Permit Guide Glossary of Terms
Animal Waste Management Ordinance means the ordinance administered by the Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use - Land Resources Division, which is in effect within the geographic limits of Waukesha County to regulated the location, design, construction and alteration of animal waste storage facilities and the application of waste from these facilities.
Certified Survey Map means the map prepared by a registered land surveyor and recorded in the Register of Deed’s office, in accordance with Section 236.34, Wisconsin Statutes, to accomplish a minor land division.
Conditional License means the issuance of a license may be conditioned upon the licensee correcting a violation of county code within a specified period of time. If the condition is not met within the specified period of time, the license becomes void.
Conditional Use means a use which is not permitted by right in a certain zoning district under the terms of the zoning ordinance, provided certain conditions specified in the zoning ordinance or which may be determined to be necessary by the town and County are required as part of the Condition Use Permit issued by the county zoning agency.
Construction Site Erosion Control Ordinance means the ordinance administered by the Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use - Land Resources Division, which is in effect in the unincorporated portions of Waukesha County and applies to land development or land disturbing activities of 3000 square feet or more; 400 cubic yards of excavation nor fill or more; 15 cubic yards or more within Waukesha County Shoreland and Floodland jurisdiction; utility installation of 300 feet or more.
County Trunk Highway means public roads under the jurisdiction of the county in which the road is located. In Wisconsin the highways are designated with a letter name, e.g. CTH “A”.
County Zoning Agency means the Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use – Planning and Zoning Division.
Diggers Hotline means a service provided by local utilities firms. Staff assigned to Digger Hotlines will mark the location of underground gas, electric and phone lines.
DOA means the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration.
DCOMM means the State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce.
DILHR means the State of Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations.
DNR means the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Driveway means an entrance onto a public road from private property or government development.
Environmental Corridor (primary and secondary) means the composite of the best individual elements of the natural resource base including surface water, streams, and rivers and their associated floodlands and shorelands; woodlands, wetlands and wildlife habitat; areas of groundwater discharge and recharge; organic soils, rugged terrain and high relief topography; and significant geological formations and physiographic features. A description of the process of defining and delineation of Environmental Corridors is set forth in the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission’s Technical Record, Volume 4, No. 2.
Erosion Control Plan means a written description and detailed site plan of best management practices designed to meet the requirements of the Waukesha County Construction Site Erosion Control Ordinance submitted by the applicant for review and approval by the Waukesha County Land Resources Division.
Financial Guarantee means a performance bond, maintenance bond, surety bond, irrevocable letter of credit, cash or similar guarantees submitted by the permit holder to assure that the requirements of an ordinance are carried out.
Holding Tank means the approved watertight receptacle for the collection and holding of sewage.
Land Development Activity means the construction of buildings, roads, parking lots, paved and unpaved storage areas, patios, seawalls and similar facilities, but not including general maintenance of parking lots and drives.
Land Disturbing Activity means any man-made change of the land surface including removing vegetative cover, demolition, excavating, filling and grading but not including agricultural land uses such as planting, growing, cultivating and harvesting of crops; growing and ending of gardens; and harvesting of trees, and tree nurseries.
Land Division/Subdivision Control Ordinance means the Ordinance adopted by a municipality to regulate the division of land.
Mandatory Maintenance Program means the septic tank maintenance program that requires septic tanks and lift pump tanks to be pumped and inspected at least once every two years for properties that had sanitary permits issued on July 1, 1979 or thereafter.
Minor Land Division means (in areas under the jurisdiction of the Waukesha County Shoreland and Floodland Subdivision Control Ordinance) a division of land which results in one or more parcels of 20 acres each or less in area other than a subdivision as defined herein. A residual parcel resulting from the division of land which contains less than 20 acres of are shall be included in the minor land division. In all other areas, refer to the appropriate Land Division/Subdivision Control Ordinance.
Notice of Intent - as it is applied within Chapter NR216 Wisconsin Administrative Code (Stormwater Discharge Permits), means a notification of intention to create a point source discharge of storm water associated with a construction site activity to the waters of the state.
Permit means a written authorization to the applicant to conduct land development or land disturbing activities.
Plan of Operation means a detailed description of a business operation, including such things as the nature of the business, number of employees, hours of operation, parking, signs, etc.
Plat of Survey means a scaled map of a property drafted by a registered land surveyor, showing property boundaries and all of the structures on the property.
Practical Difficulty means that circumstance where special conditions affect a particular property and make strict compliance with the dimensional standards of the ordinance regarding area, setbacks, offsets, width, height or floor area ratio unreasonable and prevent a property from being utilized for a permitted purpose in conformance with the use regulations of the zoning district in which the property is located or would render conformity with such restrictions unnecessarily burdensome.
Preliminary Site Evaluation means an evaluation that is performed to review a property improvement and/or addition, prior to the issuance of a building permit, and its effect on the private sewage system. The review includes the location of the improvement and any potential additional wastewater load to the sewage system.
Private Sewage System means a sewage treatment and disposal system serving a structure with a treatment tank and soil absorption component. A private sewage system can also include: a sewage holding tank; privies; and a sewage system approved by the Department of Commerce.
Public Road means a road under the jurisdiction of the State of Wisconsin or a local municipality (county, city, village or town).
Runoff means the rainfall, snowmelt, dewatering or irrigation water flowing over the ground surface.
Site means the entire area of land disturbing or land development activity.
Site Plan means the scaled map showing the boundaries of a property and all of the structures on that property.
Special Exception means an authorization, similar to a variance, granted by the Board of Adjustment in those situations specifically set forth in the zoning ordinance as special exceptions. A special exception differs from a variance, in that it does not necessarily require the demonstration of an unnecessary hardship or practical difficulty.
Standards for Permitting Access means the ordinance adopted by Waukesha County to regulate access to and work within County Highway rights of way and is administered by the Transportation Department.
Stormwater Management Measure means a practice, technique, or measure to reduce the volume, peak flow rate, or pollutants in storm water including, but not limited to structural storm water measures.
Stormwater Management Plan means a document that identifies what actions will be taken to reduce storm water quantity and pollutant loads from land development activity.
Subdivision means (in areas under the jurisdiction of the Waukesha County Shoreland and Floodland Subdivision Control Ordinance) the division of a lot, parcel or tract of land, by the owner thereof or the owner's agent or subdivider for the purpose of sale or building development: (a) Where the act of division creates five or more parcels or building sites inclusive of the original remnant parcel of one and one-half (1-1/2) acres each or less in area; or (b) Where the act of division creates five or more parcels or building sites inclusive of the original remnant parcel of one and one-half (1-1/2) acres each or less in area by successive divisions or of any part of the original property by any person within the period of five years; or (c) where the act of division creates six or more parcels or building sites for residential development inclusive of the original remnant parcel of any size by successive divisions or any part of the original property by any person within a period of five years.
Subdivision Plat (Preliminary or Final) means the map prepared by a registered land surveyor, in accordance with Section 236, Wisconsin Statutes, to accomplish a division of land resulting in more lots than could be created by a certified survey map. The final subdivision plat is recorded in the Register of Deed’s office.
Unincorporated Area means those areas that are not located within the boundaries of an incorporated city or village.
Unnecessary Hardship means that circumstance where special conditions, which were not self-created, affect a particular property and where, in the absence of a variance, no feasible use can be made of the land.
USDA means the United States Department of Agriculture.
Variance means the authorization granted by the Board of Adjustment to construct or alter a building, land or structure in a manner that deviates from the dimensional or numerical standards of this ordinance. The issuance of a variance shall not have the effect of allowing a use of property otherwise prohibited and shall not allow the intensification of a use which would otherwise not be allowed other property having a similar condition or situation. Such variance may not allow for a use that is not allowed in the Zoning District in which the property is located.
Waters of the State means those portions of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior within the boundaries of Wisconsin, all lakes, bays, rivers, streams, springs, ponds, wells, impounding reservoirs, marshes, water courses, drainage systems and other surface water or groundwater, natural or artificial, public or private within the state or under its jurisdiction, except those waters which are entirely confined and retained completely upon the property of a person.
Waukesha County Licensing Ordinance means the ordinance adopted by Waukesha County in Chapter 14, Parks and Land Use, Article X., Health –Related Regulations and Licenses, Waukesha County Code, to protect the public health and safety of citizens by licensing food and recreational facilities thereby maintaining high quality of life.
Waukesha County Sanitary Ordinance means the ordinance adopted by Waukesha County in Waukesha County Code, Chapter 14, Article XIII, Division 3 Parks & Land Use administration of the private sewage system program.
Waukesha County Shoreland and Floodland Protection Ordinance means the zoning ordinance administered by the Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use - Planning and Zoning Division, which is in effect in the unincorporated portions of Waukesha County within one thousand (1,000) feet of the ordinary high water mark of a navigable lake, pond or flowage; three hundred (300) feet of the ordinary high water mark of a navigable river or stream; or the landward side of the 100 year floodplain, whichever is greater.
Waukesha County Shoreland and Floodland Subdivision Control Ordinance means the Ordinance adopted by Waukesha County to regulate the division of land within one thousand (1000) feet of the ordinary high water mark of a navigable lake, pond or flowage; three (300) feet of a navigable river or stream; or the landward side of the 100 year floodplain, whichever is greater.
Waukesha County Zoning Code means the zoning ordinance administered by the Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use - Planning and Zoning Division, which is in effect in those portions of the Towns of Genesee, Oconomowoc, Ottawa and Vernon, which lie outside of the jurisdiction of the Waukesha County Shoreland and Floodland Protection Ordinance.
Working Day means a calendar day, except Saturdays and Sundays and State and County recognized legal holidays.
Zoning Permit means the permit which is issued by the Department of Parks and Land Use - Planning and Zoning Division whenever a structure or part thereof is located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted or structurally altered, within the Towns of Genesee, Oconomowoc, Ottawa or Vernon, or within 1,000 feet of the ordinary high water mark of a navigable lake, pond or flowage; or 300 feet of the ordinary high water mark of any river or stream; or to the landward side of the floodplain, whichever is greater, in any unincorporated areas of Waukesha County.
