Barron County, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Barron County’s Zoning Office (Government Center, 335 East Monroe Avenue, Room 2104, Barron; 715-537-6375) enforces the county Land Use Ordinance in the unincorporated area: it issues land use permits for homes, garages, sheds, decks and fences in the 17 towns under county zoning, shoreland permits everywhere outside the cities and villages, and the state and county sanitary permits. It does not issue the Uniform Dwelling Code permit for a new home; that comes from the inspector each town hires. A new 1,800 square foot home pays $425 for its land use permit.

What requires a permit in rural Barron County?

The Zoning Office requires a land use permit for construction, additions and alterations of structures such as homes, garages, sheds, decks, fences, stairways, boathouse storage structures, signs and antennas. A grading and filling permit is needed before land is graded or filled above the ordinary high-water mark of a navigable water, and a sanitary permit before any private sewage or non-plumbing system is installed.

What the county decides and what the state holds

County zoning is a town-by-town choice in Barron County. The county’s zoning jurisdiction map shows 17 towns that adopted the Land Use Ordinance and eight that did not: Arland, Bear Lake, Chetek, Dovre, Lakeland, Prairie Farm, Sioux Creek and Vance Creek. The shoreland protection overlay applies countywide whatever the town decided, and no city or village is in any county zoning jurisdiction. The county also enforces the floodplain ordinance, reviews land divisions under sections 17.50 to 17.55 of the Land Use Ordinance and runs the sanitary maintenance program. Construction standards for houses come from the state Uniform Dwelling Code, enforced by the town’s inspector, and commercial buildings need state plan approval.

Barron County building department: who handles permitting

The Zoning Office, under Zoning Administrator Ben Cole, has a compliance technician, zoning technicians including one for sanitary and POWTS work, and administrative staff. The office warns that it never emails landowners asking them to pay by clicking a link; call 715-537-6375 with any question about a fee or payment. Barron County holds no UDC delegation, so the building code side of a new house sits with the town.

Towns, villages and cities

The county’s inspector list says the UDC inspector must be contacted before any excavation or construction starts, in addition to the county land use permit.

Barron County permit types

The Zoning Office posts separate land use permit applications for a dwelling, an accessory structure, a business, filling and grading, general work, a recreational vehicle, a tourist rooming house and a mobile tower collocation, together with the sanitary permit application, holding tank forms, the rural address application and CSM and plat review forms.

Residential permits

A land use permit application gives the legal description from the tax bill or deed, the parcel size (a plat or certified survey map verifies it), the size and estimated value of the structure, and a sketch showing the building’s location, every lot line and road with setbacks in feet and the existing or proposed septic system. For a new home the county’s checklist adds floor plans on legal-size paper (8½ by 14 inches) or smaller and a site plan measured to the lot lines, the road and the ordinary high-water mark. On a lot with water frontage staff visit the site before the permit is issued, and on a waterfront lot or one entirely within 300 feet of the water the Impervious Surface Calculation Worksheet must be completed first; its results can require a mitigation plan.

A land use permit is valid for one year from the date of issue. Setbacks are measured level from the farthest part of the structure, such as the eave or a deck, and the road setback is whichever of the centerline or right-of-way distance is more restrictive.

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

Commercial permits

Business, agricultural and industrial buildings take a land use permit at the non-dwelling rates, and business uses have their own application. The building code review for commercial work goes through DSPS, which the county lists as the commercial building inspector.

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 district. Many districts set a minimum acreage for a home, so the checklist starts with the district.
• Rural address. The checklist’s second step is the rural address, or fire, number.
• Soil test and sanitary permit. A certified soil tester evaluates the site, a licensed plumber designs the system, and the sanitary permit must be on file before the land use permit for a home.
• Shoreland. Grading near water needs its own permit, and staff often view the site first.
• Hearings. Rezonings, special exceptions, variances, lot standards appeals and administrative appeals go to a public hearing.
• Highway right-of-way. A Highway Department permit for work in a county highway right-of-way.

Barron County permit costs and fees

The Zoning Office fee schedule prices land use permits by square footage, with separate bands for dwellings and for non-dwelling structures. New homes and additions to homes use the dwelling band, and attached garages and attached decks count as part of the home. Fences, steps, platforms, retaining walls, signs, business permits and alterations to existing buildings take the $100 general permit. After-the-fact fees may reach four times the listed fee.

Worked example. A new 1,800 square foot home with its attached garage counted in that area falls in the 1,001–2,000 band: $425 for the land use permit. With a mound system ($375 state sanitary permit), the soil test review ($25) and a new rural address sign ($100), the county fees come to $925. The town’s UDC inspector charges the building permit separately.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county does not issue electrical, plumbing or HVAC permits. On a new home those inspections belong to the UDC permit from the town’s inspector; the county’s checklist tells owners who do not know the inspector hired for their town to ask the town officials.

• Septic. A Wisconsin licensed plumber installs the system and submits the plans for the sanitary permit using the soil test; mounds and at-grade systems need state approval, which can take a month or more. The county posts its plumber, soil tester and septage hauler lists.
• Sanitary permit life. Two years from issue, renewable before it expires.
• Builders. Contractors on new homes need the state Dwelling Contractor certification and a Qualifier, which the town’s inspector checks; an owner who will occupy the home is exempt.
• Electricians, plumbers, HVAC. State licenses and registration; no county trade license.

How to apply for a Barron County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Septic work comes first. The county’s checklist warns that a soil test can take several weeks to arrange and that state approval of a mound or at-grade design may take a month or more, and no land use permit for a home is issued until the sanitary permit is on file. Waterfront lots add an onsite visit and the impervious surface worksheet, and a mitigation plan if the calculation calls for one. Lots that need a rezoning, special exception or variance wait for the public hearing.

Inspections in Barron County

Zoning Office staff carry out a setback inspection on every new home when the foundation forms are placed; call 715-537-6375 to schedule it. Staff often view grading and filling sites before issuing those permits, and the sanitary maintenance program records the periodic servicing of private septic systems.

The building inspections for a new house, from footings through final, are booked with the town’s UDC inspector. On county highways the Highway Department requires a start notice before work in the right-of-way begins and a completion notice afterward, and it can revoke a permit if the work does not follow the approved temporary traffic control plan.

Wisconsin building code

Barron County’s role is the Land Use Ordinance, shoreland and floodplain protection, land division review and sanitary permits; its Comprehensive Plan was adopted on April 20, 2010, and a 2025 update of the Farmland Preservation Plan was released in draft. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Barron County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, community 550568, with a current map dated December 3, 2009.

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

Barron County permit search and official resources

The Zoning Office scanned its records, so all permits, Zoning Committee decisions and Board of Adjustment decisions are available from the office; ask at 715-537-6375 with the parcel or address. The forms page carries the zoning jurisdiction map, the setback distances and the shoreland setback map.

• Barron County Zoning Office
• Zoning forms and documents
• Land use, grading and sanitary permit rules
• Zoning Administration fee schedule
• New home checklist
• County zoning jurisdiction map (zoned and unzoned towns)
• UDC building inspectors by township (revised Feb. 24, 2026)
• Barron County Land Use Ordinance
• Highway Department right-of-way permits
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code, SPS 320 to 325
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Barron County permit FAQs

Does Barron County issue building permits?

It issues land use, grading and sanitary permits. The UDC building permit for a new home comes from the inspector each town hires.

Is my town under county zoning?

Seventeen towns are. Arland, Bear Lake, Chetek, Dovre, Lakeland, Prairie Farm, Sioux Creek and Vance Creek are not, though the shoreland overlay still applies there.

How much is a land use permit for a new house?

By size: $425 for 1,001 to 2,000 square feet and $500 for 2,001 to 3,000, with attached garages and decks counted in the home.

Do I need a permit for a fence or shed?

Yes. A fence takes the $100 general permit, and a shed of 150 square feet or less is $75.

Why can’t I get my land use permit yet?

For a home the sanitary permit must be on file first, and a mound design needs state approval.

How long is a permit good for?

A land use permit lasts one year; a sanitary permit two years and can be renewed.

Who handles the city of Rice Lake or Chetek?

The city itself. Cities and villages are outside county zoning and hold their own UDC delegations.

Simplify Barron 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 Barron County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.