Burlington, WI Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Zoning Code § 315-42B makes the design guidelines a binding overlay on the underlying zoning district. Any exterior change to a structure inside the HPO District, including painting, an addition, or demolition, needs a certificate of appropriateness approved or conditionally approved by the Common Council under § 315-42E(1), which must act within 45 days of receiving the Historic Preservation Commission's recommendation; signage certificates instead go straight to the Building Inspector for final approval with no Council vote. A certificate of appropriateness lapses one year after it is granted if construction has not begun, though the Council can grant a good-cause extension of up to one more year under § 315-42E(5).

Satellite dishes in the district are capped at two per lot or dwelling unit, one meter in diameter, and must stay hidden from public streets when reception allows it; a dish on a mast over 12 feet tall needs a separate building permit. Section 315-42E(3)(a) even lets the Council waive the chapter's normal 50%-of-equalized-value cap on lifetime structural repairs (set generally at § 315-84) if the work keeps the building's historic character. Applications for a certificate of appropriateness must include architectural plans, elevations, color samples and material samples under § 315-139.