Chippewa County's comprehensive zoning ordinance has been adopted by six townships — Anson, Eagle Point, Hallie, Lafayette, Wheaton and Woodmohr — while its shoreland ordinance under Chapter 55 reaches every unincorporated parcel within 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a river or stream.
The Department of Planning and Zoning is designated by the county board to administer and enforce the zoning ordinance under Chapter 70, with an Administrator issuing conditional use permits when authorized by the committee and reporting annually to the County Board.
This guide covers unincorporated Chippewa County. The county’s zoning applies to the six townships that adopted it plus the shoreland belt countywide; cities and villages zone themselves. Building permits are different: the county holds state Uniform Dwelling Code delegation and issues those permits in every town except Howard and in the cities of Bloomer, Cornell and Stanley and the villages of Boyd, Cadott and Lake Hallie. Only Chippewa Falls and the Town of Howard issue their own.
Seven days to fix an incomplete application. The county's zoning permit application requires a site plan, floor plan, side views and building elevations plus fees. If required information is missing, the applicant has seven days from notification to submit it or make corrections — a tighter cure window than most Wisconsin counties allow.
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Get a free quote →What requires a building permit in Chippewa County?
Typically permit required
- County zoning permits — no building, sign or structure, including trailers, may be constructed, enlarged, altered or moved until all applicable permits have issued
- Shoreland zoning permits under Chapter 55, covering ordinary high water mark setbacks, vegetative buffer zones, impervious surface standards and mitigation
- Floodplain approvals where mapped
- Sanitary permits for private onsite wastewater systems
- Land division review and planned unit development approvals under Chapter 55
- The Uniform Dwelling Code building permit, issued by the county Department of Planning and Zoning (the Town of Howard issues its own)
Often exempt
- General zoning in townships that did not adopt the county's comprehensive ordinance — those towns zone themselves
- State highway and bridge construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair by the state transport department where the statute applies
- Buildings used for farming — exempt from the state commercial building code under Wis. Stat. 101.05(5), with farming defined by DSPS rule; a produce stand stays exempt only while at least 90 percent of what it sells was grown or produced on the farm
- Primitive rural hunting cabins — carved out of municipal jurisdiction by Wis. Stat. 101.65(1g)
- Bed-and-breakfast establishments as defined by statute — outside the commercial building code under Wis. Stat. 101.05(2), though a third floor in use or a new addition must meet the Uniform Dwelling Code
What is actually local, and what is not
Building standards are statewide. Chippewa County's layer includes a shoreland ordinance that expressly supersedes any county zoning provisions relating solely to shorelands — covering stairways, walkways, elevated landings, boathouses, filling and grading, and an impervious surface standard.
Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code covers one- and two-family homes. Its Commercial Building Code covers public buildings, workplaces and buildings of three or more units. Local ordinances must conform to both. Wisconsin rules
Who handles permitting in Chippewa County?
The Department of Planning and Zoning administers and enforces the zoning ordinance under delegation from the County Board, with an Administrator and designated representatives. Zoning inspectors conduct on-site inspections between eight in the morning and four thirty in the afternoon. Under its state delegation the department also issues Uniform Dwelling Code building permits in every town except Howard and in the cities of Bloomer, Cornell and Stanley and the villages of Boyd, Cadott and Lake Hallie. The Board of Adjustment decides variances.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | Chippewa County Department of Planning and Zoning |
| Office | 711 North Bridge Street, Room 9, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 |
| Phone | (715) 726-7940; Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. |
| Comprehensive zoning townships | Anson, Eagle Point, Hallie, Lafayette, Wheaton and Woodmohr |
| Shoreland | Chapter 55; 1,000 feet from lakes, 300 feet from rivers and streams |
| Building permits | County Planning and Zoning (Uniform Dwelling Code), except in Chippewa Falls and the Town of Howard |
Permit types
Residential permits
A rural house needs the county zoning permit with a full application package — site plan, floor plan, elevations and fees — plus shoreland approval where applicable and a sanitary permit on a private system. The county department then issues the Uniform Dwelling Code building permit, with state Dwelling Contractor credentials: for a new house the Wisconsin Uniform Building Permit Application is completed online with DSPS and a printed copy submitted to the department.
How Wisconsin contractor licensing works
Wisconsin certifies dwelling contractors and licenses electricians and plumbers at state level (see Wisconsin rules). Chippewa County licenses no trades; state credentials govern and the county’s Uniform Dwelling Code inspector verifies them.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Commercial permits
Commercial development in county zoning jurisdiction needs the zoning permit and any conditional use approval, which the Administrator issues when the committee authorizes it. Building code plan review routes to the state or a delegated municipality; the county holds no commercial plan review delegation.
Mechanical work, and where the state reviews directly
Commercial plans above set sizes go to the state for review first (see Wisconsin rules). The department also runs the county’s private onsite wastewater (POWTS) programme, including determining whether a system has failed.
Chippewa County permit costs and fees
Fees accompany the zoning application — the department will not process an application without them — and are published with the application form.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Zoning permit | Application fee submitted with site plan, floor plan and elevations |
| Shoreland permit | Under Chapter 55, with mitigation requirements where applicable |
| Sanitary permit | For private onsite wastewater systems |
| Uniform Dwelling Code permit | Per the county fee schedule (2026 schedule effective January 1, 2026); set by the town in Howard |
Shoreland rules override general zoning near water. Chapter 55 states that its provisions supersede any county zoning provisions that relate solely to shorelands — so a standard that applies only because land is in the shoreland is governed by the shoreland ordinance, not the general one.
Rather not deal with the Chippewa County building department?
Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
Trades are state-credentialed. On one- and two-family dwellings the county issues electrical and other trade-related permits with the Uniform Dwelling Code permit (except in Howard); its role also covers zoning, shoreland and sanitary.
Permit required
- Electrical, plumbing and HVAC — state credentials; county Uniform Dwelling Code permits on dwellings (town permits in Howard)
- Private onsite wastewater systems — county sanitary permit
- Shoreland work — county permit, including for stairways, walkways, boathouses, filling and grading
- One- and two-family general work — state Dwelling Contractor plus Qualifier
Typically exempt
- General zoning matters in townships that did not adopt the county ordinance
- County zoning inside cities and villages
How to apply for a Chippewa County building permit
Six did; the others administer their own.
Chapter 55 reaches every unincorporated parcel near navigable water.
Site plan, floor plan, side views and elevations, plus fees.
That is the full cure window from notification.
Staff may inspect between eight in the morning and four thirty in the afternoon.
Planning and Zoning issues and inspects under the state code everywhere except Chippewa Falls and the Town of Howard.
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Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
The seven-day cure window makes completeness unusually important here — a missing elevation drawing can cost the application rather than just delay it. Shoreland parcels need the Chapter 55 analysis before design, not after.
Inspections in Chippewa County
Building inspections are the county’s under its Uniform Dwelling Code delegation, except in Chippewa Falls and the Town of Howard. County zoning inspectors conduct on-site inspections of proposed structures and projects during business hours, and the department determines failure of private wastewater systems.
Chippewa County permit search and official resources
- Chippewa County Planning and Zoning — ordinances, permits and the wastewater programme
- Chippewa County comprehensive zoning — the six participating townships and setback tables
- DSPS plan review — state triggers and delegated authority lists
- Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code — SPS 320 to 325 as published
Frequently asked questions
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Does Chippewa County issue building permits?
Yes, in most of the county. Planning and Zoning issues Uniform Dwelling Code building permits under state delegation in every town except Howard and in the cities of Bloomer, Cornell and Stanley and the villages of Boyd, Cadott and Lake Hallie, alongside its zoning, shoreland and sanitary permits. Chippewa Falls and the Town of Howard issue their own.
Which townships adopted county zoning?
Anson, Eagle Point, Hallie, Lafayette, Wheaton and Woodmohr.
How long do I have to fix an incomplete application?
Seven days from notification to submit the missing information or make the necessary corrections.
How far does shoreland zoning reach?
1,000 feet from a lake and 300 feet from a river or stream, under Chapter 55.
Does shoreland zoning override general county zoning?
Where a standard applies solely because land is in the shoreland, yes — Chapter 55 supersedes those provisions.
What must the zoning application include?
A site plan, floor plan, side views and building elevations, together with the applicable fees.
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Chippewa County's seven-day cure window rewards a complete first submission. We build the full package up front, settle the shoreland analysis early, and keep the building permit application moving behind it.
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More Wisconsin permitting guides
More Wisconsin permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Chippewa County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.