Wisconsin
Buying Land in Marquette County, Wisconsin
Marquette County, seat Montello, is a small, lake-dense central Wisconsin county built around Buffalo Lake and 92 others -- a USDA-classified high-recreation retirement destination. County zoning covers most of the county but not all of it, shoreland and floodplain rules reach a lot of ground given how many lakes there are, and short-term rentals run through a distinctive two-department licensing process.
Zoning: countywide, except two towns that run their own
Marquette County Planning & Zoning (77 West Park Street, Room 104, Montello, WI 53949; (608) 297-3035) administers the county's General Zoning Ordinance across all of its unincorporated towns except two: the Town of Shields and the Town of Springfield each maintain their own separate town zoning ordinance rather than being covered by the county's. This research pass confirmed both exceptions directly -- the Town of Shields' own website has a dedicated zoning page, and the Town of Springfield's own website has a dedicated ordinances page -- but did not obtain a full verbatim copy of either town's specific zoning standards, so a parcel in either town should be checked against that town's own ordinance and clerk, not the county's zoning map.
Marquette County's incorporated municipalities -- the City of Montello (the county seat, on Buffalo Lake) and the Villages of Neshkoro, Oxford, and Westfield -- each administer their own municipal zoning entirely separate from both the county and the county's towns. The City of Montello, for instance, has its own Shoreland-Wetland Zoning ordinance (Chapter 364) distinct from the county's shoreland ordinance covering the unincorporated county. If a parcel sits inside any of these incorporated boundaries, that municipality's own planning office -- not the county -- is the right first call.
93 lakes: shoreland zoning, floodplain rules, and Buffalo Lake
For a county of its size, Marquette County is unusually lake-dense: roughly 93 lakes cover about 5,736 acres countywide, and the county seat itself, Montello, is sited directly on Buffalo Lake, with the Fox, Mecan, Montello, and White Rivers also running through the county. The Marquette County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance implements the statewide NR 115 standard across the entire county -- within 1,000 feet of the ordinary high-water mark of a navigable lake, pond, or flowage, or within 300 feet of a navigable river, creek, or stream -- and a separate countywide Floodplain Ordinance applies to any area shown on FEMA's flood insurance rate maps.
Because the shoreland band extends so far inland from even a modest lake, and because there are so many lakes scattered across a relatively compact county, a parcel that doesn't look waterfront on a casual look can still fall inside the shoreland zone. Confirm shoreland and floodplain status directly with Planning & Zoning for any parcel near water before assuming ordinary setbacks and lot-coverage rules apply.
A recreation and retirement destination -- and what that means for short-term rentals
The U.S. Department of Agriculture classifies Marquette County as a high-recreation retirement destination, consistent with its lake-heavy geography and its role as a vacation and second-home market for the surrounding region. That has produced a real short-term-rental economy, and the county regulates it through a genuinely two-agency process: a property owner needs a Tourist Rooming House license under county Chapter 35 from both Marquette County Planning & Zoning and the Marquette County Health Department, in addition to the license required under the state's DATCP ATCP 72 tourist-rooming-house framework administered by local health departments statewide.
One detail worth knowing before evaluating a lake property for rental income: occupancy isn't set arbitrarily -- if the property isn't served by public sanitary sewer, it must be served by a POWTS in full compliance with county Chapter 74, and the size of that septic system directly determines the property's permitted renter occupancy level. See our dedicated short-term-rentals page for the full application requirements (fee, floor and site plans, proof of insurance, a Wisconsin Seller's Permit) and how the septic-capacity link works in practice.
Septic, wells, GIS/records, and agricultural extension
Marquette County Planning & Zoning also administers the county's Sanitary Ordinance, which governs POWTS installation, repair, alteration, and reconnection anywhere in the county not served by municipal sewer, applying the statewide SPS 383 standard. A sanitary permit must be obtained before a zoning permit will be issued for most projects, so plan the septic step first rather than treating it as a formality that follows a zoning approval. Private wells fall under the Wisconsin DNR's statewide NR 812 well-construction rules rather than a county permit, and the Marquette County Health Department (428 Underwood Ave., Montello, WI 53949; (608) 297-3135) offers its own well-water testing program -- bacterial testing recommended annually, an inorganic/metals panel (nitrate, arsenic, lead, and more) recommended every five years, and pesticide testing where there's a specific reason to suspect contamination.
For parcel research, the Marquette County Register of Deeds (77 West Park Street, Room 106, Montello, WI 53949; (608) 297-3025) holds recorded deeds, easements, and plats, and the County Treasurer ((608) 297-3030) handles property tax payment; the county's Land Information/GIS office publishes an online GIS map viewer and document search through the county's own website. UW-Madison Division of Extension's Marquette County office (480 Underwood Avenue, Room 136, Montello, WI 53949; (608) 297-3141) supports the county's agricultural and horticultural base, which historically has included wheat, corn, rye, dairy, and cranberries -- Wisconsin's central counties together produce a majority of the nation's cranberry crop, though this research pass did not confirm Marquette County's specific current share of that production.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Marquette County
Direct WebFetch access to marquettecountywi.gov, co.marquette.wi.us, townofshields-wi.gov, and townofspringfieldwi.org was blocked by a network egress restriction throughout this research pass, so department details and the Chapter 35/Chapter 74 provisions described above reflect search-indexed content rather than a full verbatim read of the current ordinance text -- confirm current staff, fees, and a specific town's zoning status before relying on this page for a specific parcel.
Planning & Zoning
Marquette County Planning & Zoning
Zoning district lookups, confirming whether a parcel is under county zoning or the Towns of Shields'/Springfield's own zoning, rezoning, and permits.
Building & Permitting
Marquette County Planning & Zoning
Zoning permit applications (required for structures 100 sq ft or larger); a sanitary permit must be obtained first where applicable.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Marquette County Planning & Zoning -- Sanitary Ordinance
POWTS (septic) sanitary permits under county Chapter 74 and statewide SPS 383 standards; required before a zoning permit issues.
Wells / Private Water
Wisconsin DNR -- Wells Program
Private well construction rules (NR 812) and certified well-driller lookups statewide, including Marquette County.
Environmental Health
Marquette County Health Department
Well water testing (bacterial, inorganic/metals, pesticide panels) and co-licensing of short-term/tourist rooming house rentals.
Floodplain / Stormwater
Marquette County Planning & Zoning
Countywide Floodplain Ordinance (FEMA-mapped areas) and Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (NR 115) administration.
GIS / Parcel Records
Marquette County Land Information / GIS
Parcel mapping, GIS data, and online document search.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Marquette County Register of Deeds
Recorded deed, easement, and plat history for a specific parcel.
Assessor / Property Tax
Marquette County Treasurer
Property tax payment and records.
Agricultural Extension
UW-Madison Division of Extension, Marquette County
Agriculture and horticulture guidance for the county.
Other
Marquette County Planning & Zoning -- Short-Term Rental Licensing
Tourist Rooming House (Chapter 35) license applications for short-term rentals, in coordination with the County Health Department.
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Get local guidanceTopics Specific to Marquette County
Sources
- Zoning — Marquette County, Wisconsin Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Frequently Asked Questions (Zoning) — Marquette County, Wisconsin Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Zoning -- Town of Shields, Marquette County, Wisconsin — Town of Shields, Wisconsin Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Ordinances -- Town of Springfield — Town of Springfield, Marquette County, Wisconsin Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Short Term Rentals — Marquette County, Wisconsin Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Chapter 35 -- Tourist Rooming House (draft) — Marquette County, Wisconsin Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Sanitation & Septic Systems — Marquette County, Wisconsin Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Well Water Sampling — Marquette County, Wisconsin Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Land Records Search — Marquette County, Wisconsin Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Marquette County — Wisconsin Counties Association (accessed 2026-09)
- Marquette County, Wisconsin — Wikipedia (accessed 2026-09)
- Chapter 364: Shoreland-Wetland Zoning (City of Montello) — City of Montello, Wisconsin Government (via eCode360) (accessed 2026-09)
- Extension Marquette County — University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension (accessed 2026-09)
- Wisconsin Administrative Code, Chapter NR 115 — Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (accessed 2026-09)
- Wisconsin Administrative Code, Chapter SPS 383 — Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09