Zoning Overlays & Bonuses in Wisconsin (2026)

10 rules on the books across Wisconsin, 9 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.

Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions

Density Bonus Law

California Density Bonus Law (Gov Code §65915) and local implementations granting up to 50% density bonuses for affordable-housing projects.

In Urban Design District 8 along East Washington Avenue, Madison lets buildings rise two to four stories above the base…

Walworth County lets conservation subdivisions in the A-2, C-2, C-3, R-1, R-2, R-2A, and R-3 districts earn density…

Winnebago County allows smaller non-riparian lots in a shoreland Planned Unit Development in exchange for larger…

LA's Downtown Design Guide and Community Plan governing high-rise massing, ground-floor activation, and adaptive-reuse standards in DTLA.

Buildings inside Burlington's HPO Historic Preservation Overlay District must follow the published "Burlington Historic…

Kenosha County requires a formal 'Design Guidelines' document before it will create a Town Center Overlay District…

Minor building facade changes in Madison's Downtown Core (DC) zoning district are reviewed against the city's "Downtown…

Waukesha's Downtown Shopping Area and Downtown Perimeter District carry extra design controls on top of ordinary…

In the Downtown Okauchee District of the Town of Oconomowoc, any new building, an addition over 50% of an existing…

Wausau's Downtown Historic Mixed-Use District carries its own design code built around the area's pedestrian-oriented…

Appleton's Central Business District (CBD) zoning classification, Municipal Code Sec. 23-114, is the city's downtown…