County surveyor urges Vernon County to draft standalone subdivision ordinance

County Surveyor Laurence Johns presented to the Vernon County Planning Commission on Oct. 13, 2025 about subdivision and land-division ordinances and recommended the county adopt a standalone ordinance rather than placing new subdivision rules inside the general zoning ordinance. Johns identified statutory thresholds that trigger subdivision regulation and flagged compliance questions for the commission to resolve.

Johns noted the statutory trigger in this area: subdividing five or more parcels, within a five-year period, when parcels are under 1.5 acres, is addressed by state law under Wis. Stat. 236.45(2)(ac). He told commissioners that, given those statutory requirements and local land-use goals, "a standalone ordinance would be better than to include this in a general zoning ordinance." Commissioners agreed to review DATCAP Farmland Preservation materials and other counties' ordinances to inform drafting choices.

Commissioner George Wilbur asked whether a county ordinance that is more restrictive than state statute would automatically apply to towns or whether towns could opt in. Johns said he did not know; the commission placed that question on its list of items to research before drafting. The body also directed staff and members to develop a purpose statement as the first drafting step and identified drafting a subdivision ordinance as the next formal task.

The discussion did not reach a final decision on applicability to towns or on specific ordinance language. The commission scheduled further review and materials-sharing before substantive drafting resumes.