Cudahy, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Building permits in Cudahy come from the city’s Inspection Department at City Hall, 5050 South Lake Drive (414-769-2208, inspection@cudahy-wi.gov), which also runs zoning and property maintenance enforcement. DSPS lists the City of Cudahy as its own delegated agent for new one- and two-family homes, so the city reviews and inspects houses itself. Under Resolution 7180.15, adopted January 20, 2026, new homes and additions cost $0.45 per square foot, and a new dwelling adds a $500 plan review fee that includes the state permit seal.

What requires a building permit in Cudahy?

The Inspection Department’s permit list splits work into building, HVAC, electrical and plumbing permits. Its FAQ puts the rule simply: a permit is needed to build any new building, add to one, or make alterations that involve structural changes, and also for accessory buildings, fences, decks, swimming pools and HVAC work. Work must not start before the permit is issued, and the city’s schedule charges three times the permit fee, with a $300 minimum, when it does.

Work in the street, sidewalk or driveway apron is a separate Public Works matter, and some projects also need Plan Commission approval before any permit is issued.

What Cudahy decides and what the state holds

The building rules themselves are the state’s: the city’s deck handout, for example, sends builders to the Uniform Dwelling Code for structural details. What Cudahy sets is the fee schedule, its zoning code (Chapter 44) with district setbacks and garage sizes, erosion control under Chapter 14, right-of-way rules, and who may do trade work in the city. The Inspection Department also staffs the Plan Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals, so zoning questions and permit questions go to the same counter.

Cudahy building department: who handles permitting

The Inspection Department handles every phase of building safety plus zoning and property maintenance enforcement. Abraham Herrera is the Inspection Services Manager and also the plumbing inspector; the department’s staff page lists separate electrical and property maintenance inspectors. On DSPS’s list of Uniform Dwelling Code agents, current as of September 24, 2026, Cudahy is delegated in its own right, with the Inspection Services Manager as its contact. DSPS’s October 19, 2026 lists also show Cudahy as a delegated agent for commercial building and HVAC plan review (a special delegation, with E-Plan Exam named as plan reviewer), commercial building inspection, commercial plumbing plan review and commercial electrical inspection.

Cudahy permit types

Cudahy has moved its building permit applications online to Community Connect. A first-time applicant creates a portal account, or signs in with a Google or Apple account. Anyone who has had a Cudahy permit before is already in the city’s permitting software and only needs the portal account; everyone else first sends a contractor or property owner registration form to inspection@cudahy-wi.gov. The contractor form collects the Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier numbers, the state electrical contractor and master electrician licenses, and the master plumber license. A permit is not issued until it is approved and paid.

Residential permits

• New one- and two-family homes: the city’s checklist asks for three sets of plans, a completed WIScheck energy worksheet, the state UDC building permit application, three surveys bearing a registered land surveyor’s seal, an erosion control site plan, and either a copy of the contractor’s state credential or a signed Homeowner Cautionary Statement, plus Plan Commission approval.
• Garages and sheds: scale drawings showing lot lines, the new building and every nearby structure, a section drawing from foundation to roof, and an elevation for anything larger than 24 by 26 feet, all in duplicate; a plat of survey can replace the site drawing.
• Decks and porches: a plat of survey with distances to lot lines, a plan view with post, beam and joist sizes and spacing, and an elevation showing post depth.
• Owner applicants: a homeowner pulling a building permit signs the notarized cautionary statement required by Wis. Stat. 101.65(1r), which warns about hiring contractors who are not bonded or insured.

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

Commercial permits

The fee schedule defines “commercial” as everything other than one- and two-family homes, so apartment buildings of three or more units are priced as commercial work. The schedule’s text says plans for commercial buildings, additions or alterations over 25,000 cubic feet go to DSPS for review and that apartments, motels, hotels, theaters, churches and institutional care facilities go to DSPS at any size, with two sets of stamped, state-approved plans filed locally before a permit. The department’s own page now sends commercial plan submittals to E-Plan Exam, and DSPS lists E-Plan Exam as Cudahy’s plan reviewer under a special delegation, so ask the department which route your project takes before you submit. Fire permits are applied for on Community Connect once E-Plan Exam approves the plans, and E-Plan Exam then handles the inspection.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Plan Commission. The seven-member commission reviews site and building plans for commercial and manufacturing projects, conditional uses, rezonings, planned unit developments and comprehensive plan amendments. A rezoning or plan amendment needs at least two meetings and a public hearing before the Common Council decides.
• Land divisions. A certified survey map covers splits or combinations of four or fewer parcels; larger divisions use a preliminary and then a final plat, which the Common Council approves.
• Board of Zoning Appeals. Variances go to the board, which publishes the findings it needs to grant one.
• Erosion control. Land-disturbing work under Chapter 14, Article II or the state NR 151 rules needs an erosion control permit from the Engineering Department, filed in person with two copies between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays.
• Right-of-way. Driveway aprons, public sidewalks, water or sewer laterals and street dumpsters need Public Works permits, and contractors working in the right-of-way hold a $25 yearly city license backed by a bond of at least $5,000.

Cudahy permit costs and fees

Permit fees are set by the city fee schedule adopted by Resolution 7180.15, passed by the Common Council on January 20, 2026 under Municipal Code Sec. 2-294. “Residential” there means one- and two-family dwellings and their accessory structures only. The minimum building permit is $65 for residential and $80 for commercial work, fees are rounded up to the next dollar, and a $15 administrative processing fee applies to each building, plumbing or electrical permit or inspection application.

Worked example using the schedule: a new single-family home of 2,000 square feet carries a $900 building permit (2,000 × $0.45), the $500 plan review with the state seal, a $50 occupancy permit and the $100 erosion control permit, or $1,550 before the $15 processing fee on each application and the separate HVAC, electrical and plumbing permits. The Director may waive or adjust a fee to fit the actual scope. Zoning fees sit in the same resolution: a conditional use permit is $500, the Board of Zoning Appeals $300 and Plan Commission review of a commercial site and building plan $350.

Trade permits and who may pull them

HVAC, electrical and plumbing permits are applied for on Community Connect like building permits, and each trade calls in its own rough and final inspections.

• Electrical: the city says all electrical work must be done by licensed contractors who obtain the permit first. Fees start at a $55 minimum; a 100-amp service is $75 and services from 101 to 600 amps $100. DSPS lists Cudahy as its own commercial electrical inspection agent.
• Plumbing: state-licensed plumbing contractors do all plumbing except in an owner-occupied single-family home, where the owner may do it. The minimum plumbing permit is $55, a replacement water heater $40 and most fixtures $11 each.
• HVAC: residential furnaces, boilers, fireplaces, stoves and similar appliances are $55 per unit, and duct systems $2 per 100 square feet of conditioned space with a $55 minimum.
• Dwelling work: contractors list their state Dwelling Contractor and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier numbers when they register; under Wis. Stat. 101.65(1m) the city cannot issue a permit for a one- or two-family job without them unless the owner-occupant is doing the work.
• Everything else: owners may do any other work on their own property, with the permits it needs.

How to apply for a Cudahy building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department can refuse an application that lacks the submittals Sec. 6-4 of the code requires or extra information it asks for. A revision to approved residential plans costs $50 to review, and an expired Plan Commission approval needs a $150 extension, since those approvals last six months unless stated otherwise. No right-of-way work is allowed from December 1 to April 1 except emergencies such as a collapsed sewer, so plan driveway aprons and laterals around that window.

Inspections and occupancy in Cudahy

For a new house the city’s handout sets the order: footing before concrete, foundation before backfill, rough plumbing, rough electrical and rough HVAC, rough construction once the mechanicals are in and before insulation, insulation and energy, under-floor plumbing and the building drain, basement drain tile before the floor is poured, then final plumbing, final electrical and the occupancy or final inspection before anyone moves in. Erosion controls must be in place at the footing inspection and are checked until the soil is stable.

Most inspections need at least 24 hours’ notice; the FAQ says most can be done within one business day but two business days may be needed, and garage and shed inspections must be booked 48 hours ahead. Missing a required inspection costs $100, an after-hours inspection $200 per inspector, and failing to call for a final plumbing or electrical inspection $55 or $50.

Wisconsin building code in Cudahy

Cudahy enforces the state codes through its own delegation; its FAQ says the city adopts state and local building, plumbing and electrical codes, and its local building rules sit in Chapter 6 of the municipal code. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Cudahy (community 550272) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective October 24, 2024.

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

Cudahy permit search and official resources

The Inspection Department keeps a file on every building in the city, and its page says anything in those files can be viewed on request: call 414-769-2208 or email inspection@cudahy-wi.gov. Copies cost $0.25 a page, with prepayment above $5.

• Cudahy Inspection Department
• Types of permits
• Apply for a permit (Community Connect and forms)
• City fee schedule, Resolution 7180.15 (January 2026)
• Building inspection FAQs
• One- and two-family new home checklist
• Accessory building (garage and shed) sheet
• Deck and porch sheet
• Cautionary statement for owners
• Plan Commission
• Erosion control permit
• Right-of-way permits
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Cudahy building permit FAQs

How much does a building permit for a new house cost in Cudahy?

$0.45 per square foot plus a $500 plan review fee that includes the state seal; a 2,000-square-foot house is $900 for the permit, before occupancy, erosion control and trade permits.

Can I do my own electrical work in Cudahy?

The city’s FAQ says no: all electrical work must be done by licensed contractors who obtain the permit first.

Can a homeowner do plumbing?

Yes, in an owner-occupied single-family home; all other plumbing must be done by a state-licensed plumbing contractor.

How big can a garage be?

The city’s sheet ties it to lot width: 528 square feet on a 30-foot lot, 624 on lots over 30 and under 45 feet, and 720 on wider lots, with one garage and one shed per parcel and sheds capped at 150 square feet.

Do I need a permit for a new roof or siding?

Yes. Roofing, windows, doors and siding are on the building permit list; on a house they are charged $15 per $1,000 of construction value, with the $65 residential minimum.

How tall can a fence be in Cudahy?

Six feet in every district except industrial ones (8 feet), measured from the ground to the top of the fence without posts. The city’s fence sheet (revised July 2017) also keeps fences out of front yards and 2 feet from alley pavement.

When can I replace my driveway apron?

With a Public Works right-of-way permit ($150 plus a deposit), but not between December 1 and April 1, when right-of-way work stops except for emergencies.

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