Burlington, WI Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 115-9(A) of the City Code bars building or moving any structure, or any part of one, within, into, or out of the City unless the owner or agent first obtains a permit from the Building Inspector. The section lists nine permit categories: building, air conditioning, wrecking or razing, heating, moving of buildings, occupancy, reroofing and re-siding, fire inspection, and any other permit the City requires or lists in its Fee Schedule. Subsection B requires the written application to name the owner of the building and of the land, the designer, the legal description, and the location, and to include two complete sets of plans and specifications plus two copies of a survey.

That survey cannot be more than one year old and must show every building's location and dimensions, lot dimensions, all setbacks, proposed and existing grades, corner monuments, watercourses, and the surveyor's seal. A complete residential plan set must include elevations, floor plans, full construction details, fireplace cross-sections, garage plans or a marked future garage location, and a grading plan. Section 115-10 posts the permit at the job site and voids it if work does not start within four months or is suspended more than 60 days, while a new-dwelling permit expires after 24 months if the exterior is not finished; the Building Inspector can extend either deadline for delays beyond the applicant's control. Section 115-25 separately makes it unlawful to start work before the permit issues and doubles the fee for anyone who does, except in emergencies.