On the agenda: Buffalo County meeting — Data Center (Mar 23)

Buffalo County Ordinance

Drafted By: Cale Severson
Month/Year: March 2026
Committee: Land Mgt. Comm.

Department: Zoning
Fiscal Impact: Yes/No

Ordinance#

An Ordinance to Amend Ordinance#

llo-03-03

13-0l-O! "Buffalo County Zoning Ordinance"

Whereas, the Buffalo County Land Management Committee has reviewed suggested
changes to the ordinance as shown on the attachment labeled as Exhibit A, and;
Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, that the Buffalo County Board of Supervisors hereby adopts
and ordains the Buffalo County Zoning Ordinance amendments as outlined in the attached
Exh ibit A.
Adopted at a duly called and noticed meeting of the Buffalo County Board of Supervisors on
this 2.6<d day of
2026.

,MOJcn ,

ATTEST:

Buffalo County Clerk

Buffalo County Chairperson

Chris Lindstrom

lul...__
\6.
~
William Bruegge

Exhibit A

BUFFALO COUNTY
ZONING ORDINANCE
Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Buffalo County
Ordinance no. 18-07-01

July 23, 2018

21. Public safety facilities (fire station, police station, emergency shelter, etc.).
22. Public utilities.
23. Road test facilities.
24. Sign painting.
25. Slaughterhouses.
26. Soldering and/or welding shops.
27. Temporary Concrete or Asphalt Plant operated in conjunction with a permitted
nonmetallic mine, duration, not to exceed one hundred twenty 120 days meeting
all of the requirements as described in Chapter 9 of this Ordinance.
28. Trade schools and/or training facilities.
29. Truck terminals and freight houses.
30. Warehousing/distribution.
31. Warehouses, lockers, or cold storage facilities.
32. Wine, liquor, and/or fermented malt beverage-production.
b. Conditional Uses:
1. Airports, air strips, or landing fields, provided the site is not less than 20 acres.
2. Animal hospitals.
3. Bottling plant.
4. Clothing manufacture.
5. Concrete or Asphalt Plants meeting the requirements in Chapter 9 of this
Ordinance.
6. Crematories.
7. Data Centers
8. Dry-cleaning plants and/or laundries.
9. Enameling.

2. Except for historic buildings, no repairs or restoration of nonconforming structures shall
be located within any public right-of-way.

4. Nonconforming Lots.
A. Nonconforming lots not deemed a lot of record shall not be buildable and can only be used for
undeveloped natural resources and open space areas and associated conservation practices.
Existing lots of record which do not contain sufficient area and/or width to meet the criteria in
Chapter 8 shall be considered nonconforming lots. If a nonconforming lot is in common
ownership with abutting lands, the contiguous lots shall be considered a single parcel, unless
the parcel is re-divided to conform to the dimensional requirements for new lots in the
applicable zoning district. A lot of record may be used for any use or structure permitted in
the zoning district in which it lies, provided it complies with the following:
1. All structures must meet all setbacks, height, parking, and access requirements of this
Ordinance.
2. Prior to single family dwellings or duplexes being constructed/reconstructed on a nonconforming lot it must be demonstrated the lot has adequate soils and area for two (2)
private onsite waste treatment systems (POWTS).

5. Existing Conditional Uses.
Existing conditional uses shall be treated in the following manner:
A. An existing conditional use which, under the terms of this Ordinance is a permitted use in the
district in which it is located, shall be deemed a permitted use, provided the use and structures
meet the regulations of the district in which it is located.
B. An existing conditional use which, under the terms of this Ordinance, is a conditional use in
the district in which it is located, may be continued, provided the terms of the conditional use
permit are being followed.

C. An existing conditional use which, under the terms of this Ordinance, is neither a conditional
use nor a permitted use shall be deemed to be a nonconforming use and shall be subject to the
provisions of this Chapter.

Data Center: A physical facility that houses computing infrastructure, storage systems, and network
equipment to store, manage, and deliver digital data applications.
Day Care or Child Care Facility: For the purpose of this code a day care or child care facility shall
have the same definition as contained in §48.65(1) Wisconsin Statutes.
Deck: A structure usually made of wood and/or synthetic materials which is accessory to a principal
structure and which has no roof covering or side walls.
Density: The number of dwelling units developed on an acre of land.
Department: Buffalo County Zoning Department.
Development: Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate including, but not
limited to, the construction of buildings, structures or accessory structures; the construction of
additions or substantial improvements to buildings, structures or accessory structures; the placement
of building or structures; mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation or drilling operations;
and the storage, deposition or extraction of materials, public or private sewage disposal systems or
water supply facilities.
Development Entrance Sign: A ground sign which identifies a residential or commercial
subdivision, industrial or office park, or development with three (3) or more buildings.
Directional Sign: Any sign which solely serves to designate the location or direction of any place or
area located on the premises on which the sign is located.
Domestic Fowl: Any domestic breed of chicken, pigeon, dove, quail, turkey, duck, geese, or guinea
hen. No other species of bird shall fall under this definition. For the purpose of this ordinance this
definition shall not be construed to include roosters or male turkeys.
Driveway: A means of vehicular access to or from a property or site containing any dwelling or
habitable structure or other principal use.
Drive-Through Facility: Any portion of a building or structure from which business is transacted, or
is capable of being transacted directly with customers located in a motor vehicle. The term "drivethru" shall also include "drive-up" and "drive-in".
Duplex: Two (2) attached dwelling units on a single lot regardless of the form of ownership of the
units.
Dwelling, Single Family: A structure or portion thereof which provides or is intended to provide
living quarters/habitation for one (1) family.
Dwelling: A structure or portion thereof which is used or intended to be used as a home, residence,
overnight sleeping place or provide living quarters for one person or two or more persons.
Easement: A non-possessory interest in real property that entitles its holder to a specific limited use
or enjoyment, such as for utilities or ingress and egress, as may be specified in the specific easement.