Applicability. If these standards conform with § 59.69(10),
Wis. Stats., for counties or § 62.23(7)(h), Wis. Stats.,
for cities and villages, they shall apply to all modifications or
additions to any nonconforming use or structure and to the use of
any structure or premises which was lawful before the passage of this
chapter or any amendment thereto.
The existing lawful use of a structure or its accessory use which
is not in conformity with the provisions of this chapter may continue
subject to the following conditions:
No modifications or additions to a nonconforming use or structure
shall be permitted unless they comply with this chapter. The words
"modification" and "addition" include, but are not limited to, any
alteration, addition, modification, structural repair, rebuilding
or replacement of any such existing use, structure or accessory structure
or use. Ordinary maintenance repairs are not considered an extension,
modification or addition; these include painting, decorating, paneling
and the replacement of doors, windows and other nonstructural components
and the maintenance, repair or replacement of existing private sewage
or water supply systems or connections to public utilities. Ordinary
maintenance repairs do not include any costs associated with the repair
of a damaged structure. The construction of a deck that does not exceed
200 square feet and that is adjacent to the exterior wall of a principal
structure is not an extension, modification or addition. The roof
of the structure may extend over a portion of the deck in order to
provide safe ingress and egress to the principal structure.
If a nonconforming use or the use of a nonconforming structure is
discontinued for 12 consecutive months, it is no longer permitted
and any future use of the property, and any structure or building
thereon, shall conform to the applicable requirements of this chapter.
The municipality shall keep a record which lists all nonconforming
uses and nonconforming structures, their present equalized assessed
value, the cost of all modifications or additions which have been
permitted, and the percentage of the structure's total current
value those modifications represent.
No modification or addition to any nonconforming structure or any structure with a nonconforming use, which over the life of the structure would equal or exceed 50% of its present equalized assessed value, shall be allowed unless the entire structure is permanently changed to a conforming structure with a conforming use in compliance with the applicable requirements of this chapter. Contiguous dry land access must be provided for residential and commercial uses in compliance with § 395-16A. The costs of elevating a nonconforming building or a building with a nonconforming use to the flood protection elevation are excluded from the fifty-percent provisions of this subsection.
Except as provided in Subsection B(5)(b), if any nonconforming structure or any structure with a nonconforming use is destroyed or is substantially damaged, it cannot be replaced, reconstructed or rebuilt unless the use and the structure meet the current ordinance requirements. A structure is considered substantially damaged if the total cost to restore the structure to its predamaged condition equals or exceeds 50% of the structure's present equalized assessed value.
For nonconforming buildings that are damaged or destroyed by
a nonflood disaster, the repair or reconstruction of any such nonconforming
building may be permitted in order to restore it after the nonflood
disaster, provided that the nonconforming building will meet all of
the minimum requirements under applicable FEMA regulations (44 CFR
Part 60), or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
A nonconforming historic structure may be altered if the alteration will not preclude the structure's continued designation as an historic structure, the alteration will comply with § 395-12A, flood-resistant materials are used, and construction practices and floodproofing methods that comply with § 395-28 are used.
No modification or addition shall be allowed to any nonconforming
structure or any structure with a nonconforming use in a floodway
area, unless such modification or addition:
Any addition to the existing structure shall be floodproofed, pursuant to § 395-28 by means other than the use of fill, to the flood protection elevation;
The enclosed area shall be designed by a registered architect
or engineer to allow for the efficient entry and exit of floodwaters
without human intervention. A minimum of two openings must be provided
with a minimum net area of at least one square inch for every one
square foot of the enclosed area. The lowest part of the opening can
be no more than 12 inches above the adjacent grade;
No new on-site sewage disposal system, or addition to an existing
on-site sewage disposal system, except where an addition has been
ordered by a government agency to correct a hazard to public health,
shall be allowed in a floodway area. Any replacement, repair or maintenance
of an existing on-site sewage disposal system in a floodway area shall
meet the applicable requirements of all municipal ordinances and Ch.
SPS 383, Wis. Adm. Code.
No new well or modification to an existing well used to obtain potable
water shall be allowed in a floodway area. Any replacement, repair
or maintenance of an existing well in a floodway area shall meet the
applicable requirements of all municipal ordinances and Chs. NR 811
and NR 812, Wis. Adm. Code.
No modification or addition shall be allowed to any nonconforming structure or any structure with a nonconforming use unless such modification or addition has been granted a permit or variance by the municipality, and the modification or addition shall be placed on fill or floodproofed to the flood protection elevation in compliance with the standards for that particular use in §§ 395-16 and 395-28, except where Subsection B is applicable.
Where compliance with the provisions of Subsection A would result in unnecessary hardship and only where the structure will not be used for human habitation or be associated with a high flood damage potential, the Board of Adjustment/Appeals, using the procedures established in § 395-26, may grant a variance from those provisions of Subsection A for modifications or additions, using the criteria listed below. Modifications or additions which are protected to elevations lower than the flood protection elevation may be permitted if:
If neither the provisions of Subsection A or B above can be met, one addition to an existing room in a nonconforming building or a building with a nonconforming use may be allowed in the flood-fringe, if the addition:
In combination with other previous modifications or additions to
the building, does not equal or exceed 50% of the present equalized
assessed value of the building.
All new private sewage disposal systems, or addition to, replacement,
repair or maintenance of a private sewage disposal system shall meet
all the applicable provisions of all local ordinances and Ch. SPS
383, Wis. Adm. Code.
All new wells, or addition to, replacement, repair or maintenance
of a well shall meet the applicable provisions of this chapter and
Chs. NR 811 and NR 812, Wis. Adm. Code.
No modifications or additions shall be allowed to any nonconforming structure in a flood storage area unless the standards outlined in § 395-19C are met.