Shoreland Overlay District
Your property is within the Shoreland Overlay district if it is within the following distances from the ordinary high water mark of navigable waters (whichever distance is greater):
- One thousand (1,000) feet from a lake, pond, or flowage; and
- Three hundred (300) feet from a river or stream or to the landward side of the floodplain.
To determine if your property is within a Shoreland Overlay District contact the us by email at CDD@sccwi.gov with your name, contact information, property address or parcel ID number, and question. We will contact you regarding your question.
The purpose of the Shoreland Overlay District is to promote the public health, safety, convenience, and welfare, and promote and protect the public trust in navigable waters by:
- Further the maintenance of safe and healthy conditions and preventing and controlling water pollution.
- Protecting spawning grounds, fish, aquatic life, and wildlife habitat.
- Controlling development, placement of structures, and land uses.
- Preserving and restoring shoreland vegetation and natural scenic beauty.
- Preventing flood damage.
Riverway Overlay District
You can find if your property is within the Riverway District on St. Croix County's Interactive Zoning Map. Under the Layer List menu, check the box for the “Riverway Zoning” layer.
The purpose of the Riverway Overlay District is to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare by:
- Reducing the adverse effects of overcrowding and poorly planned shoreline and bluff area development.
- Preventing soil erosion and pollution and contamination of surface water and groundwater.
- Providing sufficient space on lots for sanitary facilities.
- Minimizing flood damage.
- Maintaining property values.
- Preserving and maintaining the exceptional scenic, cultural, and natural characteristics of the water and related land of the Lower St. Croix Riverway in a manner consistent with the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (P.L. 90-542), the Federal Lower St. Croix River Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-560) and the Wisconsin Lower St. Croix River Act (Wisconsin Statute § 30.27).
Floodplain Overlay District
You can find if your property is within the Floodplain District on St. Croix County's Interactive Zoning Map. Under the Layer List menu, check the box for the “Flood Plain & Base Flood Elevation” layer.
This ordinance is intended to regulate floodplain development to:
- Protect life, health, and property.
- Minimize expenditures of public funds for flood control projects.
- Minimize development in a floodplain which would obstruct flood flows and decrease the storage capacity of the floodplain.
- Minimize rescue and relief efforts undertaken at the expense of the taxpayers.
- Minimize business interruptions and other economic disruptions.
- Minimize damage to public facilities in the floodplain.
- Broaden the property tax base of the County by enhancing property values.
- Discourage the victimization of unwary home and land buyers.
- Minimize the occurrence of future flood blight areas in the floodplain.
- Prevent increases in flood heights that could increase flood damage and result in conflicts between property owners.
- Discourage development in a floodplain if there is any practicable alternative to locate the activity, use, or structure outside of the floodplain.
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