Chapter 236

236.45 History History: 1979 c. 221, 248, 355; 1981 c. 354; 1983 a. 189 s. 329 (26); 2001 a. 16; 2005 a. 477; 2007 a. 44; 2009 a. 376, 399; 2015 a. 48, 391; 2017 a. 243.

236.45 Annotation This section authorizes towns to regulate minimum lot size. Town of Sun Prairie v. Storms, 110 Wis. 2d 58, 327 N.W.2d 642 (1983).

236.45 Annotation Assessment of school and park land dedication fees as a condition for rezoning and issuance of building permit was authorized. Black v. City of Waukesha, 125 Wis. 2d 254, 371 N.W.2d 389 (Ct. App. 1985).

236.45 Annotation This section does not prevent municipalities from adopting and enforcing more than one ordinance that relates to subdivisions. Manthe v. Town of Windsor, 204 Wis. 2d 546, 555 N.W.2d 156 (Ct. App. 1996), 95-1312.

236.45 Annotation A city may not condition extraterritorial plat approval on annexation. Hoepker v. City of Madison Plan Commission, 209 Wis. 2d 633, 563 N.W.2d 145 (1997), 95-2013.

236.45 Annotation It was not a violation of this section, s. 61.34, or the public purpose doctrine for a municipality to assume the dual role of subdivider of property it owned and reviewer of the plat under this chapter. Town of Beloit v. Rock County, 2001 WI App 256, 249 Wis. 2d 88, 637 N.W.2d 71, 00-1231.

236.45 Annotation Affirmed on other grounds. 2003 WI 8, 259 Wis. 2d 37, 657 N.W.2d 344, 00-1231.

236.45 Annotation A municipality has the authority under sub. (2) to impose a temporary town-wide prohibition on land division while developing a comprehensive plan under s. 66.1001. Wisconsin Realtors Ass’n v. Town of West Point, 2008 WI App 40, 309 Wis. 2d 199, 747 N.W.2d 681, 06-2761.

236.45 Annotation A city may not use its extraterritorial plat approval authority to impose land use regulation that should have been done in cooperation with neighboring towns through extraterritorial zoning. Although purporting to be a density standard, the city’s 35-acre density restriction was a use prohibition, the very essence of zoning. Lake Delavan Property Co. v. City of Delavan, 2014 WI App 35, 353 Wis. 2d 173, 844 N.W.2d 632, 13-1202.

236.45 Annotation Although they often work together, zoning and subdivision regulations provide separate and distinct means of regulating the development of land. There are areas of overlap between the two powers, but there are also key differences. Subdivision control is concerned with the initial division of undeveloped land, while zoning more specifically regulates the further use of this land. State ex rel. Anderson v. Town of Newbold, 2021 WI 6, 395 Wis. 2d 351, 954 N.W.2d 323, 18-0547.

236.45 Annotation In this case, the town’s ordinance set minimum lot frontage requirements for each lake within its borders. Pursuant to the Zwiefelhofer, 2012 WI 7, factors, the town’s ordinance was not a zoning ordinance. It did not concern land use, and it did not separate compatible and incompatible land uses, which is a key purpose of a zoning ordinance. Because it was not a zoning ordinance, the restrictions on town enactment of zoning ordinances set by s. 59.692 did not apply, and the ordinance was a permissible exercise of the town’s subdivision authority pursuant to this section. State ex rel. Anderson v. Town of Newbold, 2021 WI 6, 395 Wis. 2d 351, 954 N.W.2d 323, 18-0547.

236.45 Annotation A subdivision plat prepared in compliance with a local ordinance enacted under authority of this section is not required by statutes to be submitted for state level review unless such land division results in a “subdivision” as defined in s. 236.02 (8) [now s. 236.02 (12)]. 59 Atty. Gen. 262.

236.45 Annotation If subdivision regulations, adopted under this section, conflict, a plat must comply with the most restrictive requirement. 61 Atty. Gen. 289.

236.45 Annotation Discussing application of municipal and county subdivision control ordinances within the municipality’s extraterritorial plat approval jurisdiction. 66 Atty. Gen. 103.

236.45 Annotation A county’s minimum lot size zoning ordinance applies to parcels created by a court through division in a partition or probate action, even if such division would be exempted from a municipality’s subdivision authority under sub. (2) (am) 1. A county can enact a subdivision ordinance requiring prior review of sales or exchanges of parcels between adjoining landowners in order to determine whether the division would comply with minimum lot size requirements. OAG 1-14.

236.46 236.46 County plans.

236.46(1) (1) 

236.46(1)(a) (a) The county planning agency may prepare plans, in such units as it may determine, for the future platting of lands within the county, but without the limits of any municipality, or for the future location of streets or highways or parkways, and the extension or widening of existing streets and highways. Before completion of these plans, the county planning agency shall fix the time and place it will hear all persons who desire to be heard upon the proposed plans, and shall give notice of that hearing as required below for the passage of the ordinance by the county board. After these hearings the county planning agency shall certify the plans to the county board, who may, after having submitted the same to the town boards of the several towns in which the lands are located and obtained the approval of the town boards, adopt by ordinance the proposed plans for future platting or for street or highway or parkway location in towns which may have approved the same, and upon approval of those towns may amend the ordinance. Before the ordinance or any amendments to the ordinance are adopted by the county board, notice shall be given by publication of a class 2 notice, under ch. 985, of a hearing at which all persons interested shall be given an opportunity to be heard at a time and place to be specified in the notice. The ordinance with any amendments as may be made shall govern the platting of all lands within the area to which it applies.

236.46(1)(b) (b) In counties having a population of less than 750,000 any plan adopted under this section does not apply in the extraterritorial plat approval jurisdiction of any municipality unless that municipality by ordinance approves the same. This approval may be rescinded by ordinance.

236.46(2) (2) A plan adopted under this section may be any of the following:

236.46(2)(a) (a) A system of arterial thoroughfares complete for each town.

236.46(2)(b) (b) A system of minor streets for the complete area surrounded by any such main arterial thoroughfares and connecting therewith.

236.46(2)(c) (c) The platting of lots for any area surrounded completely by any such arterial thoroughfares or any such minor streets or both.

236.46(3) (3) Such system of arterial thoroughfares and such system of minor streets within such system of arterial thoroughfares and such platting of lots within any such system of minor streets may be adopted by the same proceeding. For the purpose of this section a parkway may be considered either an arterial thoroughfare or a minor street if it performs the function of an arterial thoroughfare or minor street. A natural obstacle like a lake or river or an artificial obstacle like a railroad or town line may, where necessary, be the boundary of a plan adopted under this section instead of a street or highway or parkway.

236.46 History History: 1979 c. 248; 2017 a. 207 s. 5.

subch. X of ch. 236 SUBCHAPTER X

GENERAL PROVISIONS

236.50 236.50 Date chapter applies; curative provisions as to plats before that date.

236.50(1) (1) 

236.50(1)(a) (a) This chapter shall take effect upon July 1, 1956, but any plat recorded prior to December 31, 1956, may be approved and recorded in accordance with this chapter or ch. 236, 1953 stats. This chapter shall not require that any subdivision made prior to July 1, 1956, which was platted under the laws in force at that time or which did not constitute a subdivision under the laws in force at that time, be platted and the plat approved and recorded as provided in this chapter.

236.50(1)(b) (b) This chapter shall not require the preparation and recording of a plat of any subdivision which has been staked out and in which sales or contracts of sales have actually been made prior to June 28, 1935, and nothing herein contained shall require the recording of a plat showing property sold or contracted for sale by metes and bounds or by reference to an unrecorded plat prior to June 28, 1935, as a condition precedent to the sale or contract of sale of the whole or part thereof.

236.50(2) (2) No plat which was recorded in the office of any register of deeds prior to July 1, 1956, shall be held invalid by reason of noncompliance with any statute regulating the platting of lands, in force at the time of such recording. Any unaccepted offer of donation or dedication of land attempted to be made in any such plat shall be as effectual as though all statutory requirements had been complied with unless an action to set aside such offer of donation or dedication is commenced prior to July 1, 1958.