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

Barndominium Builders in La Crosse County, Wisconsin

Most barndominium projects in La Crosse County, Wisconsin sit on town land: ridge-top acreage above the coulees, valley parcels along the creeks, and farm ground being split off for a house and a shop. We build steel-framed and post-frame barndominiums across the county, from fully finished homes to barndominium kits for owners who plan to do part of the work themselves. The most common requests out here are a shouse with a big equipment bay beside the living quarters, pole barn homes on a few acres, and metal building homes with a wide clear-span shop. Permits on town land come from two directions. La Crosse County's zoning office issues the zoning and shoreland permits in most towns, and the town issues the building permit for the house, usually through the inspector it contracts with. A parcel without sewer also needs a county sanitary permit before the septic goes in. Barndominium contractors who have worked through that sequence know to line up the soil test, the zoning permit and the town permit in the right order. Tell us about your land and start the survey; we will come back with how the build would run on that parcel and which offices it will go through.

La Crosse County at a glance

County: La Crosse County
Building permit: Town building inspection
Local facts on this page: 6, each linked to its source

Tell us about your land

Before you build in La Crosse 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.

Town-issued permitWho issues the permit

The town's building inspector (often a contracted inspection firm), after the La Crosse County zoning permit

On town land the town issues the building permit for a new house, commonly through a contracted inspector; the Town of Holland, for example, uses General Engineering Company and asks for the county zoning permit first. La Crosse County itself issues the zoning, floodplain and shoreland permits. The City of La Crosse, the City of Onalaska and the county's villages run their own permits.

Source: Building Permits, Town of Holland (townofhollandwi.gov)

County zoning reach: La Crosse County administers its zoning ordinance in the towns except Campbell and Burns, and administers floodplain and shoreland rules across all town land. It has no zoning authority in the City of La Crosse, the City of Onalaska, or the Villages of Bangor, Holmen and Rockland.
Zoning Occupancy permit: La Crosse County requires a Zoning Occupancy permit for new construction, submitted with a site map and construction plans. The county says processing is typically 1 to 2 weeks, that the permit cannot issue until all other applicable permits are in place, and that an address is assigned when the final permit for a principal use is issued.
Shoreland permit: La Crosse County requires a Shoreland Permit for development within 300 feet of a navigable river, creek or stream, within 1,000 feet of a navigable lake, in a floodplain or in a wetland. More than one residence on a parcel is allowed only in the Residential C district; elsewhere it takes a conditional use permit.
A town's new-house permit: The Town of Holland requires a building permit for residential buildings, using General Engineering Company as its inspector. For a new house it asks for the county zoning permit, a heat-loss or RESCheck calculation, a driveway application if the lot enters a town road, and plans detailed enough to show Uniform Dwelling Code compliance.
Septic permits: La Crosse County Health Department issues sanitary permits for new private septic systems. The steps it lists are a soil evaluation by a licensed certified soil tester, a system design by a master plumber, restricted master plumber or certified designer, and an application submitted by that professional.
County land plans: La Crosse County's planning division lists an area Bluffland Plan covering the city and its surroundings, and a Farmland Preservation Plan, among its county plans; the farmland preservation program is part of the county's Chapter 17 Zoning Code.

Building on land near La Crosse County

Rural parcels in the county tend to be either bluff land or valley land, and each has its own checks. Ridge and hillside lots bring slopes, long driveways and erosion control; the county keeps a bluffland plan, so ask the zoning office what applies before you choose a building site. Valley lots are more likely to fall inside the shoreland reach of a creek or inside the floodplain, both handled by the county. Before you buy, confirm the zoning district (a second residence needs Residential C or a conditional use permit), book a soil test for the septic, and call the town clerk about the building inspector. For the city itself, see the [City of La Crosse page](/areas/la-crosse-wi/).

Where we build in this part of Wisconsin

Eau Claire, La Crosse & Western Wisconsin

What we build in La Crosse 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 La Crosse 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.

Start your build survey

Building in La Crosse County: questions

Start the survey

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

It depends on the building size, finishes, foundation, and how far the parcel is from power and a buildable septic site, so we price it only after seeing the land and the plan. Read the barndominium cost guide for each spending category and the outside sources behind the ranges. Rural sites here usually add a soil test, a septic system, a well and a driveway to the budget.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in La Crosse County?

Yes. On town land you need a La Crosse County zoning permit and a building permit from the town, which usually works through a contracted inspector. Near water or in the floodplain, add a county shoreland or floodplain permit. Inside the City of La Crosse, the City of Onalaska or a village, that municipality handles the permit instead.

Can I put a barndominium kit on rural land in La Crosse County?

Often, yes, provided the zoning district allows a residence and the site passes the septic and shoreland checks. A kit still has to go through the same county zoning permit and town building permit as any other house. Our kit packages page explains what a kit includes and what the owner takes on.

Who issues the septic permit for a rural barndominium in La Crosse County?

The La Crosse County Health Department. It needs a soil evaluation from a certified soil tester and a design from a licensed professional before it issues the sanitary permit, and it then inspects the system as it is built.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what La Crosse 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 La Crosse County facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominium builders near La Crosse 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.

La Crosse

La Crosse County, Wisconsin

Eau Claire County

Wisconsin county

Sauk County

Wisconsin county

Building in La Crosse 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