Building Safety in Wisconsin (2026)

No owner of any dwelling or premises in Fond du Lac County, incorporated or unincorporated, may create or allow a lead…

Anyone painting or remodeling a Madison building built before 1978 must follow lead-safe work practices: no open-flame…

Once Milwaukee's health department confirms a lead-based nuisance in a dwelling, it must notify the occupant and owner…

Any Appleton structure served by an elevator must keep current Certificates of Inspection and file its elevator license…

Madison's Conveyance Code requires every elevator, escalator, moving walk, and similar lift device in the city to be…

Milwaukee requires periodic inspections and reinspections for every class of elevator, lift, escalator and dumbwaiter…

Appleton requires anyone demolishing a building to erect proper fences and scaffolds protecting streets, alleys and…

The Village of Ashwaubenon requires any construction site on a street, alley or private property to be protected by…

When construction reaches 10 feet above grade in Milwaukee, a protective canopy roof over walkways is required, and if…

Waukesha requires automatic fire sprinklers in new R-1 and R-2 residential occupancies under the International Fire…

Appleton requires automatic fire sprinkler systems in multifamily buildings of three or more units exceeding 4,800…

Burlington sets the design, installation, testing, and maintenance rules for any automatic fire sprinkler or…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin exempts one- and two-family homes from mandatory automatic fire sprinklers, but requires them…

Madison's building code requires automatic sprinklers in shared basement storage areas of multi-family residential…

Wauwatosa's Fire Prevention Code requires automatic sprinklers in multifamily buildings under Wauwatosa Municipal Code…

Milwaukee zoning bars day care centers from residential structures in most districts and keeps every center at least…

Waukesha requires automatic sprinklers throughout any new day care facility licensed for 20 or more children…

The Village of Ashwaubenon zoning code sets detailed site and building standards for child day care centers and…

Burlington requires entry key override switches on any exit door secured by a card reader entry system or a magnetic…

Fitchburg requires every dwelling unit's main entrance door to be solid-core, fitted with a peephole and protected…

Madison's building code requires self-closing, locking doors on shared basement storage rooms in residential buildings…

Milwaukee requires a cylinder deadbolt lock, minimum 1/2-inch bolt, on every dwelling-unit door in pre-1989 residential…

A rental unit in Wausau with no working door lock is a code violation carrying a 25 to 75 percent rent abatement under…

Madison General Ordinances § 29.40 requires owners of large commercial buildings to annually benchmark energy use…

Every Village-licensed short-term rental in Ashwaubenon must have working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors…

Beloit's Property Maintenance Code requires carbon monoxide detectors under § 7.25(9), which adopts Wisconsin's…

Burlington enforces carbon monoxide warning equipment standards in dwelling units by adopting NFPA 720 by reference…

Kenosha's Property Maintenance Code requires at least one carbon monoxide detector in every single-family building and…

Madison's Building Code adopts Wisconsin's SPS 328 (Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors) by reference under…

Before New Berlin issues or renews a short-term rental license, § 152-24(C)(2) requires the City Building Inspector and…

Racine County dwelling owners must install a working carbon monoxide detector in the basement and on every floor except…

Waukesha's Building Code folds Wisconsin's smoke and carbon monoxide detector statutes directly into City law…

Wausau penalizes landlords who do not install required smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors, citing the state's…

West Allis declares a rental or residential property a human health hazard under RMC § 7.25 if it lacks working carbon…

Brown County requires a special shoreland permit for decks, patios, gazebos and screen houses built inside the 75-foot…

Appleton requires a permit before excavating for, constructing, enlarging, altering, removing, or demolishing a…

Ashwaubenon requires a permit from the Building Inspection Department before excavation, construction, enlargement…

Beloit requires a building permit before any construction, alteration, repair, demolition or moving of a building or…

Burlington requires a Building Inspector permit before any structure is built, enlarged, altered, demolished, or moved…

In Dane County's unincorporated towns, a zoning permit from the zoning administrator is required before erecting a new…

De Pere requires a building permit before any one- or two-family dwelling is built, enlarged, altered or repaired, plus…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin requires a building permit from the building inspector before any construction, addition…

Green Bay requires a building permit from the Director before anyone erects, alters, moves, or demolishes any building…

Kenosha requires a Building Code permit before any construction, alteration, or system work begins: Code § 9.06(A)…

Little Chute requires a permit from the building inspector before any building or structure, or any part of one, is…

Madison requires a building permit from the Building Inspection Division before anyone erects, adds to, alters…

A deck is a structure under Marathon County's zoning code, so building one in a town under county zoning requires a…

The City of Middleton requires a building permit from the Building Inspector before any excavation, construction…

The City of Milton requires a building permit from the building inspector before any structure is erected, enlarged…

Milwaukee requires a building permit for any deck attached to the house, and for any freestanding deck over 2 feet…

The City of Mosinee requires a building permit from the building inspector before any building is erected or ground is…

Neenah requires a building permit before constructing a deck of any size: the general permit rule covers any structure…

New Berlin adopts the Wisconsin Uniform Building Code and the state's One- and Two-Family and Commercial Building Codes…

Outagamie County requires a building permit from the zoning administrator or town building inspector before any…

A deck attached to your house in unincorporated Racine County must meet the same setback as the house itself, but a…

Rothschild requires a state uniform building permit before building any one- or two-family dwelling, issued through the…

Sun Prairie requires a building permit from the city building inspector before any building, heating, ventilating…

Waukesha requires a permit from the Department of Community Development before any construction, alteration, or…

No building can be erected, structurally altered, or relocated in an unincorporated Waukesha County town without a town…

The City of Wausau requires a building permit signed by the Building Inspector before footing and foundation excavation…

Wauwatosa requires a valid building and safety division permit before anyone constructs, enlarges, alters, moves or…

West Allis requires a permit before constructing, altering, moving, demolishing, or repairing any building or…

In towns that adopted Winnebago County's zoning ordinance, a permit is required before building, moving, or enlarging a…

Appleton requires a permit before any electrical installation begins, issued only to the licensed electrical contractor…

Ashwaubenon adopts the National Electrical Code plus the state electrical and licensing codes by reference, and every…

No one may start electrical work in the City of Beloit without a permit under Beloit Code of Ordinances § 10.03. The…

Burlington's Electrical Inspector must issue a permit before any electrical installation for light, heat, or power…

De Pere adopts the National Electrical Code and the state electrical code, Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 316, under City…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin requires an electrical permit from the city building inspector before any electrical work begins…

Anyone who installs, repairs, alters, services, or maintains electrical wiring in Green Bay needs a permit from the…

Kenosha requires state certification under Wis. Stats. § 101.862 and a City permit before installing electrical wiring…

Little Chute has no homegrown electrical code: it enforces the state's electrical rules by adopting Wisconsin Admin…

Madison requires a permit from the Building Inspection Division before any electrical installation, alteration, or…

Middleton adopts the Wisconsin SPS 316 Electrical Code and requires a City permit, issued only for work performed by a…

The City of Milton requires a permit from the building inspector before any electric wiring or equipment is installed…

Milwaukee requires a permit before any electrical equipment is installed, altered, renewed, replaced or connected, and…

Mosinee adopts the Wisconsin Administrative Electrical Code by reference and requires a building inspector permit…

Neenah requires a building permit before any electrical wiring, lighting, heating or power installation begins, issued…

No wiring, electrical equipment installation or alteration may begin in New Berlin without first notifying the…

Sun Prairie adopts the Wisconsin State Electrical Code, Wis. Adm. Code SPS 316, and requires a permit from the city…

Waukesha requires a permit from the Electrical Inspector before any wiring for light, heat or power begins. Minor…

Wausau requires an electrical permit before wiring, installing electrical equipment, or altering any wiring system…

Wauwatosa adopts the Wisconsin State Electrical Code, SPS 316, by reference and requires a permit and a licensed…

West Allis requires an electrical permit from the Electrical Inspector before any wiring, equipment installation, or…

No plumbing work may be done anywhere in Appleton without first obtaining a permit from the Inspections Supervisor and…

Ashwaubenon adopts Wisconsin's plumbing code, Wis. Stats. ch. 145 and Wis. Admin. Code chs. DSPS 381-387, by reference…

Anyone doing plumbing work inside the City of Beloit needs a permit from the Planning and Building Services Division…

Burlington City Code § 243-4 bars any plumbing work in the City until a permit is obtained from the Plumbing Inspector…

Dane County requires a sanitary permit before anyone installs, repairs, modifies, enlarges, converts, reconnects or…

De Pere adopts Wis. Stats. ch. 145 and the state plumbing code, Wis. Admin. Code chs. SPS 381-387, under City Code §…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin requires a plumbing permit from the city building inspector before any plumbing work starts. The…

Green Bay requires a permit before any work meeting the state definition of "plumbing" begins, filed with the Director…

Kenosha requires a permit before installing, altering, or replacing any plumbing system, issued by the Department of…

Little Chute doesn't write its own plumbing code. Village Code § 8-11 adopts the Wisconsin Administrative Code's SPS…

Any plumbing work in Madison needs a permit filed with the Building Inspection Division before work starts, under…

The City of Middleton adopts the Wisconsin State Plumbing Code to govern all drainage, drain laying, and plumbing…

The City of Milton requires a permit before installing or altering plumbing or drainage, work must be done by a…

Milwaukee requires a permit from the commissioner of city development before any plumbing work, issued only to…

Mosinee adopts the Wisconsin state plumbing code by reference and requires a building inspector permit before any…

Neenah requires a permit from the Plumbing Inspector before any plumbing work begins, and the work must be done by a…

New Berlin requires a permit from the Plumbing Inspector before any plumbing work begins, covering everything from…

No one may install, replace, repair, or reconnect a private septic (POWTS) or non-plumbing sanitation system in Racine…

Rock County's Public Health Department requires a Sanitary Permit before any new private sewage system is installed or…

Sun Prairie adopts the Wisconsin State Plumbing Code and Chapter 145, Wisconsin Statutes, and requires a permit from…

No plumbing work may begin in Waukesha without a permit from the Plumbing Inspector, issued only to master plumbers…

Wausau requires a plumbing permit from the Plumbing Inspector before installing any plumbing or drainage work, under…

Wauwatosa adopts the Wisconsin State Plumbing Code, SPS 381 through 387, by reference and requires a permit before…

West Allis requires a plumbing permit from the Plumbing Inspector before any installation, alteration, or repair work…

Before and during permitted work, Appleton's Inspection Supervisor examines buildings and sites at each construction…

Once the Village of Ashwaubenon issues a building permit, its Building Inspector can enter the job site at any…

In unincorporated Brown County, no private on-site wastewater treatment system (POWTS) may be backfilled until the…

Before a septic system in unincorporated Dane County gets covered up, the division has to see it: ch. 46.11(1) requires…

Fitchburg, Wisconsin buildings under permit go through staged inspections before work can be covered, from…

Madison's Building Inspection Division requires three staged inspections during construction, foundation, structure and…

Milwaukee requires the permit holder to notify the building inspection commissioner at each construction stage, site…

In unincorporated Walworth County, a zoning permit issued under Code § 74-119 is void if construction is not…

A Waukesha permit holder must notify the Building Inspection Division when each construction phase is ready for a…

In the unincorporated towns, the county zoning administrator inspects construction in two stages: a zoning permit…

Before entering a Wausau rental unit, city inspectors need consent from an adult occupant or the owner, or a special…

Wauwatosa building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspectors may enter premises at reasonable times for a proper…

Winnebago County requires a licensed zoning staffer to inspect every new private septic system (POWTS) before…