Wisconsin Statutes
Wis. Stat. § 236.11 (2026)
Submission of plats for approval
✓ current as of July 2026
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236.11(1)(a)(a) Before submitting a final plat for approval, the subdivider may submit, or the approving authority may require that the subdivider submit, a preliminary plat. It shall be clearly marked “preliminary plat” and, except as provided in par. (d), shall be in sufficient detail to determine whether the final plat will meet layout requirements. Subject to par. (d), within 90 days, the approving authority, or its agent authorized to approve preliminary plats, shall take action to approve, approve conditionally, or reject the preliminary plat and shall state in writing any conditions of approval or reasons for rejection, unless the time is extended by agreement with the subdivider. Failure of the approving authority or its agent to act within the 90 days, or extension thereof, constitutes an approval of the preliminary plat.
236.11(1)(b)(b) If the final plat conforms substantially to the preliminary plat as approved, including any conditions of that approval, and to local plans and ordinances adopted as authorized by law, it is entitled to approval. If the final plat is not submitted within 36 months after the last required approval of the preliminary plat, any approving authority may refuse to approve the final plat or may extend the time for submission of the final plat. The final plat may, if permitted by the approving authority, constitute only that portion of the approved preliminary plat that the subdivider proposes to record at that time.
236.11(1)(c)(c) A professional engineer, a planner, or another person charged with the responsibility to review plats shall provide the approving authority with his or her conclusions as to whether the final plat conforms substantially to the preliminary plat and with his or her recommendation on approval of the final plat. The conclusions and recommendation shall be made a part of the record of the proceeding at which the final plat is being considered and are not required to be submitted in writing.
236.11(1)(d)(d) A subdivider that submits a preliminary plat for approval under par. (a) may submit preliminary, rather than final, plans and reports regarding sewer, water, road cross-sections, grading, stormwater, soil testing, landscaping, and street lighting. The approving authority, or its agent authorized to approve preliminary plats, may not reject the preliminary plat on the basis that the plans and reports are not final, but the approving authority or its agent may approve conditionally the preliminary plat on that basis and state in writing the conditions of approval as allowed under par. (a), including conditions that final plans and reports are submitted.
236.11(2)(a)(a) The subdivider or subdivider’s agent shall submit to the body or bodies having authority to approve plats an electronic copy of the final plat or a copy of the final plat that is capable of legible reproduction. The approving authority or authorities shall approve or reject the final plat within 60 days of its submission, unless the time is extended by agreement with the subdivider or subdivider’s agent. When the approving authority is a municipality and determines to approve the plat, it shall give at least 10 days’ prior written notice of its intention to the clerk of any municipality whose boundaries are within 1,000 feet of any portion of such proposed plat but failure to give such notice shall not invalidate any such plat. If a plat is rejected, the reasons therefor shall be stated in the minutes of the meeting and a copy thereof or a written statement of the reasons shall be supplied to the subdivider or subdivider’s agent. If the approving authority fails to act within 60 days and the time has not been extended by agreement and if no unsatisfied objections have been filed within that period, the plat shall be deemed approved, and, upon demand, a certificate to that effect shall be made on the face of the plat by the clerk of the authority that has failed to act.
236.11(2)(b)(b) The approval of the approving authority or authorities may be based on the copy submitted under par. (a) but the approval must be inscribed on the recordable plat document. Before inscribing its approval, the approving authority shall require the subdivider or subdivider’s agent to certify the respects in which the recordable plat document differs from the copy, if any. An approving authority must approve all modifications in the final plat before it gives final approval to the plat. No approving authority may inscribe its final approval on a plat before the affixing of the certificate by the department under s. 236.12 (3).
236.11 AnnotationUnder sub. (1) (a), a village must act within the stated time limit as to a preliminary plat, even though the plat allegedly violates the official city map. Tabling consideration of the plat within the stated time is not sufficient. State ex rel. Lozoff v. Board of Trustees, 55 Wis. 2d 64, 197 N.W.2d 798 (1972).
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 15
cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1959–2023 · leading case: Wood v. City of Madison, 2003 WI 24 (Wis. 2003).
Wood v. City of Madison, 2003 WI 24 (Wis. 2003). “Wis. Stat. §§ 236.11 , 236.12. Approval of the preliminary or final plat shall be conditioned upon compliance with: (a) the provisions of chapter 236, (b) any municipal, town or county ordinance, and (c) a *115 comprehensive plan.”
Lake City Corp. v. City of Mequon, 558 N.W.2d 100 (Wis. 1997). “Under Wis. Stat. § 236.11 , a final plat is entitled to approval only if it "conforms substantially.”
Voss v. City of Middleton, 470 N.W.2d 625 (Wis. 1991). “Prior to 1983, Voss, as trustee for the owners of much of the land within the plat, submitted a number of preliminary plats of the land for Madison's approval pursuant to sec. 236.11(1)(a), Stats. [4] These plats showed *745 various street layouts connecting Gammon Road in…”
Olson v. Town of Cottage Grove, 2008 WI 51 (Wis. 2008). “¶ 7 On June 7, 2002, Olson submitted a preliminary plat of his proposed subdivision development Highlands Addition to American Heritage to the Town pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 236.11 (1)(a) (2001-02). [2] ¶ 8 On July 15, 2002, the Town amended its Land Division and Planning…”
KW HOLDINGS, LLC v. Town of Windsor, 2003 WI App 9 (Wis. Ct. App. 2002). “KW Holdings argues that the preliminary plat was automatically approved without conditions by operation of law under Wis. Stat. § 236.11 (l)(a) because the town board did not make a definite and final decision on it by September 14, 2001.”
Cohn v. Town of Randall, 2001 WI App 176 (Wis. Ct. App. 2001). “The above statute must be read in conjunction with Wis. Stat. § 236.11 (1925): [A]nd the land intended to be for the streets, alleys, ways, commons or other public uses as designated on said plat shall be held in the corporate name of the town, city or village in which such plat…”
Busse v. City of Madison, 503 N.W.2d 340 (Wis. Ct. App. 1993). “But the ordinance in Cherry Valley did not permit a rejection of a preliminary plat as does sec. 236.11, Stats. Thus, the Pennsylvania court's conclusion is not persuasive as to River Ridge's plat.”
Beard v. Lee Enter., Inc., 591 N.W.2d 156 (Wis. 1999). “13 (1)(c) and § 236.11); State v. Sweat, 208 Wis. 2d 409, 417 , 561 N.”
Gordie Boucher Lincoln-Mercury Madison, Inc. v. City of Madison Plan Comm'n, 503 N.W.2d 265 (Wis. Ct. App. 1993). “Section 236.11(l)(a), Stats. Unless waived by the secretary of the plan commission, an acceptable preliminary plat shall be filed by the subdivider prior to, or with, the CSM.”
Hoepker v. City of Madison Plan Comm'n, 563 N.W.2d 145 (Wis. 1997). “4 Upon the City's request, the Hoepkers agreed to several extensions of the ninety-day review period set forth in Wis. Stat. § 236.11 (1)(a); therefore, the City was not required to approve or object to the preliminary plat until June 21, 1994.”
Vande Zande v. Town of Marquette, 2008 WI App 144 (Wis. Ct. App. 2008). “Looking to the statutes in effect at the time of the platting, the court considered Wis. Stat. § 236.11 (1931), which contained language similar to that later found in Wis.”
State Ex Rel. Albert Realty Co. v. Vill. Bd. of Brown Deer, 95 N.W.2d 808 (Wis. 1959). “Sec. 236.11, Stats., in requiring that the rejection of a plat shall be accompanied by a written statement of the reasons for rejection, clearly contemplates that the subdivider shall be given the opportunity to cure the objections in order to make the plat acceptable to the…”
— Wis. Stat. § 236.11(1)(a) — 2 cases
Voss v. City of Middleton, 470 N.W.2d 625 (Wis. 1991). “Prior to 1983, Voss, as trustee for the owners of much of the land within the plat, submitted a number of preliminary plats of the land for Madison's approval pursuant to sec. 236.11(1)(a), Stats. [4] These plats showed *745 various street layouts connecting Gammon Road in…”
Busse v. City of Madison, 503 N.W.2d 340 (Wis. Ct. App. 1993). “But the ordinance in Cherry Valley did not permit a rejection of a preliminary plat as does sec. 236.11, Stats. Thus, the Pennsylvania court's conclusion is not persuasive as to River Ridge's plat.”
— Wis. Stat. § 236.11(1)(b) — 1 case
Wood v. City of Madison, 2003 WI 24 (Wis. 2003). “Wis. Stat. §§ 236.11 , 236.12. Approval of the preliminary or final plat shall be conditioned upon compliance with: (a) the provisions of chapter 236, (b) any municipal, town or county ordinance, and (c) a *115 comprehensive plan.”
— Wis. Stat. § 236.11(b) — 1 case
Forseth v. Vill. of Sussex, 20 F. Supp. 2d 1267 (E.D. Wis. 1998).
— Wis. Stat. § 236.11(l)(a) — 4 cases
Voss v. City of Middleton, 470 N.W.2d 625 (Wis. 1991). “Prior to 1983, Voss, as trustee for the owners of much of the land within the plat, submitted a number of preliminary plats of the land for Madison's approval pursuant to sec. 236.11(1)(a), Stats. [4] These plats showed *745 various street layouts connecting Gammon Road in…”
Gordie Boucher Lincoln-Mercury Madison, Inc. v. City of Madison Plan Comm'n, 503 N.W.2d 265 (Wis. Ct. App. 1993). “Section 236.11(l)(a), Stats. Unless waived by the secretary of the plan commission, an acceptable preliminary plat shall be filed by the subdivider prior to, or with, the CSM.”
KW HOLDINGS, LLC v. Town of Windsor, 2003 WI App 9 (Wis. Ct. App. 2002). “KW Holdings argues that the preliminary plat was automatically approved without conditions by operation of law under Wis. Stat. § 236.11 (l)(a) because the town board did not make a definite and final decision on it by September 14, 2001.”
Busse v. City of Madison, 503 N.W.2d 340 (Wis. Ct. App. 1993). “But the ordinance in Cherry Valley did not permit a rejection of a preliminary plat as does sec. 236.11, Stats. Thus, the Pennsylvania court's conclusion is not persuasive as to River Ridge's plat.”
— Wis. Stat. § 236.11(l)(b) — 2 cases
Wood v. City of Madison, 2003 WI 24 (Wis. 2003). “Wis. Stat. §§ 236.11 , 236.12. Approval of the preliminary or final plat shall be conditioned upon compliance with: (a) the provisions of chapter 236, (b) any municipal, town or county ordinance, and (c) a *115 comprehensive plan.”
KW HOLDINGS, LLC v. Town of Windsor, 2003 WI App 9 (Wis. Ct. App. 2002). “KW Holdings argues that the preliminary plat was automatically approved without conditions by operation of law under Wis. Stat. § 236.11 (l)(a) because the town board did not make a definite and final decision on it by September 14, 2001.”
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