Chippewa County, Wisconsin Eau Claire, La Crosse & Western Wisconsin

Barndominium Builders in Chippewa County, Wisconsin

North of the City of Eau Claire, Chippewa County, Wisconsin mixes farm country with lake and river frontage, and for most of that land one office handles the building permit for a new home: the Chippewa County Department of Planning and Zoning. The state's delegation list sends nearly every town, and several small cities and villages, to the county for dwelling permits, so a rural barndominium here usually runs through a single counter from septic approval to final inspection. We build steel-framed and post-frame homes for country lots and lake parcels, either turnkey or as barndominium kits for owners who want to finish the inside themselves. Most requests we get for this area involve acreage: a long single-storey plan with an attached shop, a shouse for someone who farms or restores equipment, or pole barn homes that sit comfortably beside existing outbuildings. Metal building homes are an option too wherever the town's zoning permits a dwelling. The county's checklist is detailed, and barndominium contractors who know it arrive with three plan sets, an erosion control plan and a sanitary permit already approved. Send us the parcel through the survey and we will explain how the permit path works for that town and what paperwork to prepare.

Chippewa County at a glance

County: Chippewa County
Building permit: County, for the towns
Local facts on this page: 6, each linked to its source

Tell us about your land

Before you build in Chippewa County

The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.

County-issued permitWho issues the permit

Chippewa County Department of Planning and Zoning (Chippewa Falls)

For a new one- or two-family dwelling, the owner completes the Wisconsin Uniform Building Permit Application online through the state, prints it with the confirmation page and submits a hard copy to the county's Department of Planning and Zoning. The state's list shows the City of Chippewa Falls, the Town of Howard and the Village of New Auburn with their own authority; most other towns look to the county.

Source: Uniform Dwelling Code, Chippewa County (chippewacountywi.gov)

Online application, paper copy: Chippewa County requires the state Online Building Permit for new one- and two-family dwellings to list the names, license numbers, phone numbers and mailing addresses of all contractors and subcontractors. Incomplete forms are not accepted, and the printed application with its confirmation page goes to the county office.
Who the county serves: The state Department of Safety and Professional Services list refers the towns of Chippewa County (Anson, Arthur, Auburn, Bloomer, Eagle Point, Hallie, Lafayette, Wheaton and others), the Cities of Bloomer, Cornell and Stanley and the Villages of Boyd, Cadott and Lake Hallie to the County of Chippewa. The City of Chippewa Falls and the Town of Howard are listed with their own authority.
Permit checklist: The county's checklist says a sanitary permit is issued before the building or zoning permit, and asks for a site plan, an erosion control plan, three full plan sets, elevations, a wall section and energy calculations. The driveway and address form must be signed by a town official, the home site staked, and all county and town permits held before any dirt is moved.
County zoning towns: Six towns have adopted the Chippewa County Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance: Anson, Eagle Point, Hallie, Lafayette, Wheaton and Woodmohr. Variances from dimensional standards such as setbacks, lot area and height are decided by the county Board of Adjustment.
Shoreland zoning: The Chippewa County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance regulates properties within 1,000 feet of a lake or flowage and/or 300 feet of a river or stream.
Septic systems: The Chippewa County Private Sewage System Ordinance is administered county-wide. Any home with plumbed running water and no public sewer needs a system to hold or treat wastewater, and the county has required regular maintenance or pumping of all private sewage systems from 1985 onward. It keeps a list of plumbers and soil testers.

Building on land near Chippewa County

Lake and river frontage is the first thing to check on a parcel in Chippewa County, because the shoreland ordinance reaches a long way back from the water: a thousand feet from a lake or flowage. Next, find out whether the town uses the county's comprehensive zoning ordinance or its own rules; only six towns have adopted the county's, so the town clerk is often the right call for district and setback questions. Third, septic. Without public sewer the lot needs a sanitary permit before building, and the county's maintenance program follows the system for its whole life. Finally, the driveway: the town signs off on its location before the county issues an address. For building inside the City of Eau Claire, see the [City of Eau Claire page](/areas/eau-claire-wi/).

Where we build in this part of Wisconsin

Eau Claire, La Crosse & Western Wisconsin

What we build in Chippewa County

Kits, custom plans and pole barn homes. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we price against your land rather than a rate card.

Barndominium Kits

Barndominium kits for Wisconsin land: steel or post-frame shell packages sized for your snow zone and frost depth, with a set ready for plan review.

Custom Plans

Custom barndominium floor plans for your Wisconsin parcel: drawn around the lake setback, the septic site, the slope and the plan review ahead.

Pole Barn Homes

Pole barn homes in Wisconsin built as real houses: post-frame posts below frost, trusses sized for your snow zone, and walls built for heating season.

See every service

Have land in or near Chippewa County? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

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Building in Chippewa County: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium in Chippewa County?

The total turns on the plan size, the finishes, the foundation and the site: well, septic type, driveway length and any shoreland work. We do not put a number on it until we have seen the parcel and a draft plan. Start with our barndominium cost guide, which splits the build into its main expenses and cites independent sources. The county publishes its own permit fees on its checklist.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Chippewa County?

Yes. For most town land the county's Department of Planning and Zoning issues the dwelling permit; the City of Chippewa Falls, the Town of Howard and the Village of New Auburn handle their own. The application starts online with the state and a printed copy goes to the county. The credentialed dwelling contractor on your build applies; owner-occupants may apply for their own.

Can I build a barndominium on a lake lot?

Often, but plan for shoreland review. The county ordinance covers land within 1,000 feet of a lake or flowage and 300 feet of a river or stream, and the county notes that shoreland filling and grading or mitigation agreements may be needed. Our floor plans can be narrowed or turned to fit a deep, slim waterfront lot.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Chippewa County allows.

Barndominium Cost Guide

Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.

Read it

Can You Live in a Pole Barn in Wisconsin?

Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.

Read it

How Long Does It Take?

From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.

Read it

Sources for this page

The published pages behind the Chippewa County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominium builders near Chippewa County

Nearby places we also build in. Across a city limit, a town line or a county line the permit office, zoning and septic rules can change, so each has its own page.

Eau Claire

Eau Claire County, Wisconsin

Eau Claire County

Wisconsin county

St. Croix County

Wisconsin county

Building in Chippewa County?

Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.

Start the survey