's RC conventional district top out at 35 feet or 2½ stories, one of several…

Madison caps single-family, two-family, and twin dwellings in the SR-C1 district at two stories and 35 feet under…

Marathon County's zoning Table 2 caps most residential and agricultural structures at 35 feet, Rural Residential…

The City of Middleton caps principal building height at 36 feet in its core single-family and multi-family residential…

A principal house in the City of Milton's SR-7, SR-10, MH-7 and Adult-Oriented districts is capped at 35 feet under the…

Milwaukee caps principal buildings in the RS1-RS6 single-family and RT1-RT3 two-family zoning districts at 45 feet…

In Mosinee's R-3 single-family residence district, a detached single-family dwelling, rectory, parsonage or parish…

Homes in Neenah's R-1 Single-Family Residence District are capped at 35 feet or two and one-half stories, with matching…

New Berlin caps single-family dwellings at 35 feet across its Rural Conservation, Suburban and Low- to Medium-Density…

Outagamie County caps single-family homes in the RSF district at 35 feet or 2½ stories under every sewer and platting…

In the county's R-1 Country Estate District, Racine County caps building height at 35 feet under the area requirements…

Primary buildings in Rothschild's residential zoning districts cannot exceed 35 feet in above-grade height once erected…

On Sun Prairie's standard 10,500-square-foot single-family lot type, the dwelling itself is capped at 35 feet and any…

In the towns under Walworth County zoning, the R-1 single-family district caps building height at 45 feet under Sec…

In the unincorporated towns of Washington County, Wisconsin, Chapter 275 caps building height within 75 feet of the…

In Waukesha's RS-1 Single-Family Residential District, Municipal Code Sec. 22.24 caps a principal home at forty feet…

Waukesha County caps house height at 35 feet on lots narrower than 65 feet, or 44 feet to the peak (32 feet to the eave…

Wausau's Title 23 zoning code caps residential building height by district in its bulk regulations table. In the (SR-2)…

Wauwatosa caps principal-building height at 35 feet in every residential zoning district under Municipal Code Section…

West Allis caps building height at 35 feet in the RA-1 through RA-3 single- and two-family districts, 40 feet in RB…

Wisconsin Administrative Code NR 115 sets uniform impervious surface coverage limits for shoreland properties…

Appleton's residential zoning districts each carry their own maximum lot-coverage percentage: 40% in R-1A, 50% in R-1B…

Brown County caps impervious surface at 15% of any lot or parcel within 300 feet of a navigable water's ordinary…

Ch. 10.251(7) caps total building coverage in Dane County's SFR-08 single-family district at 35% of an interior lot's…

On any De Pere lot with a backyard cottage, Zoning Ordinance Section 14-27(4)(k) caps the combined ground-floor…

In Fitchburg's R-L Low Density District, buildings and other lot coverage cannot exceed 35 percent of the lot under the…

Within shoreland areas of unincorporated Fond du Lac County, impervious surface on the portion of a lot within 300 feet…

Green Bay caps impervious surface, buildings, driveways, and paved areas, between 40% and 70% of a lot, with the limit…

Little Chute caps single-family lot coverage at 35 percent in the RC conventional single-family district, part of the…

Madison limits lot coverage for single-family, two-family, and twin dwellings in the SR-C1 district to 50 percent of…

Marathon County's Table 2 caps building footprint at 15 to 30 percent of lot area depending on zoning district…

The City of Middleton limits impervious surface, the combined footprint of buildings, driveways, patios and pavement…

The City of Milton, Wisconsin does not cap building footprint directly. Instead it limits total impervious surface…

Milwaukee caps how much of a residential lot a house can cover, from 15% in RS1 single-family districts up to 60% in…

Neenah caps building lot coverage at 30 percent in the C-1 General Commercial District, with the Plan Commission able…

New Berlin caps building footprint at 45% and total impervious surface at 60% of the lot in its Rm-1 Multiple-Family…

Outagamie County limits how much of an RSF lot a house can cover, from 30 percent inside a sewered subdivision plat…

Maximum lot coverage and impervious-surface limits for general zoning are set by your city, village, or unincorporated…

Within shoreland areas of unincorporated Walworth County, most lots within 300 feet of a navigable waterway are capped…

Within 300 feet of a lake, pond or navigable stream in the unincorporated towns of Washington County, impervious…

In Waukesha's M-3 Limited Business and Industrial Park District, buildings, accessory structures, and surface parking…

Waukesha County caps impervious surface at 15% of any lot within 300 feet of a navigable waterway's ordinary high water…

Wausau's Title 23 zoning code caps how much of a lot can be covered by buildings and paved surface, expressed as a…

Wauwatosa limits how much of a residential lot buildings may cover under Municipal Code Section 24.02.030. Combined…

The West Allis zoning code caps building lot coverage at 40% in the RA-1 and RA-2 districts, 50% in RA-3, and 60% in…