Waukesha County seat · City and Village
Waukesha painting, roofing and remodeling, city and village
Waukesha's housing runs from a historic core dating to its spring-resort era out to subdivisions at the edges. The City doesn't require a permit to re-roof or re-side a one- or two-family home; the Village of Waukesha, a separate municipality, has its own office and rules.
Covers the City of Waukesha and the Village of Waukesha.
- Population, City (2020 Census)
- 71,158
- Median year built, City
- 1979 (ACS 2020–2024, ±2 yrs)
- City homes built before 1940
- 11.5%
- Owner-occupied homes, City
- 58.8%
- Drive from Muskego
- 11.1 mi north-northwest, about 23 min
- Re-roof permit, City
- Not required for 1–2 family homes with no structural change (2026 fee schedule)
An old core, newer edges and many rentals
The City of Waukesha grew as a spring resort, and the Encyclopedia of Milwaukee dates the end of "the spring city era" to 1918. Houses from that period and the decades after still stand in the central neighborhoods: 11.5% of the city's homes were built before 1940 and 51.2% before 1980, according to the Census Bureau's 2020–2024 estimates. The median home dates from 1979, and newer subdivisions ring the city.
Those are two different jobs. In the older core, expect wood trim under many coats of paint, plaster walls in the prewar houses, and Wisconsin's lead-safe rules on anything built before 1978. At the edges, houses from the 1980s on fall under Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code (anything begun from June 1, 1980), and the work is replacing roofs, siding and windows at the end of their first service.
Only 58.8% of the city's occupied homes are owner-occupied, so roughly four in ten are rentals, and their owners carry obligations of their own. Wisconsin's lead-safe rule has no landlord exemption: paid work on a pre-1978 rental that disturbs paint beyond the small thresholds needs a DHS-certified lead company and renovator.
What homeowners in Waukesha most often need
Exterior painting in the older neighborhoods
Exterior painting on a prewar Waukesha house is mostly carpentry and prep: rotted sill and trim repair, scraping, spot-priming bare wood and feathering edges, with lead-safe containment and cleanup on any pre-1978 house. Wood painted above about 20 percent moisture content tends to blister and peel, so the schedule follows dry weather, not the calendar.
Exterior PaintingPlaster worth keeping
The National Park Service's guidance on historic plaster is that it is often not as badly damaged as it first appears, and repair usually beats removal. Drywall and plaster repair before repainting keeps original walls in place. Where a remodel takes walls out, the City requires a permit for the alteration.
DrywallRe-roofing without an inspector
No City permit is needed for a like-for-like re-roof, but the code still limits roofs to two layers. With no inspection, the written estimate is your only record of what went on, so a roof replacement contract should name the tear-off, ice-and-water membrane at the eaves, underlayment, ventilation and flashing.
RoofingWindows in older openings
Replacement windows and doors need no City permit if the opening size doesn't change. On a pre-1978 house, though, every window replacement is regulated lead-safe work, and in the prewar houses the old casings and stops usually have to be kept or matched.
Windows & DoorsCity of Waukesha permits, and the Village's separate office
The City's 2026 development fee schedule (revised January 1, 2026) lists "Re-siding and re-roofing (with no structural changes)" on one- and two-family homes as "No permit required," and the same for window or door replacement "with no change in size of existing opening." City code §16.16 says "No more than 2 layers of roof covering will be allowed."
Remodeling is different. Code §16.03 requires a permit before "construction, improvement, or alteration," with an exception for cabinetry and countertop replacement in the same location without significant drywall removal. Alteration permits run $0.41 per sq ft plus a $145 plan exam, with a $125 minimum building fee, and work started without a permit costs twice the fee. Contractors need a City AEC account as well as state credentials, and permits are filed through eTRAKiT. A dumpster in the street needs a Public Works permit.
The Village of Waukesha, the former Town, became a village in 2020 and surrounds much of the city. It has its own permit office, and its rules were not part of the research for this page, so confirm with the Village before any project. Be careful with search results: a widely indexed "Do I need a building permit?" PDF belongs to the Town, now Village, not the City.
City of Waukesha Building Inspection (opens in a new tab)
Sources
- 1.City of Waukesha, 2026 Development Fees (opens in a new tab)
- 2.Waukesha Municipal Code §16.16, Reroofing (opens in a new tab)
- 3.Waukesha Municipal Code §16.03, Permits (opens in a new tab)
- 4.Village of Waukesha (opens in a new tab)
- 5.U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 (opens in a new tab)
- 6.U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year, B25035 (opens in a new tab)
- 7.OSRM route from Muskego City Hall (approximate) (opens in a new tab)
Two Waukeshas, one county seat
The City is the seat of Waukesha County. The Village of Waukesha counted 8,457 residents in the 2020 Census, when it was still recorded as a town. The City also has a Landmark Commission; if your house is a designated landmark, ask the City before exterior changes.
Questions from Waukesha
Do I need a permit to re-roof in the City of Waukesha?
Not for a one- or two-family home with no structural changes, per the City's 2026 fee schedule. The City's two-layer limit still applies, and anything that changes the structure needs a permit.
Does C&L work in the Village of Waukesha as well as the city?
Yes, C&L serves both. They are separate municipalities: the Village, formerly the Town of Waukesha, has its own permit office and rules, so the permit answer for a Village address can differ from the City's.
Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Waukesha?
In the City, no, if the cabinets and countertops go in the same location without significant drywall removal. Moving walls, plumbing or wiring is an alteration and needs a permit.
Is my older Waukesha house covered by the state dwelling code?
Not if it was started before June 1, 1980. Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code covers newer homes and alterations to them; for older houses, the City's own requirements apply. About half the city's homes predate 1980.
Free estimates · Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–6 p.m. · Sat 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
A free estimate in Waukesha.
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.