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Regulation guide

Building permits for home projects in southeast Wisconsin

The state sets the building code for one- and two-family homes, but your city, village or town decides which projects need a permit and what it costs. The same re-roof needs a permit in one municipality and none in the next. Here is how the system works and what to check before work starts.

Rules & permits6 min readReviewed 2026-09-17

The short version

  • Permit rules are local. Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code sets building standards for one- and two-family homes started on or after June 1, 1980, but each municipality's ordinances decide which repairs and alterations need a permit.
  • Re-roofing and re-siding show the spread: Muskego requires a permit; Milwaukee and Waukesha don't for one- and two-family homes when the structure isn't changed; New Berlin, Franklin and Racine charge flat fees.
  • Additions, structural changes, decks, and new or extended electrical, plumbing and HVAC work typically need permits. State law requires electrical and plumbing work to be done by credentialed trades, with narrow owner-occupant exceptions.
  • To pull a building permit for work on someone else's one- or two-family home, a contractor must hold Wisconsin's Dwelling Contractor certification. An owner who lives in the home can pull their own.
  • Before you sign, Wisconsin's home improvement rule requires the contractor to tell you which permits are needed. Rules and fees change, so confirm with your building department.

State code, local ordinance

Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code (UDC), chapters SPS 320 to 325, is the building code for one- and two-family homes. It applies to homes whose permit was applied for or construction started on or after June 1, 1980, and to additions and alterations to those homes. It does not apply to older homes, or to additions and alterations to them, unless the municipality has adopted the UDC for that purpose by ordinance. It also excludes repairs and maintenance.

Permits for additions, alterations and repairs are filed with the municipality under its own ordinances. So the question 'do I need a permit?' always has a local answer. Ask the building inspection office where the house sits, and for a home built before 1980, ask which standards apply to the work.

Sources

  1. 1.Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320.04 — Application of the Uniform Dwelling Code (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2.Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 320 (permit applications, SPS 320.09) (opens in a new tab)

What typically needs a permit

Lists vary, but they overlap a great deal. The City of Muskego's permit page is a thorough example. Among other things, it lists:

  • New construction, additions, and alterations and remodeling, interior or exterior
  • Decks, stairs, porches and gazebos; sheds and accessory buildings of any size
  • Window or door changes that alter the size of the opening
  • New, replacement or extended electrical and plumbing work
  • Furnaces and air conditioners; water heaters and water softeners
  • Re-roofing and re-siding
  • Demolition, and land disturbance such as filling and grading

Muskego's 'Do I Need a Permit?' brochure lists work that normally does not need one: painting and decorating, cabinets, shelves and countertops, and door or window replacement where the opening and style stay the same. Check the current version with the city.

Sources

  1. 1.City of Muskego — Building permits (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2.City of Muskego — 'Do I Need a Permit?' brochure (opens in a new tab)

Re-roofing and re-siding, city by city

Replacing a roof or siding is where local rules differ most. For one- and two-family homes, from each municipality's published schedule:

  • Muskego: permit required for re-roofing and re-siding. Fee $10 per $1,000 of value, $125 minimum (effective April 18, 2025).
  • Milwaukee: no permit required to replace any quantity of roof covering or siding on a one- or two-family dwelling when the roof structure is not affected. Replacing roof decking without changing the framing is also exempt.
  • Waukesha: no permit required for re-roofing or re-siding without structural changes (2026 fee schedule).
  • Franklin: residential re-roofing and re-siding are listed at $60, but the minimum permit fee is $95, plus a $10 technology fee (Ordinance 2025-2714). Franklin requires the contractor on a re-roof permit to hold valid State of Wisconsin certifications, and metal roofing needs Architectural Review Board approval.
  • New Berlin: $55 for residential re-roofing, re-siding and trim. The published schedule carries no effective date, so confirm it.
  • Racine: $100 per building for re-roofing or re-siding (2026 schedule).

Rules and fees change. These figures come from each municipality's published schedule as reviewed in September 2026. Confirm with the building department before you plan around them.

Sources

  1. 1.City of Muskego — Building inspection fees (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2.City of Milwaukee Code of Ordinances ch. 200 (permit exemptions, 200-24) (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3.City of Waukesha — 2026 development fees (opens in a new tab)
  4. 4.City of Franklin — Schedule of building permit fees (Ord. 2025-2714) (opens in a new tab)
  5. 5.City of Franklin — Re-roofing permits (opens in a new tab)
  6. 6.City of New Berlin — Schedule of permit fees (opens in a new tab)
  7. 7.City of Racine — 2026 building permit fees (opens in a new tab)

No permit doesn't mean no standard

Where a re-roof needs no permit, the work still has rules. For homes the UDC covers, it requires an ice barrier on shingle roofs of 4:12 slope or less over heated space, and it bars a new roof covering over a roof that already has two or more layers. Manufacturer installation instructions apply everywhere. A good roofing or siding estimate names those details whether or not an inspector will see them. See ice dams in southeast Wisconsin for the ice-barrier rule in full.

Sources

  1. 1.Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.28 — Weather protection for roofs (opens in a new tab)

Remodeling, additions and egress windows

Remodels are usually priced by area or by project value, often with a separate plan-review fee. Some examples for one- and two-family homes:

  • Milwaukee: alterations 1.6% of the cost of construction ($150 minimum); plan exam $0.25 per sq ft ($125 minimum); plus a 1.6% training and technology surcharge on each fee and a $20 processing fee.
  • Waukesha: alterations and additions $0.41 per sq ft; plan exam $145; minimum building fee $125.
  • Muskego: alterations and additions $0.44 per sq ft ($300 minimum), plus review fees. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits for remodels are $70 plus $0.08 per sq ft.
  • Franklin: kitchens, baths and basement build-outs $0.45 per sq ft of work area ($165 minimum); plan exam $90.
  • Racine: alterations $14 per $1,000 of construction value ($100 minimum); plan review $0.17 per sq ft ($100 minimum).
  • Egress windows: cutting or enlarging an opening needs a permit. Under the UDC, an egress window needs a net clear opening of at least 20 in. by 24 in., a sill no more than 60 in. above the floor, and a permanent platform if the sill is more than 46 in. up. That differs from the International Residential Code figures quoted in most national articles.

Permit fees are a small line in a bathroom or kitchen budget, but plan review and inspections affect the schedule. Build them into the timeline for any whole-home or interior remodel.

Sources

  1. 1.City of Milwaukee — Development Center fee schedule (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2.City of Waukesha — 2026 development fees (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3.City of Muskego — Building inspection fees (opens in a new tab)
  4. 4.City of Franklin — Schedule of building permit fees (Ord. 2025-2714) (opens in a new tab)
  5. 5.City of Racine — 2026 building permit fees (opens in a new tab)
  6. 6.Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 321 (egress windows, SPS 321.03(6)) (opens in a new tab)

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC

Trade work carries its own permits, separate from the building permit, and state credential rules. Wisconsin law says no one may install, repair or maintain electrical wiring unless they hold a state electrician license or are enrolled as a registered electrician, and no one may do plumbing without a state plumbing license. Both statutes have a narrow owner exception — for an owner working on the home they own and live in (for plumbing, a one-family building) — and both let local ordinances require a license anyway.

HVAC work such as furnace and air conditioner replacement is also permitted locally; Muskego lists it. On a remodel, expect the electrician, plumber and HVAC installer to pull their own permits, and ask your contractor to confirm who is pulling each one.

Sources

  1. 1.Wis. Stat. § 101.862 — Electrician licensing (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2.Wis. Stat. § 145.06 — Plumbing licenses (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3.City of Muskego — Building permits (opens in a new tab)

Who pulls the permit, and why it matters to you

Wisconsin law says no person may obtain a building permit for a one- or two-family dwelling unless they hold a certification from the Department of Safety and Professional Services. In DSPS's terms, the permit holder must hold a Dwelling Contractor (or Dwelling Contractor Restricted) certification and must hold, or employ, a certified Dwelling Contractor Qualifier. To be certified, a contractor must show a surety bond of at least $5,000 or general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence, plus workers' compensation and unemployment insurance compliance where required. The exceptions are an owner who lives, or will live, in the home and applies for a permit to work on it, and holders of certain other state credentials working within their scope.

Wisconsin's home improvement rule adds a consumer protection: before you enter a home improvement contract, the seller must tell you about every building or construction permit the job requires, and work generally can't start until those permits are issued.

Permits matter to you because the responsibility lands on the owner. Muskego's brochure says the homeowner is ultimately responsible for permits and that fees may be tripled for unpermitted work. Other penalties from published schedules: Milwaukee may quadruple fees; Waukesha doubles the permit fee total; New Berlin doubles on a first offense and triples after; Franklin triples, then quadruples; Racine doubles.

If a contractor asks you to take out the permit in your own name as owner, ask why. It makes you the responsible party, and it can mean the contractor is not able to pull one. Check the contractor's credential on the state's license lookup at license.wi.gov.

Sources

  1. 1.Wis. Stat. § 101.654 — Dwelling contractor certification (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2.Wisconsin DSPS — Dwelling Contractor certification (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3.Wisconsin DSPS — License lookup (opens in a new tab)
  4. 4.Wis. Admin. Code ch. ATCP 110 (110.03 building permits; 110.05 contracts) (opens in a new tab)
  5. 5.City of Muskego — 'Do I Need a Permit?' brochure (opens in a new tab)
  6. 6.City of Milwaukee — Development Center fee schedule (opens in a new tab)
  7. 7.City of Waukesha — 2026 development fees (opens in a new tab)
  8. 8.City of New Berlin — Schedule of permit fees (opens in a new tab)
  9. 9.City of Franklin — Schedule of building permit fees (Ord. 2025-2714) (opens in a new tab)
  10. 10.City of Racine — 2026 building permit fees (opens in a new tab)

Before work starts: a short checklist

A few steps prevent most permit problems:

  • Describe the project to your building department and ask what permits it needs. For a pre-1980 home, ask which standards apply.
  • Get the list of permits, and who will pull each one, in the written estimate or contract.
  • Check the building contractor's Dwelling Contractor credential, and the electrician's and plumber's licenses, on the state lookup.
  • Don't let work start before permits are issued, and follow the department's rules for posting the permit.
  • Don't let walls or ceilings be closed up before any required rough-in inspection.
  • Hold final payment until the final inspection is passed, and keep the permit and inspection records with your house papers.

For the rest of the vetting process — contracts, notices, insurance and red flags — see hiring a contractor in Wisconsin.

Questions

Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Muskego?

Yes. Muskego requires a permit for re-roofing and re-siding, at $10 per $1,000 of value with a $125 minimum under the fee schedule effective April 18, 2025.

Do I need a permit to re-roof or re-side in Milwaukee or Waukesha?

Not for a one- or two-family home when the structure isn't changed, under each city's current rules. Structural work, such as replacing rafters, changes that.

Can I pull my own permit?

For a building permit, yes, if you own the home and live or will live in it. For electrical and plumbing work, state law has narrow owner exceptions that local ordinances can override. If you pull the permit, you take on responsibility for the work passing inspection.

What happens if work was done without a permit?

Penalties are set locally, usually as a multiple of the permit fee — for example double in Waukesha and Racine, up to quadruple in Milwaukee and Franklin. The work may also have to be opened up for inspection.

Does replacing windows need a permit?

It depends on the municipality and on whether the opening changes. Muskego, for example, requires a permit when the size of the opening changes but normally not for same-size, same-style replacement. In pre-1978 homes, window replacement also falls under Wisconsin's lead-safe renovation rule.

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