St. Croix County's zoning reaches most of its towns, and five programmes reach all of them: shoreland, floodplain, land division, the Lower St. Croix Riverway overlay and sanitary. The Riverway district is the distinctive one — a corridor protected under federal and state wild and scenic river law.
The Community Development Department runs Land Use and Conservation, Planning and Land Information, and Resource Management. Its zoning ordinance is Chapter 17 of the county code, with sanitary at Chapter 12, land division at Chapter 13 and further chapters covering animal waste storage, non-metallic mining and solid waste.
This guide covers unincorporated St. Croix County. Hudson, New Richmond, River Falls, Somerset and Baldwin permit their own construction, and the towns of Forest, Hudson and Troy maintain their own zoning rather than county zoning.
The Riverway overlay has its own rules. The Lower St. Croix Riverway Overlay District exists to reduce the effects of overcrowding and poorly planned shoreline and bluff development, prevent erosion and contamination, and preserve the corridor's scenic and natural character — consistent with the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the federal Lower St. Croix River Act and the state's own Lower St. Croix River Act. Check the county's interactive zoning map's Riverway layer before designing anything near the river.
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Get a free quote →What requires a building permit in St. Croix County?
Typically permit required
- Land use permits for development under county zoning, including specified shoreland circumstances
- Sanitary permits before constructing or installing a private onsite wastewater system, its holding, treatment or dispersal components, or a privy
- Shoreland overlay approvals, with structures set back 75 feet from a residential property line and 25 feet from a side lot line in specified circumstances
- Riverway overlay approvals within the Lower St. Croix corridor
- Land division approvals under Chapter 13
- The town building permit, applied for separately through the town
Often exempt
- General county zoning in the towns of Forest, Hudson and Troy, which maintain their own
- Anything inside a city or village, which permits independently
- 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 and enforced by the town. The county layer is unusually deep on water and land: five programmes reaching every township, a mitigation regime for shoreland development, and the Riverway overlay's bluff and scenic protections layered over ordinary zoning.
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 St. Croix County?
The Community Development Department administers zoning through a Zoning Administrator, who reviews applications for completeness, assigns file numbers, may request additional information within 10 days and circulates applications to reviewing agencies. Conditional uses are reviewed by the Board of Adjustment. Town deputy code administrators exist but are expressly not authorized to issue permits — county staff do that.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | St. Croix County Community Development Department |
| Phone | (715) 386-4680, Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
| County ordinances | Zoning Chapter 17; Sanitary Chapter 12; Land Division Chapter 13 |
| Apply to all townships | Shoreland, floodplain, land division, Lower St. Croix Riverway overlay, sanitary |
| Town deputies | Not authorized to issue permits |
| Building permits | Town — applicants apply separately through the town |
Permit types
Residential permits
A rural house needs the county land use permit and, on a private system, the county sanitary permit; the town then issues the building permit under the Uniform Dwelling Code with state Dwelling Contractor credentials. The county mandates maintenance records for every private wastewater system in the county, and sanitary permits transfer to subsequent owners before a system can be installed.
How Wisconsin contractor licensing works
Wisconsin certifies dwelling contractors and licenses electricians and plumbers at state level (see Wisconsin rules). St. Croix County licenses no trades; state credentials govern, and a licensed plumber evaluates a failing system and works with the county on any permits required.
Commercial permits
Commercial and conditional uses are reviewed by the Board of Adjustment, and the county strongly recommends meeting with staff before applying. In the shoreland overlay, multi-family dwellings of three or more units, hotels, resorts, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants and clubs carry their own siting requirements. Building code plan review routes to the state or a delegated municipality.
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Call 1-855-478-4290 →Mechanical work, and where the state reviews directly
Commercial plans above set sizes go to the state for review first (see Wisconsin rules). Recreational and educational camps and campgrounds in the shoreland overlay must conform to the state health administrative code as well as county setbacks.
St. Croix County permit costs and fees
County application fees are non-refundable and payable to the county; the review clock starts when the application is complete.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Land use permit | Non-refundable application fee payable to St. Croix County |
| Completeness review | The Zoning Administrator may require additional information and will notify the applicant within 10 days |
| Sanitary permit | Required before constructing or installing any system component or a privy; transfers to new owners |
| Town building permit | Set by the town |
A town deputy cannot issue your permit. The shoreland ordinance states that town deputy code administrators are not authorized to issue permits — the county's Zoning Administrator does. Applicants are encouraged to contact their town separately about building permits and approvals.
Rather not deal with the St. Croix County building department?
Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
Trades are state-credentialed and permitted at town level; septic work is county-permitted and county-recorded.
Permit required
- Electrical, plumbing and HVAC — state credentials; town permits
- Private onsite wastewater systems — county sanitary permit for holding, treatment and dispersal components, and privies
- Shoreland, floodplain or Riverway work — county land use permit
- One- and two-family general work — state Dwelling Contractor plus Qualifier
Typically exempt
- General zoning in Forest, Hudson and Troy, which run their own
- Work inside cities and villages
How to apply for a St. Croix County building permit
Zoning Chapter 17, Riverway Zoning and floodplain layers each answer a different question.
Forest, Hudson and Troy maintain their own general zoning.
The county strongly recommends it.
Non-refundable; the Zoning Administrator reviews for completeness and may request more within 10 days.
Required before constructing or installing any component.
Separately, through the town — county deputies cannot issue it.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
The Riverway and shoreland layers make site design the long pole here: bluff setbacks, mitigation obligations and scenic protections can reshape a plan. Settle the overlay questions before drawings are finalized rather than after.
Inspections in St. Croix County
Building inspections are the town's. The county conducts sanitary inspections — schedulable online or by phone — and maintains statutory maintenance records for every private wastewater system in the county under a state mandate dating to June 2005.
St. Croix County permit search and official resources
- St. Croix County Land Use and Zoning — ordinances, conditional uses and appointments
- St. Croix County land use FAQ — overlay districts, sanitary records and mapping layers
- DSPS plan review — state triggers and delegated authority lists
- Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code — SPS 320 to 325 as published
Frequently asked questions
Does St. Croix County issue building permits?
No. The county issues land use, sanitary and overlay permits; the town issues the building permit, and applicants apply to the town separately.
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →What is the Lower St. Croix Riverway district?
An overlay protecting the federally designated wild and scenic corridor, limiting poorly planned shoreline and bluff development and preserving the corridor's scenic and natural characteristics.
Which programmes apply everywhere?
Shoreland, floodplain, land division, the Lower St. Croix Riverway overlay and sanitary apply to all townships.
Do all towns use county zoning?
Most do, but the towns of Forest, Hudson and Troy maintain their own general zoning.
Can my town's deputy issue the county permit?
No. Town deputy code administrators are expressly not authorized to issue permits; the county's Zoning Administrator does.
How are septic records kept?
The county has maintained records for all private wastewater systems since a state mandate in June 2005, and maintenance records are viewable online by permit number.
Simplify St. Croix County permitting with Alliance Permitting
St. Croix County adds an overlay most Wisconsin builders have never dealt with. We check the Riverway and shoreland layers before design, clear the county tracks, and keep the town application moving in parallel.
Ready to break ground in St. Croix County sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the St. Croix County Community Development Department, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More Wisconsin permitting guides
More Wisconsin permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about St. Croix County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.