Town of Dewhurst fence permit

How to file for a fence permit in the Town of Dewhurst

1. Call the Town of Dewhurst clerk (Helen Bohac, 715-586-7564) to ask whether a fence needs a town permit and who issues it.
2. If the property is near a lake, pond, river or stream, also check with Clark County Planning & Zoning (715-743-5130).
3. Call Diggers Hotline (811) at least 3 business days before digging.

Other rules to know

• The Town's Permitting Responsibilities sheet says a building permit is required for any building structure over $1,000, handled by the Town's contracted General Engineering Company (building inspector Adam Pillard, 608-697-7774); a Town of Dewhurst land use permit is required for construction in the forestry, agricultural, residential 1-2 and commercial zoning areas (no dollar threshold given); and a Clark County Land Use Permit is required within 300 ft of a navigable stream or 1,000 ft of a lake, pond or flowage. It does not mention fences.
• The same sheet says land use and driveway permit applications are available from the Town Clerk at N103 Riviera Avenue, Merrillan, WI 54754; the Town website lists the same address and clerk phone 715-586-7564 (the County directory lists 715-896-0380).
• The Town's zoning ordinance could not be found on the Town's current website, so its text is not summarized here.
• Shoreland areas (within 1,000 ft of a navigable lake, pond or flowage, or 300 ft of a navigable river or stream) fall under Clark County shoreland rules (County Code Ch. 22): privacy, security and open fences need a 3 foot setback from the property line for maintenance access and a 75 foot setback from the ordinary high-water mark; post-and-wire agriculture fences need no property-line setback. Fences may be within highway setback lines but not in the highway right-of-way (Secs. 22-308, 22-360, 22-362). Ch. 22 does not say whether a fence needs a county land use permit; ask Clark County Planning & Zoning, 715-743-5130.
• Clark County Planning & Zoning says the county has 'a mosaic of county and town zoning' and asks owners to contact the department (715-743-5130) to find out which zoning applies to a property.
• The Town's Ordinances page says to contact the Town Clerk for the most recent and accurate records.

Before you dig

Call Diggers Hotline at 811 (or file online at diggershotline.com) at least 3 business days before digging post holes. Find your lot corner markers and keep the fence on your side of the line. County parcel maps can be off by several feet; if you're not sure where the line is, a licensed land surveyor can stake it.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Summarized from the Town of Dewhurst's own ordinances, forms and permit pages. Each link opens the original.

1. clarkcountywi.gov — 02a99f 366e01860e9b48839c42ecd404eb2acc
2. townofdewhurstwi.gov — Permitting Responsibilities
3. clarkcountywi.gov — 02a99f ffb8b98d8cf1404ab199e8536cca39f2
4. energyzoning.org — Zoning ordinance (archived copy)
5. clarkcountywi.gov — pz faq
6. townofdewhurstwi.gov — town board
7. townofdewhurstwi.gov — ordinances