Dunn County, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Dunn County does not issue building permits. Its Planning & Land Use (Zoning) Division, part of Environmental Services at 3001 US Highway 12 East, Suite 240A, Menomonie (715-231-6520), issues zoning permits in the 16 towns under county zoning, shoreland, floodplain and sanitary permits in all 22 towns, and land division approvals. The building permit for a house comes from the town’s Uniform Dwelling Code inspector, listed by the county, and the City of Menomonie and the seven villages run their own zoning. A general zoning permit is $200, or $370 for expedited processing within 10 working days.

What requires a permit in Dunn County?

The county’s rule of thumb is that most development, including new construction, additions, renovations that change a structure and changes in land use, needs a zoning permit. Its “When is a zoning permit required?” sheet sets out the line.

Even when no county permit is needed, the county tells owners to ask the town clerk whether the town requires one, and to contact the town’s UDC building inspector before construction. Work started without a permit pays double the fee.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county board adopts the Chapter 13 Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, which covers the unincorporated county except the towns of Eau Galle, Elk Mound, New Haven, Rock Creek, Sand Creek and Spring Brook, and the shoreland (Chapter 14), floodplain (Chapter 15), land division (Chapter 16) and sanitary ordinances, which apply in all 22 towns. Towns can block a county rezoning. Building standards are the state’s Uniform Dwelling Code and Commercial Building Code, which the towns and municipalities administer; the county holds no UDC delegation.

Dunn County building department: who handles permitting

The Planning & Land Use Division handles zoning, shoreland and floodplain permits, code enforcement and the sanitary (septic) program, with its own POWTS inspectors and certified soil testers. The Planning, Resource & Development Committee holds rezoning hearings and the Board of Adjustment hears variances. Staff are not always free for walk-ins, so the office asks for appointments.

Who issues building permits in each municipality

DSPS’s delegated-agent list, current as of September 24, 2026, has no county row for Dunn; the City of Menomonie, all seven villages and all 22 towns hold their own Uniform Dwelling Code delegation. The county’s own list of town UDC inspectors, revised January 1, 2025, shows which inspector each town uses.

Dunn County permit types

County applications are fillable PDFs filed with the Planning & Land Use office, paid by cash or check to Dunn County Zoning. Each zoning form offers a general fee, processed as staff time allows, or an expedited fee, processed within 10 working days of a complete application using contracted staff.

Residential permits

• General zoning permit. For houses, additions, garages and other structures in county-zoned towns. Attach a site plan showing north, every existing and proposed structure, the septic tank, drainfield and well, and distances to lot lines, the road centerline and the shoreline where there is one; add floor plans with every room labelled. The structures must be staked out, and the applicant tells the office when they are ready for the site inspection. The permit is valid for two years.
• Shoreland zoning permit. For projects near lakes and streams in any town, with an impervious surface worksheet; it includes up to two site inspections.
• Sanitary permit. A building served by a private septic system needs its sanitary permit before the zoning permit is issued. A soil tester digs at least one pit and two borings, the plumber designs the system, and the county reviews conventional systems and holding tanks under 3,000 gallons; mounds, at-grades and larger or industrial holding tanks go to the state first.
• Agent authorization. Anyone applying on land they do not own files the county’s non-owner authorization form.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial uses in county-zoned towns follow the district rules of the zoning ordinance, may need a conditional use permit with its own questionnaire and public hearing, and need the same sanitary review where there is no sewer. Building plan approval for commercial buildings comes from the state, and the county’s inspector list also names the District 9 commercial building inspector.

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

• Rezoning. Meet Planning staff before applying; the town reviews the request and can deny it, the Planning, Resource & Development Committee holds a public hearing after two weeks’ published notice and mailed notice to adjacent owners, and the County Board acts.
• Conditional uses and variances. Conditional uses carry a nonrefundable application fee and a public hearing; variances go to the Board of Adjustment, which usually meets on the third Monday of the month at 10:30 a.m. in Room 60 of the Government Center.
• Land division. Certified survey maps and subdivisions are reviewed by the Survey Division under Chapter 16.
• Driveway. A county highway driveway needs a Highway Division permit; the town handles town roads.
• Town permits. Check with the town clerk and the town’s UDC inspector for the building permit.

Dunn County permit costs and fees

The county prints its zoning fees on the current application forms. Each fee covers one site inspection (two for shoreland permits), and an after-the-fact permit costs double.

Worked example from the forms: a new house in a county-zoned town, away from the water, needs a $200 general zoning permit, or $370 to have it processed within 10 working days; the same house on a shoreland lot needs a $300 shoreland permit instead. A detached garage under 1,000 square feet is $125, and each additional site inspection adds $100. The shoreland pervious-surface fee applies when old surfaces are replaced at the same size or smaller, when a lot without frontage lies entirely beyond 300 feet of the water, or when every new surface is pervious.

Sanitary permit fees are set separately; ask the office for the current amount. Town building permit fees are set by each town.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Dunn County issues no electrical, plumbing or HVAC permits for buildings. Those go with the town’s building permit and its UDC inspector, or with the city or village inside an incorporated municipality, under state trade licensing.

• Septic work. The county keeps lists of certified soil testers, master plumbers and POWTS maintainers; the plumber designs the system, files the plans (some through the state’s eSLA system) and books the county inspection.
• Pumpers. Septic pumpers and maintainers must enter every maintenance event in the county’s online PLM (Catalis) portal, and owners get yearly reminder postcards.
• Privies and holding tanks. Non-plumbing systems such as composting toilets need the county non-plumbing sanitary application, and the county posts the holding tank agreement and service contract forms that go with a holding tank.
• House contractors. The town’s UDC inspector checks state Dwelling Contractor credentials for a contractor-built house; owner-occupants are exempt.

How to apply for a Dunn County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

General-fee applications are handled as staff time allows, so the expedited fee is the only route with a set turnaround: 10 working days from a complete application. Unstaked sites delay issuance, and the office will not process an application further until any extra inspection fee is paid. The county says a rezoning is unlikely to be approved without a town board resolution of support, and it may hold a request until the town acts.

Inspections in Dunn County

Every county zoning permit includes a site inspection of the staked structures, and shoreland permits up to two. The county’s POWTS inspectors check each septic system after installation and before backfilling, measuring the building sewer, tank, force main and drainfield and their setbacks from the well, water and buildings; the inspector then draws the as-built record kept on file.

Building inspections for houses, from footings to final occupancy, are scheduled with the town’s UDC inspector, and the county’s list gives the District 9 commercial building inspector for commercial work. Code enforcement staff respond to reported zoning violations, which anyone can report online, anonymously if they choose.

Wisconsin building code in Dunn County

The towns, villages and the City of Menomonie administer the Uniform Dwelling Code under their own DSPS delegations, and the county administers zoning, shoreland, floodplain, land division and sanitary rules. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Dunn County (community 550118) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective December 2, 2011; Chapter 15, the county floodplain ordinance, applies in every town.

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

Dunn County permit search and official resources

County zoning, shoreland and sanitary permit files and septic as-builts are kept by the Planning & Land Use office; call 715-231-6520 or email pandz@dunncountywi.gov to request a copy. The county’s online zoning map shows each parcel’s zoning district, and town building permit records are kept by each town.

• Planning & Land Use (Zoning) Division
• Zoning: which towns are under county zoning
• When is a zoning permit required?
• General zoning permit application and fees
• Shoreland zoning permit application and fees
• UDC building inspectors for Dunn County towns
• Sanitation (septic) program
• The sanitary permit process
• Shoreland and floodplain zoning
• Rezoning process
• Board of Adjustment schedule
• County ordinances
• Highway Division permits
• Driveway permit application
• Environmental Services
• DSPS Uniform Dwelling Code delegated agents
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Dunn County building permit FAQs

Does Dunn County issue building permits?

No. The county issues zoning, shoreland and sanitary permits; the town’s UDC inspector issues the building permit.

Is my town under county zoning?

Sixteen towns are; Eau Galle, Elk Mound, New Haven, Rock Creek, Sand Creek and Spring Brook are not, though county shoreland, floodplain, land division and sanitary rules apply there too.

How much is a county zoning permit?

$200 for a general zoning permit, or $370 for expedited processing within 10 working days; shoreland permits are $300.

Do I need a permit for a small shed?

Not from the county if it is under 100 square feet, not for living in, not permanently fixed and meets setbacks; ask the town clerk about town rules.

Do I need a permit for new siding or an interior remodel?

No county zoning permit is needed when no floor area is added and the use does not change.

How long is a zoning permit valid?

Two years from issue; a renewal is $70.

Who inspects my septic system?

County POWTS inspectors, after installation and before backfilling, at a time the plumber schedules.

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