Dane County · CDBG PRO Housing Round 2 · GR_4271_PROHOUSING
The zoning barrier audit your PRO Housing application starts from.
Dane County scores 60 of 100 points on a logic model whose barriers come from its Best Practices Residential Zoning Code Guide. GovCodex answers that checklist from your ordinance with citations, measures the parcels each reform unlocks, and publishes the plain-language development review guide the county asks for. Proposals are due November 13, 2026.
- Proposals due
- November 13, 2026, 11:59 pm Central
- Award range
- $15,000 to $150,000 per municipality
- Who applies
- Dane County municipalities only; municipal staff submit
What the county scores, and what GovCodex puts in your hands
The scoring below is the county’s own, from its March 11, 2026 information meeting. The right-hand column is the deliverable GovCodex supplies for each question.
| Question | Points | What the county asks for | What GovCodex supplies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activity-based logic model | 60 pts | Barriers identified with the Best Practices Residential Zoning Code Guide, tied to an eligible PRO Housing activity, with inputs, planned actions, outputs, outcomes and impact. | A cited audit of your code against all 43 checklist criteria, with each barrier mapped to an eligible activity and a parcel count for the outcome column. |
| Cost and budget | 18 pts | An Excel budget where every line is tied to a barrier and is necessary, reasonable and allocable under 2 CFR 200. Consultant costs are allowed. | Budget lines tied to named barriers, inside the award range, with a quote your clerk can procure under 2 CFR 200.320 small-purchase procedures. |
| Non-federal leverage | 4 pts | 2 points for 25% leverage, 4 points for 50%. | A record of the staff hours and existing GIS and code assets you contribute, so your leverage claim is documented. |
| Narrative (500 words) | 12 pts | Context of the barriers, how the activities address them, housing impact, benefit to low- and moderate-income residents, specific housing types, partnerships. | The barrier context, housing-type coverage (ADUs, duplexes, small lots) and impact figures the 500-word narrative needs, drawn from the audit. |
| Experience and qualifications | 6 pts | Similar projects; key staff, consultants and partners with roles, marked secured or to be procured; resumes or consultant agreements and a collaboration letter uploaded. | A collaboration letter, a consultant quote and named personnel marked “to be procured if awarded”, ready to upload. |
The barrier audit, criterion by criterion
The county guide’s Part 1 checklist has 43 yes/no criteria in six topics. GovCodex answers the dimensional, density, land-use and parking rows from the district figures it compiles from your ordinance, with the section cited, and lists the rows a planner answers from a code read or from your plans. Nothing is answered without a source.
- 1.1 Dimensional requirements14 criteria · 7 answered from compiled figures
- 1.2 Density requirements4 criteria · 3 answered from compiled figures
- 1.3 Land use requirements9 criteria · 4 answered from compiled figures
- 1.4 Parking requirements5 criteria · 2 answered from compiled figures
- 1.5 Approval processes3 criteria · 0 answered from compiled figures
- 1.6 Non-zoning guidelines8 criteria · 0 answered from compiled figures
Worked example: Dane County Chapter 10 residential districts
These four districts are compiled in GovCodex from the county zoning ordinance (rev. 043025) with every figure cited. Chapter 10 governs only in towns whose board adopted it. Use and parking rows are left for the code read.
| Criterion | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Minimum lot size | Aligned | SFR-08 8,000 sf; TFR-08 8,000 sf. |
| 1.1.2 Minimum lot size, 5,000–7,500 sf | Barrier | Smallest minimum lot area is SFR-08 8,000 sf (4 districts read). |
| 1.1.3 Minimum lot size, 3,000 sf | Barrier | Smallest minimum lot area is SFR-08 8,000 sf (4 districts read). |
| 1.1.4 Minimum lot width | Barrier | Smallest minimum lot width is SFR-08 60 ft (4 districts read). |
| 1.1.5 Minimum lot width, 30 ft | Barrier | Smallest minimum lot width is SFR-08 60 ft (4 districts read). |
| 1.1.7 Minimum setbacks | Barrier | Every district read keeps a 30 ft front or rear yard or a 10 ft side yard: SFR-08 30/10/25 ft; SFR-1 30/10/50 ft; TFR-08 30/10/25 ft; RR-1 30/10/50 ft. |
| 1.1.8 Minimum setbacks, urban lots | Barrier | Smallest front setback is SFR-08 30 ft (4 districts read). |
| 1.2.2 Maximum lot coverage | Barrier | Smallest maximum lot coverage is RR-1 30% (4 districts read). |
| 1.3.2 Exclusive single-family districts, mixed formats | Aligned | Two-family or middle housing permitted by right in TFR-08. |
| 34 further criteria | Code read | Use permissions, parking, approval process and plan rows, answered in the cited code read. |
Statuses follow the guide: “Aligned” means at least one district already meets the best practice, “Barrier” means no district read does, “Code read” means the criterion is answered from the ordinance text or from municipal plans rather than compiled figures.
Outcomes you can count
A logic model needs an outcome, and the county’s final report needs housing impacts. GovCodex runs each proposed figure against every residential parcel in the municipality from the Wisconsin statewide parcel layer and reports how many lots the change makes eligible.
- Lots that become eligible for a detached ADU when the side yard moves from 10 ft to 5 ft.
- Lots that meet a 6,000 sf minimum but not 10,000 sf, by district.
- Lots where a duplex fits inside the existing setbacks and coverage cap.
- Buildable area gained per lot from a coverage cap raised from 35% to 60%.
The permitting component the county prioritises
Dane County says it will prioritise municipalities that streamline their process alongside the code change, and Part 3.1 of the guide asks for a development review guide in plain language with timeframes. GovCodex publishes that guide as a live page for your municipality.
- A public page where a resident or builder enters an address and reads what the district allows, which permit applies and the setbacks that bind, each with its ordinance citation.
- Decisive answers only: Allowed, Allowed with conditions, Not allowed as designed; Permit required or No permit required.
- Every question asked is recorded without personal data, so your monthly status report shows what residents ask and where the code is unclear.
- Official intake, review and approval stay with your office. GovCodex points applicants to your forms and never submits on their behalf.
Three scopes that fit the award and the clock
Each scope names its county category and fits the implementation-ready timeline for that category. Figures are typical request ranges; the quote in your packet states the price.
Barrier audit and capacity analysis
Category B · 60% of milestones in 18 months, complete in 24
$15,000 to $40,000
6 to 9 months
- Cited audit of all 43 checklist criteria
- Parcel capacity analysis for up to three proposed changes
- Figure tables for your planner or attorney to draft the amendment from
- A public summary page of the findings for the hearing
Reform plus public development review guide
Category B · 60% of milestones in 18 months, complete in 24
$40,000 to $90,000
12 to 18 months
- Everything in the audit scope
- A live development review guide page for your municipality with address-level answers
- Compiled rules updated the week an amendment is adopted
- Monthly figures for the county status report: questions asked, answers given, time to answer
Code modernization support
Category A · 60% of milestones in 24 months, complete in 36
$90,000 to $150,000
24 to 36 months
- Everything in the reform scope
- Audit and capacity analysis repeated for each draft of a full code rewrite
- Housing-element data for the comprehensive plan chapter
- Before-and-after figures for the final HUD report
A milestone table that fits
The county’s clock starts on November 13, 2026. These rows fit the Category B schedule; the Category A scope stretches the same rows across 36 months.
| Milestone | Month | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Contract executed, environmental notice to proceed | 0 to 3 | Executed agreement |
| Code compiled, barrier audit delivered | 3 to 5 | Audit report with citations |
| Capacity analysis of proposed figures | 5 to 7 | Parcel counts per change |
| Draft amendment, Plan Commission review | 7 to 12 | Draft ordinance (your planner) |
| Adoption, compiled rules updated | 12 to 16 | Adopted ordinance filed with the county |
| Public guide live, first monthly figures | 16 to 20 | Live page, status reports |
| Final report | 20 to 24 | Outcomes and housing impacts |
Eligible applicants
All 60 Dane County municipalities can apply: the 59 members of the Dane County Urban County Consortium and the City of Madison. Pick yours in the form below.
Cities
- City of Edgerton
- City of Fitchburg
- City of Madison
- City of Middleton
- City of Monona
- City of Stoughton
- City of Sun Prairie
- City of Verona
Villages
- Village of Belleville
- Village of Black Earth
- Village of Blue Mounds
- Village of Brooklyn
- Village of Cambridge
- Village of Cottage Grove
- Village of Cross Plains
- Village of Dane
- Village of Deerfield
- Village of DeForest
- Village of Maple Bluff
- Village of Marshall
- Village of Mazomanie
- Village of McFarland
- Village of Mount Horeb
- Village of Oregon
- Village of Rockdale
- Village of Shorewood Hills
- Village of Waunakee
- Village of Windsor
Towns
- Town of Albion
- Town of Berry
- Town of Black Earth
- Town of Blooming Grove
- Town of Blue Mounds
- Town of Bristol
- Town of Burke
- Town of Christiana
- Town of Cottage Grove
- Town of Cross Plains
- Town of Dane
- Town of Deerfield
- Town of Dunkirk
- Town of Dunn
- Town of Mazomanie
- Town of Medina
- Town of Middleton
- Town of Montrose
- Town of Oregon
- Town of Perry
- Town of Pleasant Springs
- Town of Primrose
- Town of Roxbury
- Town of Rutland
- Town of Springdale
- Town of Springfield
- Town of Sun Prairie
- Town of Vermont
- Town of Verona
- Town of Vienna
- Town of Westport
- Town of York
Request your application packet
Within two business days you receive a quote, a collaboration letter, named personnel, logic-model rows for your barriers, budget lines and a milestone table. Nothing is sent to the county by GovCodex.
Text you can paste into the application
Edit the bracketed parts. Each block answers one part of the county form.
Logic model · Inputs and resources
GovCodex (consultant, to be procured if awarded): compiled zoning rules for [municipality] with ordinance citations; a barrier audit against the 43 criteria of the Dane County Best Practices Residential Zoning Code Guide; parcel-level capacity analysis on the Wisconsin statewide parcel layer; a public development review guide page. Municipal staff: [N] hours of planning staff time. Existing assets: adopted zoning ordinance, zoning map, comprehensive plan.
Logic model · Example row
Barrier: [Guide 1.3.3] Accessory dwelling units require a conditional use permit in [district]. Eligible activity: new by-right permitting procedures (Category B). Planned actions: cited audit; capacity analysis of [N] residential parcels; draft amendment by [planner]; Plan Commission and Board adoption. Outputs: adopted ADU ordinance; audit report; public guide page. Outcomes: ADUs approved administratively; [N] lots eligible. Impact: additional homes on existing lots at no land cost.
Budget · Line items
Consultant, barrier audit and capacity analysis (GovCodex): $[amount], tied to barriers [1.1.x, 1.3.x]. Consultant, ordinance drafting ([planner]): $[amount]. Public development review guide, 12 months (GovCodex): $[amount], tied to the permitting streamlining priority. Public notice and hearing costs: $[amount]. Staff time (leverage, non-federal): [N] hours at $[rate].
Experience and qualifications · Partner
GovCodex (Madison, Wisconsin) compiles municipal zoning ordinances into cited, address-level answers and publishes them for residents and builders. It holds compiled rules for Dane County Chapter 10, the City of Madison, the City of Middleton and the City of Sun Prairie, and resolves every Wisconsin parcel from the statewide parcel layer. Status: to be procured if awarded; quote and collaboration letter attached.
Sources
- Dane County CDBG PRO Housing programme page
- Information meeting deck, March 11, 2026 (scoring, timelines, eligibility)
- Best Practices Residential Zoning Code Evaluation Guide, November 5, 2025
- Round 2 listing, GR_4271_PROHOUSING
GovCodex is an independent vendor and is not affiliated with Dane County or HUD; the county’s RFP documents govern the application.