Homesteading in Clark County, Wisconsin

Four settlements, different affiliations, different character

Clark County's Amish population -- roughly 3,500 people as of 2021 data from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies -- is split across four distinct settlements with different founding dates and religious affiliations. Granton (founded 1981) is the largest and most visitor-oriented: it is explicitly described as "visitor-friendly," with roadside signs, farm stands, and businesses that sell to the public. Loyal (founded 1989) and Greenwood (founded 1975) are affiliated with the Swartzentruber Amish, among the most conservative Old Order affiliations in the country, which generally means fewer modern conveniences and a more traditional built environment than Granton. Spencer (founded 1970) is the smallest and oldest of the four.

For a homesteader, this matters practically: land near Granton is more likely to come with an active local market for Amish-made goods, produce, greenhouse plants, and furniture, plus tradespeople used to serving non-Amish customers. Land near the more conservative Loyal/Greenwood settlement will likely mean a quieter, less commercially oriented rural neighborhood, with correspondingly different norms around things like road use (horse-and-buggy traffic sharing rural roads) and neighboring land use.

Wisconsin's religious building-code waiver: what it actually covers

A 2015 Wisconsin budget provision, now codified as Wis. Stat. sec. 101.648 (and reflected in the Uniform Dwelling Code at SPS 320.05(11)), lets a resident who is part of "a recognized religious sect" whose teachings conflict with parts of the state's Uniform Dwelling Code apply for a waiver from those specific provisions -- most notably electrical and plumbing requirements and smoke/carbon-monoxide detector mandates. The law was passed specifically in response to a dispute in Eau Claire County (not Clark County), where six Amish families faced eviction proceedings and more than $40,000 in fines for non-compliance with the code before the legislature acted.

The waiver isn't unconditional: an applicant must submit an affidavit affirming sect membership and the religious conflict, and -- critically for a land buyer -- if a waivered structure is later sold to someone outside the religious sect, it must be brought up to standard code. If you're considering buying an existing Amish-built or Amish-occupied home in Clark County, ask directly whether the structure was built or is occupied under a religious waiver, and if so, budget for potential code upgrades (wiring, plumbing, detectors) as part of your purchase, since you would very likely not qualify for the same waiver as a non-sect-member buyer.

It's also worth knowing the waiver hasn't always been applied smoothly at the county level elsewhere in the state: reporting on a Washington County waiver denial shows that a county board can still resist an individual waiver request even though the underlying exemption is state law, pushing the matter to the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) for further review. This research pass found no reporting of a specific waiver being granted or denied in Clark County itself, so if this is relevant to a specific purchase, ask DSPS or Clark County directly about local practice rather than assuming either a smooth or contested process.

What to ask before buying a homestead-style property near a Clark County settlement

• Whether any existing structure on the property was built or is occupied under a Wis. Stat. sec. 101.648 religious building-code waiver, and if so, what specific code provisions it does not meet.
• Whether the property's town is covered by Clark County's general zoning (Chapter 22) or has its own separate arrangement -- confirm with Clark County Planning, Zoning & Land Information rather than assuming.
• Road access and maintenance norms in areas with regular horse-and-buggy traffic, including any local expectations around shared gravel-road upkeep.
• Well and POWTS septic status independently of any code waiver -- the religious waiver covers specific UDC provisions (electrical, plumbing, detectors) but does not exempt a property from Wisconsin's separate statewide POWTS (SPS 383) septic permitting and NR 812 well-construction standards.