This chapter shall be known as, referred to, or cited as "The Zoning Code, Village of Sauk City, Wisconsin."
These regulations are adopted under the authority granted by §§ 62.23(7) and 61.35 and Chapter 91, Wis. Stats.
The purpose of this chapter is to promote the health, safety, morals, prosperity, aesthetics and general welfare of this community. This chapter also provides appropriate and necessary land use controls within the extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction of the Village of Sauk City in the Town of Prairie du Sac, consistent with the Comprehensive Plan for the orderly development of the Village and its environs.
No structure, land or water shall hereafter be used and no structure or part thereof shall hereafter be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended enlarged, converted, or structurally altered without full compliance with the provisions of this chapter and all other applicable local, county and state regulations.
A. 
It is the general intent of this chapter to:
(1) 
Regulate and restrict the use of all structures, lands and waters;
(2) 
Regulate and restrict lot coverage, population distribution and density, and the size and location of all structures, so as to lessen congestion in and promote the safety and efficiency of the streets and highways;
(3) 
Secure safety from fire, flooding, panic and other dangers;
(4) 
Provide adequate light, air, sanitation and drainage;
(5) 
Prevent overcrowding;
(6) 
Avoid undue population concentration;
(7) 
Facilitate the adequate provision of public facilities and utilities;
(8) 
Stabilize and protect property values;
(9) 
Further the appropriate use of land and conservation of natural resources;
(10) 
Preserve and promote the beauty of the community; and
(11) 
Implement the community Comprehensive Plan or plan components.
B. 
It is further intended to provide for the administration and enforcement of this chapter and to provide penalties for its violation.
A. 
Within the Village. The jurisdiction of this chapter shall include all lands and water within the Village.
B. 
Extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction. The unincorporated area outside the Village limits subject to the provisions of this chapter is shown on the map appended to this chapter as Exhibit A. The provisions of this chapter relating to the unincorporated area shall become effective when adopted by the Village Board, in accordance with the provisions of § 62.23(7a), Wis. Stats. The failure of the Village Board to take such action shall in no way invalidate the application of this chapter to any property, building, or structure located within the Village.
The provisions of this chapter shall be held to be minimum requirements and shall be liberally construed in favor of the Village and shall not be deemed a limitation or repeal of any other power granted by the Wisconsin Statutes.
It is not intended by this chapter to repeal, abrogate, annul, impair, or interfere with any existing easements, covenants, deed restrictions, agreements, ordinances, rules, regulations, or permits previously adopted or issued pursuant to laws. However, wherever this chapter imposes greater restrictions, the provisions of this chapter shall govern.
The several provisions of this chapter are severable. If any provision of this chapter is adjudged to be invalid or ineffective as to any portion of the territory described, such judgment shall not affect the remainder of this chapter or its application to the remaining portion of the described territory.
For the purposes of this chapter, the definitions set out in this chapter shall be used. Words used in the present tense include the future tense; the singular number includes the plural number; and the plural number includes the singular number. The word "shall" is mandatory and not directory.
ABUTTING
Having a common property line or district line.
AGRICULTURAL USE
Any of the following activities conducted for the purpose of producing an income or livelihood: crop or forage production; keeping livestock; beekeeping; nursery, sod, or Christmas tree production; maple syrup production; floriculture; aquaculture; fur farming; forest management; enrolling land in a federal agricultural commodity payment program or a federal or state agricultural land and conservation payment program.
ALLEY
A way which affords only a secondary means of access to abutting property.
APARTMENT
See "dwelling unit" as defined in this section.
APARTMENT HOUSE
See "dwelling, multifamily" as defined in this section.
BASEMENT
A space a full story below the first floor which is not designed or used primarily for year-round living accommodations. Space partly below grade which is designed and finished as habitable space is not defined as basement space.
BILLBOARD
An advertising device, either freestanding or attached to a building, which is used to display information not related to the use or ownership of the establishment or the property upon which it is located.
BLOCK
A tract of land bounded by streets, or by a combination of streets and public parks, or other recognized lines of demarcation.
BOARD
The Board of Appeals, as provided in Article XXV of this chapter.
BOARDINGHOUSE
A building, other than a hotel, where meals or lodging and meals are provided for compensation for not more than six persons.
BUILDING
A structure having a roof and intended for the shelter, housing or enclosure of persons, animals, or chattels.
BUILDING INSPECTOR
The employee of the Village officially designated to administer the Building and Zoning Codes. The Building Inspector is also referred to as the "Zoning Inspector."
BUILDING LINE, FRONT
A line parallel to the street intersecting the foremost point of the building, excluding uncovered steps.
BUILDING, ACCESSORY
A subordinate building, the use of which is purely incidental to that of the main building,
BUILDING, ALTERATION OF
Any change or rearrangement of the supporting members, such as bearing walls, beams, columns or girders, of a building, an addition to a building, or movement of a building from one location to another.
BUILDING, HEIGHT OF
The vertical distance from the mean elevation of the finished grade along the primary street frontage of the building to the highest point on a flat roof, or to the deckline of a mansard roof, or to the mean height between eaves and ridge for gable, hip, or gambrel roofs.
BUILDING, PRINCIPAL
A building in which is conducted the main use of the lot on which the building is located.
BUSINESS
A commercial establishment engaged in the purchase and sale of goods and services, not including manufacturing or industrial establishments.
CANOPY or MARQUEE
A roof-like structure of a permanent nature which projects from the wall of a building.
CARPORT
See "garage, private" as defined in this section.
CELLAR
A portion of a building located partly or wholly underground and having 2/3 or more of its clear floor-to-ceiling height below the average grade of the adjoining ground. See the definition of "basement" in this section.
CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
A written statement issued by the Zoning Inspector which permits the use of a building or lot or a portion of a building or lot and which certifies compliance with the provisions of this chapter for the specified use and occupancy.
CLINIC
A building used by a group of doctors or dentists for the examination or treatment of persons on an outpatient or nonboarding basis only.
CLUB
A building owned, leased, or hired by a nonprofit association of persons who are bona fide members paying dues, the use of which is restricted to the members and their guests.
CONFORMING USE
Any lawful use of a building or lot which complies with the provisions of this chapter.
CURB GRADE
The level of the established curb in the front of the building, measured at the center of such front. Where no curb has been established, the Village Board shall authorize and approve the establishment of such curb level or its equivalent for the purpose of this chapter.
DAY-CARE, FAMILY HOME
The use of a dwelling unit to provide care and supervision for up to eight children for less than 24 hours.
DAY-CARE, GROUP CENTER
A facility to provide care and supervision for more than eight children for less than 24 hours.
DECK
A horizontal platform that has structural members elevated above ground level.
DWELLING UNIT
A separate housekeeping unit designed and used for occupancy by a single family, with cooking facilities and a private bath.
DWELLING UNIT, ACCESSORY
A separate housekeeping unit designed and used for occupancy by a single family, located on the same parcel as a one-family dwelling unit, but having a separate entrance. The accessory unit may be within, attached to, or detached from the primary dwelling unit.
DWELLING, MULTIFAMILY
A building or portion thereof used or designated as a residence for three or more families as separate housekeeping units, including apartments, apartment hotels and group houses.
DWELLING, ONE-FAMILY
A detached building designed, arranged, or used for and occupied exclusively by one family.
DWELLING, TWO-FAMILY
A building designed, arranged, or used for or occupied exclusively by two families living independently of each other.
EMERGENCY SHELTER
Public or private enclosures designed to protect people from aerial, radiological, biological or chemical warfare and fire, flood, windstorm, riot, or invasion.
EXPRESSWAY
A divided arterial street with full or partial control of access and, generally, with interchanges at major intersections. See also the definition of "freeway" in this section.
FAMILY
Any number of persons related by blood, adoption or marriage, or not to exceed four persons not so related, living together in one dwelling as a single housekeeping entity.
FARM
All lands under contiguous common ownership in which a majority of land is devoted to an agricultural use. For purposes of this definition, "contiguous" means sharing a common boundary, except that parcels in common ownership which are directly across from a public street, rail right-of-way, easement, or navigable river, stream, or creek, along with parcels that meet only at a corner, shall also be considered contiguous.
FARM AND FORESTRY STRUCTURES
Any structure on a farm that is an integral part of, or is incidental to, a permitted agricultural use, including but not limited to barns, silos, and corn cribs.
FARM RESIDENCE
A type of one-family dwelling located on the farm and occupied by the owner or operator (or both) of the agricultural use. Where the associated lands are planned for agricultural preservation in the Comprehensive Plan, total number of dwelling units on any farm as it was configured on August 18, 2011 shall not exceed an overall density of one dwelling unit per 35 acres, with no rounding permitted. For example, a 160 acre farm as of that date shall be allowed to accumulate no greater than four total dwelling units (160/35 = 4.57 = 4).
FLOOR AREA
A. 
For residential uses, the sum of the gross horizontal areas of the several floors of a dwelling unit, exclusive of porches, balconies, garages and basements, measured from the exterior faces of the exterior walls or from the center lines of walls or partitions separating dwelling units.
B. 
For uses other than residential, the area measured from the exterior faces of the exterior walls or from the center line of walls or partitions separating such uses, including all floors, lofts, balconies, mezzanines, cellars, basements, and similar areas devoted to such uses.
FREEWAY
An expressway with full control of access and with grade separations at all intersections.
FRONTAGE, BLOCK
All of the property abutting on one side of a street between two intersecting streets.
FRONTAGE, LOT
The smallest dimension of a lot abutting a public street, measured along the street line.
GARAGE, PRIVATE
An accessory building or portion of the principal building used primarily for vehicular storage. "Private garage" also includes "carport" and, when related to the context, shall relate to the storage of one or more vehicles.
GARAGE, REPAIR
A building used for the care, repair or storage of motor vehicles or where such vehicles are left for remuneration, hire, or sale. This includes premises commonly known as "gasoline stations" or "service stations."
GARDEN, COMMUNITY
A garden, whether public or private, established by and/or for the use of multiple people, typically to grow vegetables for personal use. Typically the primary use of a property.
GARDEN, RESIDENTIAL
A garden established by and for the use and enjoyment of the resident(s) of the property on which it is located. An accessory use.
GASOLINE STATION
Any area of land, including structures thereon, that is used for the sale of gasoline or other motor vehicle fuel and oil or other lubricating substances, or the sale of motor vehicle accessories, and which may include facilities used or designed to be used for polishing, greasing, washing, spraying, dry cleaning, or otherwise cleaning or servicing such vehicles.
HEIGHT
See Building, Height of.
HOME OCCUPATION
Any occupation for gain or support conducted entirely within a building by resident occupants and which is customarily incidental to the principal use of the premises, does not exceed 25% of the area of any floor and uses only household equipment and for which no stock-in-trade is kept or sold except that made on the premises. "Home occupation" includes such uses as baby-sitting, millinery, dressmaking, canning, laundering and crafts but does not include the display of any goods nor such occupations as barbering, beauty shops, dance schools, real estate brokerage, or photographic studios.
HOTEL
An establishment for transient guests having more than six sleeping rooms without individual cooking facilities.
INTERCHANGE
A grade-separated intersection with one or more direct connections for vehicular travel between the intersecting streets or highways.
JUNKYARD
An open space where waste, used, or secondhand materials are bought, sold, exchanged, stored, baled, packed, disassembled or handled, including but not limited to scrap iron and other metals, paper, rags, rubber, tires and bottles. "Junkyard" also includes an auto wrecking yard but does not include uses established entirely within enclosed buildings.
LIVESTOCK
Domestic animals traditionally used in Wisconsin in the production of food, fiber, or other animal products. Livestock includes bovine animals, equine animals, goats (except pigmy), poultry, sheep, swine (except pot-bellied pigs), farm-raised deer, farm-raised game birds, camelids, ratites, and farm-raised fish.
LOADING AREA
A completely off-street space or berth on the same lot, for the loading or unloading of freight carriers, having adequate ingress and egress to a public street or alley.
LOT
A parcel of land having frontage on a public street, occupied or intended to be occupied by a principal structure or use, and sufficient in size to meet the lot width, lot frontage, lot area, yard, parking area and other open space provisions of this chapter.
LOT AREA
The total area in a horizontal plane within the peripheral boundaries of a lot.
LOT COVERAGE
The percent of the area of a lot occupied by buildings or structures, including accessory buildings or structures.
LOT LINES
The peripheral boundaries of a lot as defined in this chapter.
LOT WIDTH
The width of a parcel of land measured along the front building line.
LOT, CORNER
A lot abutting intersecting streets at their intersection.
LOT, REVERSED CORNER
A corner lot which is oriented such that it has its rear lot line coincident with or parallel to the side lot line of the interior lot immediately to its rear.
LOT, THROUGH
A lot having a pair of opposite lot lines along two more or less parallel public streets and which is not a corner lot. On a through lot, both public streets shall be deemed front lot lines.
LOT, ZONING
A single tract in a single block which, at time of filing for a building permit, is designated by its owner or developer as a tract to be used, developed, or built upon as a unit under single ownership or control.
MOBILE HOME
A one-family dwelling unit of vehicular design, built on a chassis and originally moved from one site to another, and used without a permanent foundation.
MOBILE HOME PARK
A lot on which two or more mobile homes are parked for the purpose of temporary or permanent habitation.
MOTEL
A series of attached, semidetached, or detached sleeping units for the accommodation of transient mobile tourists.
MOTOR FREIGHT TERMINAL
A building or area in which freight brought by motor truck is assembled or stored for routing in intrastate and interstate shipment by motor truck.
MOTOR VEHICLE
Any passenger vehicle, truck, truck trailer or semitrailer propelled or drawn by mechanical power.
NONCONFORMING BUILDING OR STRUCTURE
Any building or structure which:
A. 
Does not comply with all of the regulations of this chapter or of any amendment hereto governing bulk for the zoning district in which such building or structure is located.
B. 
Is designed or intended for a nonconforming use.
NONCONFORMING USE
Any use of land, buildings, or structures which does not comply with all of the regulations of this chapter or of any amendment hereto governing use for the zoning district in which such use is located.
NURSERY
Any building or lot, or portion thereof, used for the cultivation or growing of plants and including all accessory buildings.
NURSING HOME
Any building used for the continuous care, on a commercial or charitable basis, of persons who are physically incapable of caring for their own personal needs.
ON-SITE AGRICULTURAL RETAIL
A type of land use that includes the sale of agricultural products grown on the farm and potentially on other farms within 10 miles, where such sales are integral or accessory to an agricultural use, and where such sales are on a year-round basis or require permanent structures.
OUTDOOR PUBLIC RECREATION, ACTIVE
A land use that includes all recreational land uses located on public property or public easement which involve active recreational activities. Such land uses include play courts (such as tennis courts and basketball courts), playfields (such as ball diamonds, football fields, and soccer fields), tot lots, outdoor swimming pools, swimming beach areas, fitness courses, public golf courses, and similar land uses.
OUTDOOR PUBLIC RECREATION, PASSIVE
A land use that includes all recreational land uses located on public property or public easement which involve passive recreational activities. Such land uses include arboretums, natural areas, wildlife areas, hiking trails, bike trails, cross country ski trails, horse trails, open grassed areas not associated with any particular active outdoor public recreation use, picnic areas, picnic shelters, gardens, fishing areas, and similar land uses.
OUTDOOR STORAGE
A commercial land use that includes the storage of items or equipment not enclosed within an approved structure. Inoperable items, equipment or vehicles are not considered outdoor storage.
PARKING FACILITY
A structure or an open area other than a street or alley used for temporary parking of more than four self-propelled vehicles and available for public use, whether free, for compensation, or as an accommodation for clients or customers.
PARKING STALL
An off-street space available for the parking of motor vehicles, which in this chapter is held to be an area nine feet wide and 20 feet long, exclusive of passageways and driveways appurtenant thereto and giving access thereto.
PATIO SLAB
A paved area adjoining a house, not above the grade line, used for outdoor dining, lounging or recreation.
PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT
A development that allows diversification and variation in the relationship of uses, structures, open spaces and heights of structures, conceived and implemented as a comprehensive and cohesive, unified project.
PORCH
A covered shelter to an entrance to a building which may be partly enclosed with low walls or fully enclosed with screen and/or windows.
PROFESSIONAL HOME OFFICE
Residences of doctors of medicine, practitioners, dentists, clergymen, architects, landscape architects, professional engineers, registered land surveyors, lawyers, artists, teachers, authors, musicians or other recognized professions, used to conduct their professions, where the office does not exceed 1/2 of the area of only one floor of the residence and only one nonresident person is employed.
PROPERTY LINES
The lines bounding a tract of land in single ownership.
PUBLIC WAY
Any sidewalk, street, alley, highway, or other public thoroughfare.
RAILROAD RIGHT-OF-WAY
A strip of land with tracks and auxiliary facilities for track operation, but not including freight depots or stations, loading platforms, train sheds, warehouses, car or locomotive shops, or car yards.
RESTAURANT
A space within a suitable building provided with adequate and sanitary kitchen equipment and a dining room of related capacity, having employees for preparing, cooking and serving suitable food, but not intoxicating liquors, for sale to the general public.
SCHOOL, COMMERCIAL
A school limited to special instruction, such as business, art, music, trades, handicrafts, dancing, or riding.
SCHOOL, PRIVATE
An elementary or intermediate school giving regular instruction capable of meeting the requirements of state compulsory education laws and approved as such and operating at least five days a week for a normal school year and not operated by a public school district, but not including either a school for persons with disabilities or a college or other institution of higher learning.
SETBACK
The minimum horizontal distance between the front lot line, side lot line or rear lot line and a structure.
SHOPPING CENTER
A group of stores planned and designed for the site on which it is built, functioning as a unit, with off-street parking provided on the property as an integral part of the unit. See also the definition of "planned unit development" in this section.
SIGN, TEMPORARY
A nonpermanent sign or advertising display intended to be displayed for a short, usually fixed period of time generally not exceeding 30 consecutive days unless in conjunction with an approved temporary use or as outlined in Article XX. Temporary signs include wall, freestanding, and banner signs mounted on walls.
SIGNS
Any words, letters, figures, numerals, phrases, sentences, emblems, devices, or designs visible from a public street or highway which convey information regarding the use or ownership of the establishment on the same property upon which they are located, as distinguished from the definition of "billboard" set forth in this section.
STORY
That portion of a building included between the surface of any floor and the surface of the floor next above it or, if there is no floor above it, then the space between such floor and the ceiling next above it.
STORY, HALF
A story under a gable, hip or gambrel roof, the wall plates of which on at least two exterior walls are not more than two feet above the floor of such story.
STREET
A public or private thoroughfare which may either provide the principal means of pedestrian and/or vehicular access to abutting property or may provide for the movement of pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic, or both.
STREET, ARTERIAL
A public street or highway used or intended to be used primarily for fast or heavy through traffic. "Arterial streets and highways" includes freeways and expressways, as well as major thoroughfares, highways and parkways.
STRUCTURAL ALTERATION
Any change in the supporting members of a structure, such as foundations, bearing walls, columns, beams, or girders.
STRUCTURE
Anything constructed or erected, the use of which requires location on the ground or that it be attached to something having a location on the ground.
TRAVEL TRAILER
A vehicular portable structure, built on a chassis and designed to be used for temporary occupancy for travel, recreational or vacation use, limited in weight or length to either a maximum weight of 4,500 pounds or a maximum length of 28 feet.
USE
The purpose or activity for which the land or building thereon is designed, arranged or intended, or for which it is occupied or maintained, and shall include any manner of standards of this chapter.
USE, ACCESSORY
A use subordinate in nature, extent, or purpose to the principal use of a building or lot.
USE, CONDITIONAL
A use, either public or private, which because of its unique characteristics cannot be properly classified as a permitted use in any particular district or districts. In each case, after due consideration by the Plan Commission of the impact of such use upon neighboring land and of the public need for the particular use at the particular location, such conditional use may or may not be granted.
USE, PERMITTED
A use which may be lawfully established in a particular district or districts provided that it conforms to all requirements, regulations and performance standards, if any, of such districts.
USE, PRINCIPAL
The main use of land or buildings as distinguished from a subordinate or accessory use. A principal use may be a permitted use or conditional use.
USE, TEMPORARY
A land use which is present on a property for a limited and specified period of time.
VARIANCE
A specified exception to the strict and literal enforcement of the dimensional standards indicated in this chapter, to alleviate a unique and unusual hardship for a property owner resulting from the physical characteristics of the land.
YARD
An open space on the same lot with a structure, unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward, except for vegetation as permitted, and except for permitted accessory buildings in rear yards.
YARD, CORNER SIDE
A side yard which adjoins a public street.
YARD, FRONT
A yard extending across the full width of a lot, having a depth equal to the minimum horizontal distance between the front property line and a line parallel thereto through the nearest point of the principal structure.
YARD, INTERIOR SIDE
A side yard which is located immediately adjacent to another zoning lot or to an alley separating such yard from another zoning lot.
YARD, REAR
A yard extending across the full width of a lot, having a depth equal to the minimum horizontal distance between the rear lot line and a line parallel thereto through the nearest point of the principal structure.
YARD, SIDE
A yard extending between the front and rear yards of a lot, having a width equal to the minimum horizontal distance between the side lot line and a line parallel thereto through the nearest point of the principal structure.
ZONING DISTRICT
An area or areas within the corporate limits for which the regulations and requirements governing use, lot and bulk of buildings and premises are uniform.
ZONING PERMIT
A permit stating that the purpose for which a building or land is to be used is in conformity with the uses permitted and all other requirements under this chapter for the zone in which it is to be located.