Summer on Wisconsin’s Waterfronts Just Got Better

Pier on Lake Wausau

Summer on the waterfront in Wisconsin can be quite enjoyable. Waterfront owners now have something more to cheer about; aside from the lovely view from their pier.  Since April when Wisconsin modified the rights of waterfront owners.  The new law grandfathers in almost all existing piers and guarantees that waterfront property owners have the right to place a pier even in areas the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has deemed to be “environmentally significant.”

Existing Piers
Under the new law all existing piers are grandfathered in as long as the pier meets the guidelines below:

  • The pier must have been originally placed prior to February 6, 2004.
  • The width of the pier could be no wider than eight feet.
  • A loading platform or deck was allowed as long as it is located at the lakeward end of the pier and the platform had a surface area no greater than either (a) 200 square feet, which may be any width, or (b) 300 square feet, if the deck/platform is no wider than 10 feet.

Moreover, the new law allows the waterfront owner to relocate or reconfigure the pier as long as the pier is not enlarged.

New Piers
A new pier can now be placed without getting a permit if the following requirements are met:

  • Width: No more than six feet wide.
  • Length: No longer than what is necessary to moor your boat or use a boat lift, or 3-foot water depth, whichever is greater.
  • Number of boats: Two boat slips/lifts for the first 50 feet of water frontage of your property, plus one more boat slip/lift for each additional 50 feet of frontage.
  • Number of personal watercraft: Two personal watercraft for the first 50 feet of water frontage of your property, plus one more personal watercraft for each additional 50 feet of frontage.
  • Loading platforms: A loading platform/deck with a surface area no greater than 200 square feet.

If a waterfront property owner wants to place a pier that exceeds these standards, a permit must be obtained from the DNR.

New Piers in Environmentally Significant Areas
Piers can now be built in areas that are considered by the DNR to be environmentally significant. While you still have to obtain a general permit for building the pier, the DNR can no longer prohibit the construction of a pier. However, the DNR may impose condition on the location, design, construction, and installation of such piers.

Wet Boathouses
You may now maintain your existing boathouse if it was constructed prior to 1979. You may use unlimited resources to maintain the boathouse. However, the boathouse can not be expanded.

When looking at purchasing waterfront property it will be important to discuss with your realtor whether the current property owner has received notice from the DNR that the pier is detrimental to the public interest and if the pier interferes with the rights of other waterfront owners.

Source: “New Pier Grandfathering Legislation Signed Into Law,” The Wisconsin Realtors Association Real Estate Magazine (May 2012).

Madison Home Builders Going Green

The Madison real estate market has been going through a number of changes as it begins to re-stabilize itself into a more normal market. Middleton and Madison home buyers have more inventories to select from and a bit more time to consider their decisions. This is really great for Madison area buyers, despite the headlines that continue to haunt of a real estate crash. This is not the only the change that we are seeing in Madison real estate though. A new series of projects has recently begun in an attempt to transform some of Madison’s homes into more energy efficient living spaces. Some of our local builders are going green and providing Green Built Home Makeovers that will make homes 50 to 75 percent more energy efficient. Recently, a $100,000 remodel was done as a donation on the east side of Madison. The group is planning to do one donation project a year in the Madison area in an attempt to raise awareness of this important cause. Some of the modifications made were hybrid heat pump systems, modern electrical systems, rooftop solar panels, and energy efficient appliances. The donation project was organized by Project Home which is a non-profit organization that works towards bettering housing for low to moderate income residents in Madison and surrounding areas. They mostly concentrate in the Dane and Green counties. If this causes a chain reaction, this great cause could truly change the face of Madison area real estate.

2007, Fifth Highest Year on Record for Existing Home Sales

Although the real estate market has been slowing over the last 2 years, it is very important to note that 2007 will still be the fifth highest year on record for existing home sales. The National Association of Realtors has recently released reports providing evidence that people are still buying homes at historical levels and that the favorable mortgage rates are still in play for prospective home buyers. One out of every 16 American households will buy a home this year, with the expected total of existing home sales to be around 5.78 million for the year. This is compared to 6.48 million total sales in 2006, which is believed to be an unsustainable level by experts. With greater inventory levels, and more reaction time in the absence of bidding wars and panic among buyers, now is an ideal time to consider homeownership in the Madison and Middleton areas. For more details on this report by the National Association of Realtors, please send me your questions and visit their site.