Fox Crossing, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

In the Village of Fox Crossing, the Community Development Department (Planning and Zoning plus the Inspection Division) permits and inspects all construction and enforces the building, plumbing, HVAC and electrical codes from 2000 Municipal Drive, Neenah (building line 920-720-7104). George L. Dearborn, Jr. is the Director of Community Development. Every permit must be in hand before work starts, applications go in at the counter or by mail, and a zoning permit is processed with the building permit. The village’s 2026 fee schedule charges $50 plus $0.14 per square foot for new construction, and a new home permit is typically issued in 3 to 10 business days.

What requires a building permit in Fox Crossing?

The village’s project information page lists permit types one by one. The list includes roofing and siding, and a shed of any size, even a prefab shed moved onto the lot.

Inflatable and similar temporary pools must come down for the winter; a pool still up through the winter months, generally after the end of October, is treated as permanent. House numbers are required by village ordinance 13.48.

What Fox Crossing decides and what the state holds

DSPS lists the village as delegated for the state dwelling code on new one- and two-family homes (list current as of 9/24/2026) and as its own commercial electrical inspection agent, using Birschbach Inspection. The village is not on the DSPS lists for commercial building, HVAC or plumbing plan review, so those plans go to the state. The village writes its own zoning, shoreland, stormwater and fee rules; the codes themselves are state law.

Fox Crossing building department: who handles permitting

The Inspection Division issues building, plumbing, HVAC and electrical permits and inspects residential work. Planning and Zoning handles zoning permits, site plan review, conditional uses, variances and subdivisions. Commercial electrical and plumbing inspections are done for the village by Birschbach Inspection Service, LLC, which also answers commercial trade fee questions.

Fox Crossing permit types

Most structures use the combined Building & Zoning Permit Application; remodeling, roofing, siding and window jobs use the plain Village Building Permit. Electrical, HVAC, plumbing, demolition, moving, pool, sign, water and sewer lateral, drainage stormwater and driveway forms are separate. The village also links an online building permit service from its pages.

Residential permits

• New homes: the village requires a survey by a registered surveyor. Submit two scaled floor plan sets showing each room’s use and the braced wall lines, and an 8½-by-11 site plan stamped by the surveyor or engineer with the foundation elevation matching the master drainage plan, drainage arrows, setbacks and dimensions. Where there is no master drainage plan the floor must sit one foot above the adjacent road. Add the standard erosion control plan and checklist, the one- and two-family drainage stormwater permit, signed heat calculations, the village application and the Wisconsin Uniform Building Permit Application with the contractor’s credentials.
• Sewer and water lateral: the $60 lateral inspection permit, taken out by the excavator or plumber, must be issued before the building permit.
• Additions, decks, garages, sheds and fences: a site plan showing all existing and proposed structures, their sizes and distances to every property line and building.
• Manufactured homes: a site plan, and the state permit application for homes built on or after April 1, 2007.

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

Commercial permits

Multi-family, commercial and industrial sites must finish site plan review with Community Development (920-720-7105) before the building permit is filed. The building permit submittal is two plan sets, one state-approved, an 11-by-17 site plan and erosion control plan, the village’s conditions of approval, and the drainage approval from McMahon Associates. If the building needs sprinklers, contact the Fire Department. The commercial handout says permits are typically issued in 3 to 5 business days.

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

• Zoning. A zoning permit rides with the building permit: $50 for fences, decks, sheds and pools, $100 for residential additions, $200 for a new house or duplex, and $200 plus $0.05 per square foot for commercial work.
• Conditional uses and appeals. Conditional uses, variances, rezonings, planned developments and administrative appeals are $500 each; site plan approval is $150 plus $3 per 1,000 square feet disturbed.
• Shoreland. Within 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a navigable stream, a house (with attached decks) must sit 30 feet from the front line, 7 and 10 feet from the sides, and 50 feet from the ordinary high-water mark, which staff delineate. No fence may sit in the shore yard setback.
• Driveways and culverts. The Street Department’s driveway, culvert and curb cut application covers the right of way; curb work carries a $2,000 refundable escrow.
• Land division. Certified survey maps are $150 plus $10 per lot; plats and condominium plats are priced per unit.
• Covenants. The village does not enforce subdivision covenants and will issue permits that meet village rules even if a covenant says otherwise.

Fox Crossing building permit fees

Fees below come from the village’s 2026 fee schedule, which the Village Board approved on November 10, 2025 (item 251110-2) and which cites the village building code chapter sections for each line. Any permit for work begun before the permit was issued costs double.

Worked example using the village’s new-home handout method: a house with 1,800 finished square feet, a 1,000-square-foot unfinished basement and a 500-square-foot garage has 3,300 square feet, so the village fee is $50 plus $462, or $512. The public protection fee counts the finished area and garage but not the unfinished basement, 2,300 square feet at $0.04, or $92. With the $90 state fee and $200 zoning permit the subtotal is $894; the $823 park and $149 fire impact fees, $125 drainage stormwater permit and $60 lateral permit bring it to $2,051, before erosion control, trade permits and the $500 refundable escrow.

• Impact fees: fire $149 per single-family home, $124 per multi-family unit and $1.6198 per $1,000 of value for other buildings; parks $823 per house or three-bedroom unit, $617 per two-bedroom and $412 per studio or one-bedroom; water and sewer interceptor $500 for residential lots under a third of an acre.
• Erosion control: the 2026 schedule lists $150 for a one- or two-family dwelling, while the village’s Building & Inspection Fee Schedule effective June 10, 2025 and the new-home handout list $100; ask which applies. Commercial sites under an acre are $500.
• Residential plumbing: the June 2025 inspection fee sheet prices residential plumbing at $50 plus $1 per $100 of job value; the 2026 schedule shows the single plumbing rate in the table.
• Sewer access: the new-home handout lists a $448 SAC fee per residential unit; commercial SAC fees start at $1,700 per acre.
• Commercial escrow: $1,000 for the first 10,000 square feet plus $10 per 1,000 square feet over; early start $200.
• Driveways: culvert permit $250 and driveway location permit $75 in the schedule; the Street Department application prices new asphalt or concrete driveways at $125 in urban areas.

Trade permits and who may pull them

General contractors may not pull electrical, HVAC or plumbing permits: electrical needs a Master Electrician, HVAC an HVAC Contractor and plumbing a Master Plumber, and on a new house each trade takes out its own permit. Residential electrical work is inspected by the village’s own inspectors; commercial electrical and plumbing go to Birschbach Inspection Service.

• Builders: for one- and two-family work the village recommends the contractor pull the permit, holding both the Dwelling Contractor and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier credentials; commercial work needs a building contractor or the owner.
• Resident owners: an owner who lives in, or will live in, the home may pull permits after signing the state cautionary statement.
• Owners not yet living there: they may do the construction and HVAC work, but licensed contractors must do the electrical and plumbing.
• New homes built by owners: the owner may pull only the building permit, and only if they will live in the house for at least 12 months after occupancy.
• Laterals: water and sewer permits go to a utility contractor or Master Plumber.

How to apply for a Fox Crossing building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Shed applications are checked for completeness while you wait, and simple ones can be issued on receipt. For a new home, a foundation elevation that does not match the master drainage plan needs a written explanation, and the site plan needs the surveyor’s or engineer’s stamp and the temporary benchmark note. On easements, no structure may sit in a drainage easement, and other easements need written approval from the holder.

Inspections in Fox Crossing

Call 920-720-7104 at least 24 hours ahead. Inspectors work Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m., and every stage must be approved before it is covered.

• Stages: footings before pouring, foundation before backfill, electrical service, underground plumbing before the basement floor is poured (no poly inspection), one visit for all rough-ins (building, electrical, HVAC, plumbing), insulation before drywall, and final.
• Occupancy: nothing, including furniture or boxes, may be stored in the house or garage until the occupancy permit is issued, and it is not issued until every item on the final inspection form is corrected.
• Escrow: the $500 building escrow is forfeited if inspections are not called for or the house is occupied before the occupancy permit.
• Commercial: footing, foundation, underground plumbing, rough-in and insulation inspections are booked through the same line, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Wisconsin building code in Fox Crossing

Fox Crossing enforces the state dwelling code on new homes under its DSPS delegation; commercial building, HVAC and plumbing plans are approved by the state before the village issues a permit. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the village (community 550638) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 17, 2003.

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

Fox Crossing permit search and official resources

For permit history or plans on a property, file a request under the village’s public records policy, which asks requesters to allow at least 10 days for research.

• Fox Crossing Community Development
• Permits and inspections
• Project and permit information
• Village of Fox Crossing 2026 fee schedule
• Building and inspection fee schedule (effective June 10, 2025)
• New one- or two-family dwelling handout
• New commercial building handout
• Building and zoning permit application
• Fence brochure
• Public records policy
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• DSPS commercial electrical delegated agents
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Fox Crossing building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to reroof or reside my house in Fox Crossing?

Yes. The village requires permits for roofing and siding; the 2026 fee is $50 each.

Do I need a permit to replace windows?

Not if the new windows fit the same openings and no walls are altered. Enlarging, shrinking or adding windows is treated as a remodel and needs a permit.

Does a small shed need a permit?

Yes. Any shed you can walk into needs a permit, including prefab sheds, and it must sit 10 feet from other structures and 3 feet from side and rear lines.

How much does a new house permit cost?

$50 plus $0.14 per square foot of finished, unfinished and garage space, plus the $90 state fee, public protection fee, zoning permit, impact fees and a $500 escrow.

Can a homeowner pull permits?

Yes, if they live or will live in the home and sign the cautionary statement. For a new house, an owner may pull only the building permit and must live there for 12 months after occupancy.

Who reviews commercial plans?

The state. The village requires one state-approved plan set and site plan review before it issues a commercial building permit.

What happens if I start without a permit?

Permit fees are doubled when work begins before the permit is issued.

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