Dane County, WI Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Any private sewage system install/repair/alter work
- Applicant
- Licensed master plumber must sign
- Validity
- Two years from issuance
- Disapproval penalty
- Half of application fee retained
- Violation penalty
- $50–$200 forfeiture per day
Summary
Dane County requires a sanitary permit before anyone installs, repairs, modifies, enlarges, converts, reconnects or structurally alters a private sewage system, per ch. 46.07(1)(a): the county's plumbing-permit equivalent for septic-connected properties outside Madison, Sun Prairie and the other incorporated cities. The application must carry a licensed master plumber's signature, and the resulting permit stays valid for two years.
46.07(1)(a): No person shall install, repair, modify, extend, enlarge, convert, reconnect or structurally alter a private sewage system or any component thereof unless the owner of the property on which the private sewage system is located holds a valid sanitary permit. ... 46.08(1)(c): Before a private sewage system is installed, repaired, altered, enlarged, extended, converted or re-connected, a licensed master plumber or master restricted plumber (sewer) shall sign an application for permit and assume responsibility for the work being done.
Full Breakdown
The Division of Public Health Madison and Dane County administers sanitary permits under ch. 08, following s. 135 and s. 19, Wis. Stats. State sanitary permit applications go on state-supplied forms; county sanitary permit applications use forms the division supplies. Ch. 08(1)(c) requires that before a private sewage system is installed, repaired, altered, enlarged, extended, converted or re-connected, a licensed master plumber or master restricted plumber (sewer) sign the application and assume responsibility for the work. A permit is void if any statement on the application is false or inaccurate, and it stays valid for two years from issuance; renewal requires a new fee and the department may order a new on-site inspection at the applicant's cost.
Permits can be transferred between properties or revised from one licensed master plumber to another once an amended application and the ch. 23 fee are filed. If an application is disapproved because the applicant failed to correct an inaccurate or incomplete application, ch. 08(3) lets the department keep half the application fee, and any re-application is charged the full new-application fee again. A denied applicant gets written notice of the reasons and, for anything beyond a minor drafting error, the right to appeal under Ch. 68, Wis. , and ch. 46 of the county code.
Violations & Fines
Working on a private sewage system without the required sanitary permit triggers a stop-work order under ch. 46.16: the department posts notice on the premises and all activity must stop until a permit is issued. Ch. 46.27 backs the chapter with forfeitures of not less than $50 nor more than $200 for each day a violation continues, and someone who can pay but won't may be jailed up to 30 days until it's satisfied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this permit cover plumbing work inside Madison or Sun Prairie?
Who has to sign the sanitary permit application?
How long does a Dane County sanitary permit last?
What if my sanitary permit application gets disapproved?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dane County
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