Adams County, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

In Adams County the Planning and Zoning Department (Suite 4, 401 Adams Street, Friendship; 608-339-4222) issues the county zoning, shoreland, floodplain and sanitary permits, and the county holds the state’s Uniform Dwelling Code delegation for 13 of its 17 towns, where General Engineering Company reviews and inspects new homes. The City of Adams, the Village of Friendship and the Towns of Leola, Lincoln, Quincy and Rome hold their own delegations.

What requires a permit in Adams County?

The county’s general permit application asks the applicant to circle the activities involved: zoning, sanitary, building or razing. The office records the state sanitary permit number, the state UDC seal number, the shoreland and floodplain status and whether the site is within 300 feet of the ordinary high-water mark on the same sheet.

What the county decides and what the state holds

Planning and Zoning sets where and how a building may stand: lot size, setbacks, height, minimum dwelling size and what may be built before a house. The county’s Quick Guide of Ordinances gives the basics for the R-1 district: a 20,000 square foot lot at least 100 feet wide (two acres in R-1 LL), stick-built, modular and double-wide homes but no single-wide manufactured homes, and no detached building before the dwelling unless it is under 150 square feet. A-1 lots are 15 or 35 acres and 300 feet wide, and livestock and a storage building before the house are allowed there. Every dwelling needs at least 720 livable square feet with an area of at least 24 by 24 feet, and dwellings and detached structures are limited to 35 feet in height.

The construction standards come from the state. A new one- or two-family home is built to the Uniform Dwelling Code and inspected by the delegated agency for its town, and a commercial building needs state plan approval before local work starts.

Adams County building department: who handles permitting

Planning and Zoning, directed by Dustin Grant, handles zoning, shoreland, floodplain, sanitary, tourist rooming house and cell tower permits; a code enforcement officer handles failed or failing septic systems, and staff report on the status of zoning, building and sanitary permit issuance. Building permits for new homes run through the inspection agency named for each municipality.

Towns, villages and cities

Under the state’s delegation list, Adams County covers new-home permits in every town that has no delegation of its own. All 20 municipalities in the county appear on that list, so none falls to a state-appointed inspector.

County general zoning is narrower than the UDC map: the July 2025 revision letter says the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance regulates land use only in the Towns of Adams, Colburn, Dell Prairie, Easton, Jackson, Monroe, New Chester, New Haven, Preston, Richfield and Springville. Shoreland and floodplain rules reach further, so ask the department about any parcel near water in the other towns.

Adams County permit types

The county asks that forms not be printed two-sided. The main ones are the general permit application, an online zoning permit application, the tourist rooming house packet, sanitary forms and the public hearing packet.

Residential permits

For a new house the county wants a complete application with the owner’s details, the legal description or certified survey map, the lot size, the ground coverage of the house, garage, sheds and porches, the use and type of construction (with the year for a manufactured home), the building size, height, stories and bedrooms, and a site map. The site map must show north, be drawn to scale or dimensionally accurate, show every road next to the parcel, say whether road distances are measured from the lot line or the centerline, and show water bodies with their setback from the ordinary high-water mark. Maps without clear setbacks are returned, which delays the project.

Lot lines must be physically marked wherever a structure will sit less than ten feet beyond the required setback; with a 10-foot side setback, a building planned closer than 20 feet to the line needs a marked lot line.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles home building permits, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings need county zoning approval first; the quick guide’s commercial district rules allow a dwelling only for the owner or caretaker of the business and set a 400 square foot minimum commercial building. The state reviews commercial plans unless a delegated agency does, and General Engineering takes commercial plan review applications online for the communities it serves.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit filing through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Zoning permit. The county permit, filed on paper or online, comes first; General Engineering’s online application asks for the zoning permit number.
• Sanitary permit. A house on a private system needs the state sanitary permit number on the county application, and the inspection agency asks for it too.
• Hearings. Conditional uses, modifications, rezonings and special exceptions go to a public hearing; variances and appeals to the Board of Adjustment.
• Shoreland and floodplain. A structure in shoreland needs a zoning permit even under 150 square feet; the department posts flood maps, a flood brochure and the NFIP map and zone grandfather rules.
• Survey. Any change, movement, division or combination of property lines needs a certified survey map.
• Driveway. A Highway Department permit on a county highway or county-owned town road.

Adams County permit costs and fees

The Planning and Zoning page does not post a fee table for zoning, sanitary and county building permits. The application has office lines for a zoning fee, a sanitary fee, a building fee, a state fee and other charges, and staff total them when the permit is issued; call 608-339-4222 for the amount before filing. Fees for the UDC permit itself depend on the municipality: General Engineering notes that each municipality sets its own fee schedule, so a home in Rome or the City of Adams is priced differently from one in a county-covered town. Paying an online application by card adds a small processing charge.

FEMA lists Adams County in class 7 of its Community Rating System, worth a 15 percent flood insurance discount.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and heating work on a new home is part of the UDC permit handled by the inspection agency for the municipality, and the agency’s online application asks for every contractor’s license number and expiration date. County Planning and Zoning does not issue trade permits.

• Septic. The state sanitary permit for a private system is filed through the county, which posts its lists of licensed septic installers, licensed pumpers and soil testers. Owners file septic pumping statements and, for some systems, a POWTS maintenance agreement.
• Builders. A contractor building a new dwelling must hold the state Dwelling Contractor certification with a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier; an owner who will live in the home may take out the permit instead.
• Electricians and plumbers. Licensed by the state; the inspection agency checks the license numbers on the application.
• HVAC. The business registers with the state; the county has no license of its own.

How to apply for an Adams County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The commonest county delay is the site map: setbacks that are missing or unclear send the map back to the applicant. In the online portal, staff email the applicant if more information is needed and send the approved permit by email. General Engineering first screens an application, then completes a detailed review and follows up on open questions; it notifies the applicant when the permit is ready and whether any payment remains. Projects needing a conditional use, rezoning or variance wait for the public hearing before the county permit can issue.

Inspections in Adams County

The county application makes the person who signs it responsible for calling for every required inspection, and the signature lets department staff enter the property. New homes are inspected in stages by the municipality’s UDC agency, from footings and foundation through rough-in and insulation to the final inspection before occupancy; call the agency named for your town to book each one.

The Highway Department sends a representative to investigate and inspect the proposed driveway in the field before acting on the application, and the stormwater program encourages a site visit with the landowner or agent before an application is filed. Septic installations are inspected under the sanitary permit, and a code enforcement officer follows up on failed or failing systems.

Wisconsin building code

Adams County’s own rules are land-use rules: the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance in eleven towns, shoreland and floodplain zoning, sanitary rules and the stormwater runoff ordinance. In July 2025 the department sent the towns a draft revision covering camping, junk and salvage, accessory structures including shipping containers, and a 12-foot minimum driveway width; a second draft is now posted, and under the process the letter described, the revision takes effect only after County Board approval and ratification by a majority of the town boards. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the county as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, community 550001, on a current map dated June 17, 2008.

Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code covers one- and two-family homes. Its Commercial Building Code covers public buildings, workplaces and buildings of three or more units. Local ordinances must conform to both. Wisconsin rules

Adams County permit search and official resources

Planning and Zoning staff report on the status of zoning, building and sanitary permits and help with applications, and the department posts the county’s plats of survey and links to the land records site. To be told of any proposed ordinance or amendment that affects the allowable use of your property, send the department your name, address and parcel number by mail to Suite 4, 401 Adams Street, Friendship, WI 53934, or by email.

• Adams County Planning and Zoning: forms, ordinances, flood information
• County general permit application (zoning, sanitary, building, razing)
• Online zoning permit application instructions (MuniSight)
• Quick Guide of Ordinances: lot sizes and setbacks
• Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance revision letter, July 2025
• General Engineering Company online building permit application
• General Engineering building inspection information
• Land & Water Conservation ordinances and stormwater permits
• Highway driveway access ordinance and application
• Adams County Highway Department
• County building locations and hours
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• DSPS Inspector Lookup Tool
• Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code, SPS 320 to 325
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Adams County permit FAQs

Does Adams County issue building permits for new homes?

In 13 towns, yes, through its state UDC delegation, with General Engineering as the inspection agency. The City of Adams, Friendship, Leola, Lincoln, Quincy and Rome have their own delegations.

Do I need a county permit for a small shed?

Under 150 square feet a shed can go up before a dwelling in R-1, but any structure in a shoreland area needs a zoning permit; ask the department about your district.

How far must a house be from a town road?

63 feet from the road centerline or 30 feet from the lot line, whichever reaches farther into the lot.

Can I apply online?

Yes for land use permits, tourist rooming houses and RV transfer container renewals through the county’s MuniSight portal, and for UDC building permits through General Engineering’s online application.

What does a county highway driveway permit cost?

$35 for a new driveway or an alteration, and $500 if the driveway is built without one.

Is county zoning in force in my town?

The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance covers eleven towns: Adams, Colburn, Dell Prairie, Easton, Jackson, Monroe, New Chester, New Haven, Preston, Richfield and Springville.

Who answers floodplain questions?

The Planning and Zoning Director, at 608-339-4222; the county participates in the flood insurance program with a 15 percent CRS discount.

Simplify Adams County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Wisconsin. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Adams County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.