Zoning › State preemptions › Wisconsin

Wisconsin Town Zoning — Wis. Stat. §§ 60.61, 60.62 (WI)

Tracked preemption from the Wisconsin overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
1933-01-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:WI
Other Wisconsin preemptions
Wisconsin Livestock Facility Siting — Wis. Stat. § 93.90 + ATCP 51 (CAFO preemption)Wisconsin Nonmetallic Mining (Frac Sand) Reclamation — Wis. Stat. Ch. 295 + NR 135Lower Wisconsin State Riverway — Wis. Stat. § 30.40 et seq.Wisconsin Local Historic Preservation — Wis. Stat. § 44.44 (Certified Ordinance)Fort McCoy / Volk Field AICUZ + Military Influence Area — federal/local coordinationWisconsin Brownfield Response / Spill Law — Wis. Stat. § 292.11 + DNR RR ProgramWisconsin Farmland Preservation — Wis. Stat. Ch. 91Wisconsin Tax Increment Law (TIF) — Wis. Stat. § 66.1105

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

city.government_form == town

Preempted fields

2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
review_typerequiretown_zoning_per_60_61_or_60_62§60.61 — general town zoning in counties without countywide zoning. §60.62 — towns with village powers may zone under §61.35/§62.23 framework, BUT in counties with a §59.69 countywide ordinance in force, the town ordinance must be approved by the county board (§60.62(3)).
town_shoreland_authoritywaive—§60.627 — town shoreland zoning authority preempted entirely by statewide DNR shoreland standards (NR 115) per 2015 Wis. Act 55. Town shoreland ordinances void.

Citation

Authority source
Wis. Stat. §§ 60.61, 60.62, 60.627; 2015 Wis. Act 55 (shoreland preemption)
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/60.62

Research notes

Town zoning is dependent on (a) the county not having adopted §59.69 countywide zoning, or (b) county board sign-off if it has. Absent county approval, a town cannot zone contrary to the county. Shoreland zoning at the town level was entirely preempted in 2015.