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Bills from the 2025–26 session

Senate Bill 479

Subdivision plat approvals. (FE)

Topics: County: Officers, Municipality: Officers, Plats, Register of deeds

Stopped before the full Senate voted

The recommended passing it, but the full Senate never voted on it. The last day for votes this session was Mar 19, 2026. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Oct 2, 2025

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Senate never voted on it.

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2026: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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The same bill was also filed in the Assembly as AB 452. That version became law.

What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill makes various changes to the process that a city, town, village, or county must use for approving subdivisions of land and imposing conditions on that approval.

Under the bill, a city, town, or county must provide a subdivider the opportunity to meet informally with a representative of the city, town, or county before the subdivider submits a preliminary plat, or final plat if a preliminary plat is not submitted, for approval. The purpose of meeting informally is for the representative to provide a conceptual review of the proposed subdivision and the representative’s opinions regarding whether the subdivision complies with the requirements and conditions for approving plats of the city, town, or county. Conceptual reviews and opinions provided through this informal meeting are not binding on the parties.

Read the full summary

The bill also allows a subdivider to submit preliminary, as opposed to final, infrastructure plans with a preliminary plat. If a subdivider submits preliminary infrastructure plans with a preliminary plat, the bill prohibits an approving authority from rejecting the preliminary plat because the infrastructure plans are preliminary, but the bill does allow an approving authority to approve the preliminary plat subject to conditions, including the condition that final infrastructure plans be submitted to the local governmental unit.

Under current law, a city, town, or village may approve a plat on the condition that the subdivider 1) makes and installs necessary public improvements or 2) provides security to ensure that necessary public improvements will be made within a reasonable time. Under the bill, the condition for approval is that the subdivider 1) agrees to install necessary public improvements and 2) provides financial security to ensure that necessary public improvements will be made within a reasonable time after the approval. Further, under the bill, a city, town, or village may not require that necessary public improvements be installed or approved as a condition of submitting, reviewing, approving, or recording a preliminary or final plat. Put another way, under the bill, a city, town, or village may condition approval of a plat on necessary public improvements being completed within a reasonable time after approval of the plat, but may not require that necessary public improvements be installed or accepted before the plat is approved.

Under current law, a subdivider must record a final plat with the register of deeds for the county in which the approved subdivision is located. The bill requires that the clerk of the city, town, village, or county authorized to approve the final plat certify that the plat is eligible for recording within 10 days of receiving a request for certification from the subdivider.

Finally, the bill makes changes to legislative purpose statements related to state and local regulation of the subdivision of land.

Who's behind it

Dan Feyen, a Republican, is its ⁠.

12 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 13 names

Author (1)

Signed on in support (12)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There were 3 votes on this bill.

Senate Committee on Insurance vote on an amendment

Passed, 5 to 0 · Oct 23, 2025

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate Committee on Insurance vote on an amendment

Passed, 5 to 0 · Oct 23, 2025

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate Committee on Insurance vote to recommend it

Passed, 5 to 0 · Oct 23, 2025

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2026

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 6, 2026 to Mar 19, 2026

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  3. Oct 23, 2025

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 0.

  4. Oct 23, 2025

    “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)

  5. Oct 23, 2025

    “Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0” (the official wording)

  6. Oct 15, 2025

    The committee held a public hearing.

  7. Oct 7, 2025

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  8. Oct 6, 2025

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  9. Oct 2, 2025

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry.

  10. Oct 2, 2025

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Oct 2, 2025 · Senate

    Introduced by Senator Feyen; cosponsored by Representatives Kreibich, Allen, Knodl, Murphy, O'Connor, Penterman, Summerfield, Brooks and Palmeri

  2. Oct 2, 2025 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry

  3. Oct 6, 2025 · Senate

    Representative Snodgrass added as a cosponsor

  4. Oct 7, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Oct 15, 2025 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Feyen

  6. Oct 15, 2025 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 2 offered by Senator Feyen

  7. Oct 15, 2025 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  8. Oct 23, 2025 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  9. Oct 23, 2025 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  10. Oct 23, 2025 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  11. Oct 23, 2025 · Senate

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  12. Oct 23, 2025 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  13. Mar 6, 2026 · Senate

    Representative Brown added as a cosponsor

  14. Mar 19, 2026 · Senate

    Representative Emerson added as a cosponsor

  15. Mar 23, 2026 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote