Homesteading in Taylor County, Wisconsin

What "no general zoning" actually means for a homestead buyer

Taylor County itself does not administer a general, comprehensive land-use zoning ordinance -- its Zoning Office's own list of administered codes covers shoreland, floodplain, subdivision control, non-metallic mining, airport zoning, and sanitary (POWTS) permitting, but not a general use-and-district framework. Under Wisconsin's rule that a town may adopt its own general zoning where the county has none, only a few towns -- Grover, Cleveland, and Little Black, as far as this research pass could confirm -- have done so. In every other Taylor County town, there is no general-use zoning district or permitted-use list at all covering land away from water, floodplain, or an airport.

For a homesteader, this cuts both ways. On one hand, it can mean real flexibility: without a general zoning ordinance, questions like how many outbuildings you can put up, whether you can keep livestock at a homestead scale, or how you mix a small farm stand with a residence aren't filtered through a county zoning-district permitted-use list the way they would be in a fully zoned county. On the other hand, it also means less predictability -- no zoning map to consult in advance, and less of a formal process (like a conditional-use permit) for resolving a dispute with a neighbor over land use. If your target parcel is in one of the three towns confirmed to have adopted its own zoning, expect a more conventional zoned-town experience instead; confirm which situation applies before you buy.

Wisconsin's oldest Amish settlement

The Medford Old Order Amish Settlement traces to 1920, when Amish families from Kansas established it -- making it the oldest Amish settlement still in existence anywhere in Wisconsin, per both GAMEO and Amish America. Unlike some of the state's larger, more visitor-oriented settlements, Medford's community has stayed small: a 2024-sourced count puts it at roughly 350 people across 3 church districts, essentially flat over the past 15-plus years, with population sustained mainly by families relocating in from smaller Wisconsin settlements that appear to be phasing out rather than by natural growth from within.

Practically, this means land near the settlement is less likely to come with the kind of active, tourist-facing Amish commerce (roadside stands, furniture shops selling to the public) found near some larger Wisconsin settlements -- expect a quieter, more agriculturally-oriented rural neighborhood instead, with the same norms around shared road use with horse-and-buggy traffic found near any Old Order Amish community.

The statewide religious building-code waiver still applies here

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. This is a statewide law, not specific to Taylor County, and the enforcement disputes that led to its passage happened elsewhere in Wisconsin (Eau Claire County). If you are considering an existing Amish-built or Amish-occupied structure near the Medford settlement, ask directly whether it was built or is occupied under this waiver -- because if a waivered structure is later sold to someone outside the religious sect, it must be brought up to standard code, and you would very likely not qualify for the same waiver as a non-sect-member buyer.

What to ask before buying a homestead-style property in Taylor County

• Whether the target parcel's town is one of the (confirmed) three -- Grover, Cleveland, Little Black -- with its own general zoning ordinance, or has no general zoning at all.
• For any existing structure on the property, ask directly whether it relies on the Wis. Stat. sec. 101.648 religious building-code waiver -- and if it does, get specifics on which code provisions it was excused from before assuming a conventional resale or insurance picture.
• Well and POWTS septic status independently of zoning status -- Taylor County's shoreland (NR 115), floodplain, and sanitary (SPS 383) ordinances apply the same way countywide regardless of general-zoning status.
• Road access and maintenance norms in areas with regular horse-and-buggy traffic near the Medford settlement.