Wisconsin Code § 236.16

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(1) MINIMUM LOT WIDTH
AND AREA. In counties having a population of 40,000 or more,
each lot in a residential area shall have a minimum average width
of 50 feet and a minimum area of 6,000 square feet; in counties of
less than 40,000, each lot in a residential area shall have a minimum average width of 60 feet and a minimum area of 7,200
square feet. In municipalities, towns and counties adopting subdivision control ordinances under s. 236.45, minimum lot width
and area may be reduced to dimensions authorized under such ordinances if the lots are served by public sewers.
(2) MINIMUM STREET WIDTH. All streets shall be of the width
specified on the master plan or official map or of a width at least
as great as that of the existing streets if there is no master plan or
official map, but no full street shall be less than 60 feet wide unless otherwise permitted by local ordinance. Widths of town
roads platted after January 1, 1966, shall, however, comply with
minimum standards for town roads prescribed by s. 82.50.
Streets or frontage roads auxiliary to and located on the side of a
full street for service to the abutting property may not after January 1, 1966, be less than 49.5 feet wide.
(3) LAKE AND NAVIGABLE STREAM SHORE PLATS; PUBLIC ACCESS. (a) All subdivisions abutting on a lake or a navigable
stream shall provide public access at least 60 feet wide providing
access to the water’s edge so that there will be public access,
which is connected to existing public roads, at not more than onehalf mile intervals as measured along the lake or the navigable
stream shore except where greater intervals and wider access is
agreed upon by the department of natural resources and the department, and excluding shore areas where public parks or openspace streets or roads on either side of the navigable stream are
provided.
(b) No public access established under this chapter may be vacated except by circuit court action as provided in s. 236.43, except that such public access may be discontinued under s.
66.1003, subject to s. 66.1006.
(c) Except as provided in par. (d), this subsection does not require any local unit of government to improve land provided for
public access.
(d) All of the owners of all of the land adjacent to a public access established under par. (a) to an inland lake, as defined in s.
30.92 (1) (bk), may petition the city, village, town or county that
owns the public access to construct shoreline erosion control
measures. Subject to par. (e), the city, village, town or county
shall construct the requested shoreline erosion control measures
or request the department of natural resources to determine the
need for shoreline erosion control measures. Upon receipt of a
request under this paragraph from a city, village, town or county,
the department of natural resources shall follow the notice and
hearing procedures in s. 30.208 (3) to (5). Subject to par. (e), the
city, village, town or county shall construct shoreline erosion
control measures as required by the department of natural resources if the department of natural resources determines all of
the following:
1. Erosion is evident along the shoreline in the vicinity of the
public access.
2. The shoreline erosion control measures proposed by the
owners of the property adjacent to the public access are designed
according to accepted engineering practices.
3. Sufficient property owners, in addition to the owners of all
property adjacent to the public access, have agreed to construct
shoreline erosion control measures so that the shoreline erosion
control project is likely to be effective in controlling erosion at the
location of the public access and its vicinity.
4. The shoreline erosion control project is not likely to be effective in controlling erosion at the location of the public access
and its vicinity if the city, village, town or county does not construct shoreline erosion control measures on the land provided for
public access.
(e) A city, village, town or county may not be required to construct shoreline erosion control measures under par. (d) on land
other than land provided for public access.
(f) Paragraphs (b) to (e) apply to public access that exists on,
or that is established after, May 7, 1998.

(4) LAKE AND NAVIGABLE STREAM SHORE PLATS; LAND BETWEEN MEANDER LINE AND WATER’S EDGE. The lands lying between the meander line, established in accordance with s. 236.20
(2) (g), and the water’s edge, and any otherwise unplattable lands
which lie between a proposed subdivision and the water’s edge
shall be included as part of lots, outlots or public dedications in
any plat abutting a lake or a navigable stream. This subsection
applies not only to lands proposed to be subdivided but also to all
lands under option to the subdivider or in which the subdivider
holds any interest and which are contiguous to the lands proposed
to be subdivided and which abut a lake or a navigable stream.

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