The Kossuth County Planning and Zoning Commission is made up of five citizens appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Members serve 5 year terms and the majority live in the unincorporated areas of the County. The Commission serves in an advisory role to the Board, reviewing and making recommendations on implementation and updating of the Master Plan, Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance. This includes the zoning and rezoning of land and subdivisions in the unincorporated Kossuth County.
The Kossuth County Board of Adjustment is a quasi-judicial board made up of five citizens appointed by the County Board of Supervisors, with the majority residing in the unincorporated area of the county. Members serve a 5 year term. The Board reviews and makes the final decision on appeals, which are questions between an applicant and the zoning administrator as to the proper interpretation of the zoning ordinance. They also decide on applications for special expectations as specifically provided in the Zoning Ordinance. The Board may authorize variances in the application of the ordinance where there are unusual circumstances that would otherwise result in unnecessary hardship (physical, not economic) to a particular parcel of land if the ordinance is literally enforced, and the variance would not be contrary to the public interest.
Each board does not meet on a regular basis. A meeting will be scheduled whenever an appeal is filed with either the Board of Adjustment or the Planning and Zoning Commission.
