Crawford County, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Crawford County is not comprehensively zoned. Its Land Conservation, Planning & Zoning department (Sanitation & Zoning, 225 N. Beaumont Road, Suite 233, Prairie du Chien, 608-326-0294) issues sanitary permits for septic systems on unsewered property, and shoreland permits near navigable water and floodplain permits in the unincorporated towns. Building permits come from the town, village or city: the county’s own warning is that a township building permit is not a county zoning permit, and DSPS lists every municipality in the county as holding its own Uniform Dwelling Code delegation.

What permits are required in Crawford County?

A project in the countryside usually needs two kinds of approval: county permits for what the land and water rules control, and a local building permit for the structure. The county page puts it in capitals: permits must be secured before construction or site activity of any kind, and penalties apply.

A septic system is required whenever water is supplied to a habitable structure or a building has plumbing fixtures. Adding manhole risers and minor repairs need no sanitary permit.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county administers its shoreland and floodplain ordinances in the unincorporated towns, and its POWTS ordinance (Chapter 15) on all unsewered property. Cities and villages administer their own shoreland and floodplain ordinances, and towns can add ordinances of their own. The Uniform Dwelling Code and the commercial code are state codes; because the county holds no UDC delegation (it has no row on the DSPS list, current as of 9/24/2026), home building permits and inspections are entirely local. Navigability and the ordinary high water mark, when disputed, are decided by the Wisconsin DNR, and the county warns that many dry ditches and ravines count as navigable.

Crawford County building department: who handles permitting

The Land Conservation, Planning & Zoning department runs two offices in the county administration building in Prairie du Chien. Sanitation & Zoning handles sanitary, shoreland and floodplain permits; Land Conservation handles conservation practices, manure storage and related programs. The department’s committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 9:00 a.m.

Who issues building permits in each municipality

The county’s clerk directory lists which UDC inspector serves each place. Two inspection arrangements cover the whole county, and in the Town of Clayton the town chair issues the permits.

The same directory marks the Towns of Bridgeport and Prairie du Chien and the City of Prairie du Chien as zoned, the Towns of Freeman, Haney and Utica as zoned with an “FPP” note, and the Towns of Clayton, Scott and Seneca as not zoned. It also lists a state commercial building inspector for commercial work.

Crawford County permit types and documents

The county’s zoning permit doubles as a certificate of compliance: you agree not to use the premises until the Zoning Administrator certifies the finished work. The form asks for a sketch plan with setbacks to the highway centerline or right-of-way, side and rear lines, the ordinary high water mark (75 feet), wetlands, the septic tank (5 feet) and the drainfield (10 feet), plus the contractors, market value and dimensions. It is void unless every other required permit has been issued, and it expires one year after issue.

Residential permits

• Sanitary permit. Every septic system needs its own application and permit in the property owner’s name, filed by the owner, an agent or the plumber, before construction of a building that needs one. Holding tanks are allowed only where a soil and site evaluation shows the lot cannot take an in-ground, at-grade or mound system, with narrow exceptions; soil testers must give the department 48 hours’ notice so it can inspect test pits.
• Shoreland permit. Houses, garages and other structures near water meet a 75-foot setback from the ordinary high water mark (with averaging rules for a new house between existing ones), a 15% impervious-surface limit that can rise to 30% with a mitigation plan, a vegetative buffer and a 35-foot height cap within 75 feet of the water.
• Floodplain permit. Mapped-floodplain development needs an elevation certificate from a Wisconsin-licensed engineer or surveyor and a foundation and anchoring plan from a licensed engineer or architect.
• Local building permit from the town, village or city with its UDC inspector; the sanitary permit must come before construction, and the county zoning permit is void until the other permits are issued.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings follow the state commercial code, with state plan approval before the local permit; the county’s directory lists a state commercial building inspector for the county. County shoreland, floodplain and sanitary rules apply to commercial sites in the unincorporated towns just as they do to houses, and livestock facilities, animal waste storage and non-metallic mines have their own county permits.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Sanitary permit first on any unsewered lot, after a soil and site evaluation.
• Shoreland or floodplain permit where the site is near navigable water or in a mapped floodplain; conditional uses, special exceptions and variances go to the county at $600.
• Driveway permit from the local clerk; county highways are built and maintained by the Highway Department, which also maintains the state highways in the county for WisDOT.
• Town zoning where the town has its own ordinance.
• Floodplain program. Crawford County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (community 555551, map effective October 16, 2015).

Crawford County permit fees

County fees are set in the Schedule of Fees: Sanitation & Zoning, revised February 2025. Building permit fees are set separately by each town, village and city.

State permit fees inside the sanitary charges include a $75 DSPS administrative fee and a $25 DNR groundwater fee. After a natural disaster, an owner who is rebuilding can ask the Land Conservation, Planning & Zoning Committee to reduce or waive the fees.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county issues no electrical, plumbing or HVAC permits. Trade work on a house is permitted and inspected through the local building permit and its UDC inspector, and commercial building and plumbing plans go to the state for review where the codes require it.

Electrician, plumber and dwelling contractor credentials are state matters (see Wisconsin rules); the county page also posts a guide to POWTS plumbing license laws and complaints.

How to apply for permits in Crawford County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The trap the county flags in capital letters is assuming a town building permit covers everything: it does not cover county shoreland, floodplain or sanitary rules. Sites near a dry ditch or ravine can still fall under shoreland rules, because the county says many are navigable, and an elevation certificate or foundation plan prepared late holds up a floodplain permit. A county zoning permit is void until every other permit is issued, so file all of them together.

Crawford County inspections and completion

The county inspects for its own permits; the local UDC inspector inspects the house. The two run side by side.

• Soil tests: the county tries to inspect every soil test performed in the county, so testers call 48 hours ahead.
• Septic systems: installed under the sanitary permit, then evaluated every three years for the life of the system.
• Zoning compliance: the Zoning Administrator certifies the finished work before the premises can be used.
• Floodplain: Chapter 20 sets the flood protection elevation at 2 feet of freeboard above the regional flood, and the zoning form records both elevations.
• Building: the town, village or city inspector checks foundation, rough, insulation and final stages for new homes.

The county posts a 2026 maintenance due list showing which septic systems are due for their three-year servicing this year.

Wisconsin building code

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

Crawford County permit search and official resources

Questions about past sanitary, shoreland and floodplain permits go to Sanitation & Zoning (608-326-0294), and the county’s GIS maps show parcels. The posted POWTS maintenance due list shows which systems are due for servicing. For local building permits, ask the clerk of the town, village or city.

• Crawford County Zoning: rules and forms
• Sanitation: POWTS permits and maintenance
• Schedule of Fees: Sanitation & Zoning, revised 2/2025 (PDF)
• Zoning Permit Application (PDF)
• Clerk Directory and UDC Building Inspectors (PDF)
• Chapter 16 Shoreland Protection ordinance (PDF)
• Chapter 20 Floodplain Zoning ordinance (PDF)
• Chapter 15 POWTS ordinance (PDF)
• Land Conservation, Planning & Zoning ordinances
• Land Conservation, Planning & Zoning Department
• Crawford County Highway Department
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list

Crawford County permit FAQ

Does Crawford County issue building permits?

No. Building and driveway permits come from the town, village or city clerk; the county issues sanitary, shoreland and floodplain permits.

Does a town building permit cover county rules?

No. The county stresses that a township building permit is not a county zoning permit; shoreland, floodplain and sanitary permits are separate.

Is Crawford County zoned?

Not comprehensively. The county enforces shoreland and floodplain zoning in unincorporated areas, and some towns have their own zoning.

How much is a septic permit in Crawford County?

$500 for an in-ground, at-grade or mound system or a holding tank, plus $150 to review and file the soil and site evaluation.

How close can I build to a stream or lake?

The shoreland setback is 75 feet from the ordinary high water mark, and site work within 300 feet of a navigable stream is restricted.

What does a floodplain permit need?

An elevation certificate from a licensed engineer or surveyor, a foundation and anchoring plan from a licensed engineer or architect, and a $200 fee.

What if I started without a county permit?

Fees double on a first offence, triple on a second, and a third brings triple fees and a citation.

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