Wausau, WI Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Section 19.12.010 bars anyone from installing or causing to be installed any plumbing or drainage work without a permit issued by the Plumbing Inspector, and bars using that plumbing until the Inspector has inspected and approved it; the fee is never refunded and the permit cannot be transferred to another party or project. Section 19.12.020 lists what specifically triggers a permit: any clearwater drainage or plumbing work under Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 145, abandoning a water or sewer system ahead of a wrecking or moving permit, installing, replacing, or relocating a water conditioning unit or a domestic water heater, building a private water distribution system, connecting a dispensing or chemical-injection unit to a water line, a water-cooled air conditioner or humidifier connection, inside roof leaders or downspouts, a new or reconstructed sanitary sewer lateral or storm drain, a new or reconstructed water service extension, a sump pump or ejector, a subsoil or footing drain discharge point, and even replacing a plumbing fixture unless it goes back in the same location as the same fixture type. Licensed master plumbers and qualified homeowners under Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 145 may apply, and either can be prosecuted for skipping the permit before starting the job.

Section 19.04.010 makes Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 145 and Wisconsin Administrative Code SPS 325 and SPS 381-387 the plumbing code behind this title, with copies kept on file with the Plumbing Inspector at City Hall. Section 19.12.050 blocks a plumbing or sewer permit until a building permit has already issued, refuses one to anyone under an outstanding order from the electrical, building, or Plumbing Inspector, and triples the fee for work begun before a permit was obtained. Section 19.12.060 lets a permit lapse automatically after 60 days of inactivity without good cause, on cancellation of the required insurance, or on completion of the work it covered.