Walworth County, WI Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

9-A of the subdivision control ordinance. Subsection (1)i stacks a menu of density bonuses on top of the base site capacity, up to a combined 20 percent maximum: a ten percent bonus for increasing the total shoreyard setback to 150 feet from the ordinary high-water mark, a five percent bonus for increasing it to 100 feet, a ten percent bonus for a 75-foot buffer around an isolated, non-zoned wetland, a five percent bonus for preserving an environmental corridor covering at least ten percent of the site, a five percent bonus for providing ten percent more conservation land than required, a ten percent bonus for dedicating a public park or trail access easement, a five percent bonus for a conservation easement to a public agency, and further five percent bonuses for preserving a significant archaeological site, restoring native plant species on at least half of the required open space, dedicating land to a nonprofit conservation organization, funding a stewardship endowment, preserving a historic structure listed on the state or federal register, or providing affordable housing for at least 25 percent of the units.

Every bonus still requires the developer to meet the minimum conservation land requirement for the district, and site capacity is calculated from the net buildable area after subtracting rights-of-way, wetlands, and open water. The County Zoning Agency and Planning, Zoning, and Sanitation Committee review the conservation development application under §§ 74-58 and 74-59.