A practice of the Vilas County zoning office on advising homeowners who want to “wreck and rebuild” their home within the shoreland setback area by totally tearing down the present structure and rebuilding has been officially endorsed by the county zoning committee as policy.
Zoning administrator Dawn Schmidt said the policy would ensure the principal structure is voluntarily demolished and replaced in the exact same location . . . it involves just three basic steps. A licensed survey would certify structure location before demolition, would mark and stake corners prior to installing foundations, and provide the zoning office with written documentation of the corner locations.
The zoning office notifies homeowners on the need to contact DNR and county health for asbestos and disposal issues. This policy of “wreck and rebuild” applies to structures within 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a stream.
