Frequently Asked Questions

Property taxes should be made payable to the "Town of Hampden" by January 31st for the year. Please send payments to Lori Toutant, Treasurer N1185 Old F Road Rio, WI  53960 or call at 920-623-1101 with questions.

For all payments after January 31st including June payments, please send payments payable to the "Columbia County Treasurer” 112 E Edgewater, PO Box 198 Portage, WI  53901.  Late fees and penalties may be imposed.  Please also refer to the Columbia County website Columbia County Treasurer - Pay Taxes.

First time homeowners may qualify for a Lottery & Gaming Credit.  Check the county website for information and forms.

Please read a collection of articles about our town.

All dogs 5 months or older MUST be licensed per state statute. Proof of vaccination for rabies is required! 

The cost is as follows –

·      $5 for spayed/neutered

·      $10 for unspade/unneutered.

Dog licenses are due before April 1st of each year or a $5 late fee will apply.  Dog fees can be added in with your property tax payment.

Receipts and dog tags will ONLY be returned if a self-addressed stamped envelope is provided with payment.

Please send payments to or contact Lori Toutant at 920-623-1101 to obtain a dog license.

Lori Toutant

N1185 Old F Road

Rio, WI 53960

If a Landowner is planning to rezone, split their land off from buildings or sell part of the land to someone else, the Plan Commission is required to hold a public hearing.

For a Land Division and/or Rezoning an example time line would be 3 - 4 months.

The following are things that would happen each month.

• Informational meeting with the local Plan Commission - The applicant would attend a Plan Commission meeting to get information on what the applicant needs to do.

• The landowner presents a petition for Land Division and/or Rezoning – When the petition is presented to the Plan Commission the Commission will schedule a date for the Public Hearing.

• The Public Hearing will be held first and the petition will be discussed.  After discussion the hearing will be closed and then the Plan Commission meeting will start.  The members will approve or disapprove the petition.

• At the next Town Board Meeting the petition for the Land Division and/or Rezoning will be on the agenda.  The Town Board will approve or disapprove the recommendation from the Plan Commission.

If the land division requires that some of the land needs to be rezoned the applicant will also apply for and receive approval from the County and this could take an additional 1 – 2 months.

The town is located in a state fire protection area. Burning permits are required for all outdoor burning except campfires used for cooking or warming. Obtain a free permit online https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/forestfire/permits.

The Hampden-Leeds Disposal Site located at N1510 County Road C is provided as a convenience for the residents of the Town of Leeds and the Town of Hampden.

The Recycling Center is open Saturdays, 9am - 2pm.  Additional summer hours include the 1st and 3rd Wednesday from June - August 3pm - 7pm.  The Recycling Center is always closed the opening weekend of November deer gun season.

Bagged garbage can be placed in the dumpsters.  Clear see-through bags must be used.

Recyclable items include the following:

• Paper - newspaper, magazines, office paper, junk mail, and cardboard

• Tin and Glass - aluminum cans, bottles, steel and tin cans (empty and rinsed)

• Plastic - #1-2 plastic bottles and containers (empty and rinsed)

• All other paper, tin, glass, and plastic items should be considered garbage and placed in the dumpsters.

NOT ACCEPTABLE items include the following:

• Medical waste

• Hazardous waste

• Building material or remodeling waste

• Furniture, tires, appliances, waste oil, large ceramics

• Burnables

The Columbia County Solid Waste facility located at the juncture of Highway 16 and US Highway 51 will accept items that are not acceptable at the Recycling Center.

Permits are required for the following -

• Residential and Commercial construction

  •  new construction, additions, detached buildings, remodeling, Other (fence, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, erosion control, removal of structures

• Driveways (including field drives)

• Electrical work

• HVAC work

• Plumbing work

• Other

There is a cost for permits which varies by project.  For permits and questions, call Kelly Green at 608-697-7771 from General Engineering. 

The town hall is located at N1291 County Road N.  The town hall has a community room, a full kitchen and soon-to-be park shelter (slated to be finished in Fall of 2025).  The cost to rent the town hall includes $50/day, $200 deposit, and custodial fee of $35.  Please contact Lori/Bill Toutant for rental contracts at 920-623-1101.

The town cemetery is located behind the town hall at N1291 County Road N. The cost of a plot is $200 for residents and $450 for nonresidents. Please contact the clerk at clerk@townofhampden.wi.gov or 608-333-9110 if you are interested in a purchase.

Please refer to the Hampden cemetery ordinance for cemetery rules.