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County overview

Home improvement across Racine County

Racine County runs from the Lake Michigan shore to a string of inland lakes along the Fox River. C&L Property Improvements is a family-owned company based in Muskego, on the county's northern border, and it serves homeowners from one side to the other.

Request a free estimate Call (262) 316-1647

The east side is the lakeshore. The City of Racine has some of the oldest housing in the region, with a 1953 median year built and 87.4% of units from before 1980, and its Southside Historic District runs 42 blocks along Lake Michigan. North and west of the city, Mount Pleasant and Caledonia were towns until 2003 and 2005, and their housing is younger, with medians of 1983 and 1978. The Racine page and the Caledonia page go into each.

The west side is lake country of a different kind. The Wisconsin DNR lists Wind Lake at 919 acres and Tichigan Lake at 279, and the Census counts lake communities at Wind Lake, Tichigan, Browns Lake, Bohners Lake and Eagle Lake. Housing there is newer on average (medians of 1982 for Wind Lake and 1991 to 1992 for the Town and Village of Waterford), though older houses are mixed in: 17.8% of Wind Lake's units predate 1940. Burlington, on the Fox River, has an older downtown with a historic overlay district. Muskego borders the county to the north, so Wind Lake is about 5 road miles from us and the City of Racine about 33.

Which government you live in has changed several times here. Mount Pleasant became a village in 2003 and Caledonia in 2005; the Town and Village of Rochester consolidated in 2008; Yorkville became a village in 2018 and Raymond in 2019. A petition to make the Town of Waterford a village was not approved in 2021. At the same time, many familiar names are not municipalities at all. Wind Lake is in the Town of Norway, Tichigan is in the Town of Waterford, and Franksville is in the Village of Caledonia. The permit office is the municipality's, not the community's, so it pays to confirm before calling.

Where C&L Property Improvements worksA schematic map of Waukesha, Milwaukee and Racine counties centred on Muskego, with 10- and 20-mile rings and the communities that have their own pages.LAKE MICHIGANWAUKESHA COUNTYMILWAUKEE COUNTYRACINE COUNTY10 mi20 miMuskegoNew BerlinFranklinHales CornersGreenfieldWaukeshaBrookfieldWest AllisWauwatosaMilwaukeeOak CreekGreendaleMukwonagoBig BendPewaukeeMenomonee FallsOconomowocWind LakeWaterfordRacineMount PleasantCaledoniaBurlington
Schematic — county lines and shoreline are approximate. Rings measure straight-line distance from Muskego.

Community pages in Racine County

Every municipality

17 cities, villages and towns, as listed by the state. Which one you live in decides which permit office you call.

Cities 2

Villages 11

Towns 4

Unincorporated communities

Wind Lake (Town of Norway) · Tichigan (Town of Waterford) · Bohners Lake (Town of Burlington) · Browns Lake (Town of Burlington) · Eagle Lake (Town of Dover) · Kansasville (Town of Dover) · Franksville (Village of Caledonia) · Husher (Village of Caledonia) · Ives Grove (Village of Yorkville) · Honey Lake (Village of Rochester) · Waxdale (Village of Mount Pleasant)

Worth knowing in Racine County

Most municipalities require a permit to re-roof

Racine charges $100 per building for a residential roof permit in 2026. Mount Pleasant's 2021 schedule charges by area, $20 per 1,000 sq ft, and also requires permits for window replacement. Caledonia, the City of Burlington (which lists roof repairs too), the Village of Waterford and the Town of Norway all require re-roofing permits. The Town of Waterford's rules could not be verified from published sources; call the Town.

Lead-era housing is concentrated in the two old cities

Units built before 1980 make up 87.4% of the City of Racine's housing and 62.8% of the City of Burlington's, against 33.9% in the Village of Waterford. Any home built before 1978 falls under Wisconsin's lead-safe rule when paid work disturbs paint or replaces a window.

Lake-effect snow on the shore

Snowfall can differ sharply across the county. In the February 15–16, 2021 lake-effect event, the National Weather Service recorded 10 to 16 in. in lakeshore Racine, Kenosha and Milwaukee counties and 1 to 4 in. inland. The Wisconsin Coastal Resilience project counts Racine, Mount Pleasant, Caledonia and Wind Point among its Lake Michigan shoreline communities.

Historic review in Racine and Burlington

In the City of Racine, exterior changes to locally designated landmarks and historic district properties go to the Planning, Heritage, and Design Commission. In the City of Burlington, the downtown Historic Preservation Overlay District requires a Certificate of Appropriateness. Both apply on top of any building permit.

Confirm the government, then the website

The state's municipal records confirm each town-to-village change described above, and they are the place to check when a name is in doubt. Some old municipal domains now belong to someone else. The Town of Norway's site is townofnorwaywi.gov, not the old .org address, and the Village of Waterford's is waterfordwi.gov. Check that a permit form comes from the official site before relying on it.

Sources

  1. 1.City of Racine, Residential roof permit application (opens in a new tab)
  2. 2.Village of Mount Pleasant, Building and HVAC fee schedule (Nov. 2021) (opens in a new tab)
  3. 3.Village of Caledonia Code, Title 15 (opens in a new tab)
  4. 4.City of Burlington, Which projects require a permit (opens in a new tab)
  5. 5.Village of Waterford Code § 98-6 (opens in a new tab)
  6. 6.Town of Norway, Inspections and permits (opens in a new tab)
  7. 7.U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year (B25034, B25035) (opens in a new tab)
  8. 8.Wisconsin DHS, Lead-safe renovation FAQ (opens in a new tab)
  9. 9.NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan, Feb. 15–16, 2021 lake-effect snow (opens in a new tab)
  10. 10.Wisconsin Coastal Resilience (opens in a new tab)
  11. 11.City of Racine, Historic preservation resources (opens in a new tab)
  12. 12.City of Burlington, Historic Preservation Overlay District (opens in a new tab)
  13. 13.Village of Waterford, Building Inspector (opens in a new tab)
  14. 14.WI DOA, Municipal incorporation-consolidation summary (2/21/2024) (opens in a new tab)
  15. 15.WI DOA, Time series of population estimates for minor civil divisions (opens in a new tab)

Questions

Wind Lake is not a village. Who issues my permit?

The Town of Norway, which contains the Wind Lake community; Racine County administers zoning there. See the Wind Lake page.

Did my town become a village?

Mount Pleasant (2003), Caledonia (2005), Yorkville (2018) and Raymond (2019) did, and Rochester's town and village merged in 2008. Norway, Dover, Waterford and Burlington are still towns, alongside the separate Village of Waterford and City of Burlington.

Does C&L work across the whole county?

Yes, from its base in Muskego. The west-side lake communities are the closest, and the lakeshore cities are the longest drives: about 48 minutes to Mount Pleasant and 52 to Racine. Estimates are free.

Do I need a permit to re-roof in Racine County?

In most municipalities, yes, but fees and details vary, and the Town of Waterford's rules are unverified. The permits guide compares what we found.

White clapboard farmhouse at dusk with lit windows and a glowing front porch under a red metal awning

Free estimates · Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–6 p.m. · Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m.

Tell us about the house.

What needs doing, roughly how old the house is, and when you would like it done. C&L will set up a time to look at it in person.

Request a free estimate Call (262) 316-1647