All buildings hereafter erected or moved into the Town and any other new building shall have driveway access to said building from a public or private road. Such driveway shall meet the requirements of this chapter.
A. 
Driveway permit.
(1) 
A driveway permit shall be obtained and a copy issued to the permittee before commencement of any driveway construction or widening in the Town of St. Joseph. No driveway permit shall be issued until a completed application has been made and approved by the Town of St. Joseph. Driveways that exit onto a county or state highway need county or state approval in addition to the Town approval.
(2) 
Existing field driveways/roadways are exempt from the permit requirement unless they are being rebuilt to accommodate new construction of a building.
(3) 
Permits are valid for 120 days.
B. 
Fees. The fees for a driveway permit and field drive permit shall be set by the Town Board and shall be payable at the time of application for the permit. The fee for a driveway permit covers one inspection for driveway location and one inspection for compliance with this chapter. Each additional inspection required due to failure to comply with this chapter will require prepayment of a fee to be set by the Town Board.
A. 
Specifications.
(1) 
Driveway separations.
(a) 
There shall be a minimum of 200 feet between the center lines of driveways and/or between the driveway and an intersecting highway or collector, subcollector or access roadway. In addition, any driveway shall conform to St. Croix County driveway separation requirements where applicable.
(b) 
An exception to Subsection A(1)(a) is for driveways coming off a cul-de-sac on a Town road.
(2) 
Angular placement. The center line of that part of the driveway lying adjacent to the public or private road right-of-way shall always be at approximately right angles to the roadway, but not less than 75°.
(3) 
The Town Board may require joint driveways, especially on culs-de-sac.
(4) 
Specifications. All driveways shall be designed and constructed as shown on Detail Plates for residential driveways, joint residential driveways, and for commercial driveway entrances.
(5) 
Erosion control. Erosion control measures shall be designed and constructed using Standard Specifications and Detail Plates.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The Standard Specifications and Detail Plates are on file in the office of the Town Clerk/Treasurer.
B. 
Inspection and approval.
(1) 
The inspection and approval of any driveway site shall be a prerequisite to the issuance of a final driveway permit. The location and complete and final construction of any driveway shall be subject to the approval of the Town Chairperson or designee of the Town Board.
(2) 
Any driveway authorized to be constructed by issuance of a permit under this chapter shall be completely constructed to specifications in this chapter and approved by the Town Chairperson or designee of the Town Board prior to issuance of a building permit. The intent for completing this section of driveway before a building permit is issued is to eliminate the tracking of mud, clay or other soils onto the asphalt surface and to prevent construction damage to the adjoining road surface and to provide adequate access for emergency vehicles.
(3) 
The owner of the property shall be responsible for the cost to repair any damage done to a Town road incurred during construction on his property or by any equipment used in modifying his property and shall reimburse the Town accordingly for immediate or future repair of the Town road. If the property owner does not reimburse the Town, the cost of repair plus damages pursuant to § 86.02, Wis. Stats., shall be placed on the property owner's tax bill, pursuant to § 66.0627, Wis. Stats.
Determinations: Whereas the Town of St. Joseph wishes to curtail road damage and costly repairs resulting from construction and other heavy equipment loading, unloading and using the Town roads as access to private properties during construction periods; and whereas a history of damage has been evident as a result of this practice; and whereas the property owner, developer or general contractor must first obtain a driveway and/or building permit prior to construction of any new dwellings and/or structures, additions to existing dwellings or any structures on the property; and whereas § 86.02, Wis. Stats., authorizes the Town to collect treble damages from any person who damages a Town roadway; now, therefore, the Town Board ordains as follows:
A. 
A road damage deposit, as identified in the Town's fee schedule, shall be required with each driveway and/or building permit issued for the construction of any structure (be it a dwelling, addition or accessory building) that may involve the use or travel of equipment or load factors which exceeds normal usage and may cause damage to Town road surfaces and shoulders.
B. 
The permit holder shall be responsible for notifying subcontractors of this article and shall be held responsible for the road damage, regardless of whoever may cause damage, as long as the damage is caused by vehicles using the road to access property for construction related to the building or driveway permit.
C. 
If the Town Board or designee finds that road damage has occurred, the permit holder shall forfeit the deposit to the extent of the cost the Town incurs to repair the damage and the balance, if any, will be refunded. If the damage repair costs exceed the deposit, the deposit shall be forfeited and the Town shall invoice the permit holder for the amount exceeding the deposit. If the permit holder fails to pay the invoice after 30 days, pursuant to § 86.02, Wis. Stats., the Town shall invoice the permit holder triple the amount of the damages. If remaining unpaid, the amount shall be added to the property owner's taxes, pursuant to § 66.0627, Wis. Stats.