New Berlin, WI Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

City Code Chapter 80 adopts the Wisconsin Uniform Building Code, first prepared by the Building Inspectors Association of Southeastern Wisconsin in January 1967, along with all later revisions, incorporating it by reference into the chapter. A copy stays on file and open for public inspection in the City Clerk's office. 05(1)(g) of the Uniform Building Code does not apply here. A separate recreation-room exception lets basements in houses built before June 1, 1980 keep a six-foot-four-inch ceiling, with recessed lighting and no paddle fans required where ceilings run under seven feet, and stair treads at least eight inches wide.

Section 80-2 layers on the Wisconsin Administrative Code: SPS 320 through 325 for one- and two-family dwellings and SPS 361 through 366 for commercial buildings, both incorporated with all future amendments. The Lead Building Inspector and representatives certified by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services administer and enforce both subchapters, the office that reviews plans and issues the building permits a project needs before construction starts. Related impact fees under Section 80-3 apply separately to new development connecting to municipal utilities or increasing residential density, assessed against the fee payer at permit application under the City's 1995 Comprehensive Impact Fee Study Addendum A.