Walworth County board approves setback variance for Elkhorn property owner to install 8x20 shed

The Walworth County Board of Adjustments approved a variance Feb. 12 allowing property owner William Sattler to place an 8-by-20-foot accessory structure three feet from both the rear and side lot lines at W5310 Wandawiga Drive in the Town of Sugar Creek.

The board voted to approve the variance after hearing testimony from Sattler and reviewing written correspondence from adjacent property owners and the Town of Sugar Creek Plan Commission. The hearing record includes an email from neighbors Sandy and Tom Eden stating they do not object to the proposed placement and a January 9, 2025, planning commission letter that recommended denial at the local level.

Sattler told the board his lot “doesn’t really have a rear yard” and that site conditions — including an on-site holding tank, the house placement and an oak tree — limit where a shed can be placed. “I’m looking to build a shed in the corner of my property,” Sattler said, adding that the 8-by-20-foot size (about 160 square feet) reflects his storage needs and is not unusually large for an accessory structure. He also said he would not put the structure on a concrete slab and expected to use piers.

Nicholas Sigman, senior zoning officer, explained the applicable setbacks under the Walworth County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance: when a structure is located in a side yard rather than entirely within a rear yard, the required rear-yard setback is 25 feet and the side-yard setback in this case is 12 feet. Sigman confirmed the proposed shed location is predominantly in the side yard, which creates the larger setback requirement. The applicant requested relief to have the structure sited as if that portion of the lot were a rear yard — 3 feet from the rear and 3 feet from the side.

Board members discussed unnecessary hardship, public interest and whether the requested relief was consistent with the county’s intent to place small accessory structures in back corners of lots. Several members noted the property’s effective backyard area measures roughly 4.1 feet at one point and that placing the shed in the requested back-corner location would align visually with other neighborhood lots and reduce visibility from the road. The board also noted the applicant submitted a letter from an adjacent neighbor in support and that no members of the public attended to oppose the variance in person.

After discussion, a board member moved to approve the variance; a second was given for discussion. The motion passed on voice vote. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes; the chair announced the motion carried and that the variance was approved. The chair also explained that because the next scheduled Thursday meeting was canceled due to inclement weather, the board considered and decided the matter at the Wednesday meeting.

The record for this application includes Sattler’s testimony, the neighbor email, and minutes from the Town of Sugar Creek Plan Commission meeting (Jan. 9, 2025) indicating that body had declined the setback request at the local advisory level. The county board’s approval is the formal action taken at this hearing; any subsequent building-permit or code clearances remain subject to applicable building codes and setbacks tied to structure-to-structure clearance and holding-tank separation requirements.