Franklin, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

In Franklin, permits are issued by the city’s Inspection Services department at City Hall, 9229 West Loomis Road (414-425-0084), led by Director of Inspection Services Justin Ligocki. DSPS lists Franklin as a delegated Uniform Dwelling Code municipality, and the city reviews commercial building, HVAC and plumbing plans through E-Plan Exam. Under Ordinance 2025-2714, adopted December 2, 2025, a new house costs $0.45 per square foot with a $300 plan review, and 2026 impact fees add $8,587 per single-family home.

What requires a building permit in Franklin?

For one- and two-family homes, Franklin requires a building permit to build a new dwelling, add to one, remodel any living space, or repair or modify structural parts. The city’s permit pages then list the work that needs its own permit, including every fence except seasonal snow fencing, every kind of pool including air-inflated ones, and replacement roofs and siding all need a building permit.

An occupancy permit is not needed when a house changes hands. Demolition also needs plumbing permits to disconnect sewer, water or septic lines, and the gas and electric utilities must confirm the disconnection in writing.

What Franklin decides and what the state holds

Franklin enforces the state building codes and adds its own layer through the municipal code: the Chapter 92 fee table, the electrical and plumbing chapters, impact fees, and the Unified Development Ordinance, which the Common Council approved on May 6, 2025 as the first complete rewrite of the city’s zoning and land division rules since 1998. The city also runs a floodplain zoning ordinance for the mapped flood hazard areas and processes sanitary permits for private sewage systems such as mounds and holding tanks.

Franklin building department: who handles permitting

Inspection Services issues building, plumbing, electrical and HVAC permits, drive approach and culvert permits, and sanitary permits, and it investigates reported code violations. Justin Ligocki is the Director of Inspection Services and Chief Plumbing Inspector, with chief building and chief electrical inspectors on staff. DSPS’s list of Uniform Dwelling Code agents, current as of September 24, 2026, shows the City of Franklin as delegated, so the city reviews and inspects new houses itself.

For commercial work the city calls itself a fully delegated municipality that reviews commercial building, HVAC and plumbing plans for buildings of unlimited size, in partnership with E-Plan Exam. DSPS’s October 19, 2026 list records this as a special delegation with E-Plan Exam as the plan reviewer, and also lists Franklin for commercial inspections, commercial plumbing plan review and commercial electrical inspection.

Franklin permit types

Franklin splits filing into two routes. Licensed contractors can apply online through the city’s BS&A Online portal for a short list of trade jobs: air conditioners and furnaces or boilers (new or replacement in one- and two-family homes, replacement only in apartments), dishwasher and disposal replacements, water heaters, sewer and water laterals, and other plumbing and electrical work. A first-time user sets up a BS&A account and gets a city PIN from Inspection Services. Every other permit is filed on paper, in person at the counter or by mail to Inspection Services, 9229 West Loomis Road. The department calls when the permit is ready to pick up, and some permits are processed while you wait.

Residential permits

• New one- and two-family homes. The application must go to DSPS first through the state’s electronic UDC permit system (form SBD-5823), then to the city with the documents the 2026 new construction handout lists, a footing grade certification and a final grade surety deposit.
• Additions and alterations. Use the city building permit application with the 2026 additions and alterations handout. Contractors on one- and two-family jobs must hold valid state certifications.
• Foundation repairs. The application needs a statement of the existing defects and their cause, with plans that follow the WAFRP best management standards (July 2017) or site-specific engineering.
• Fences. Every fence application includes the owner’s signed acknowledgement of We Energies utility easements.
• Private sewage systems. A new or replacement mound needs a soil evaluation report, a plumbing permit, a sanitary permit application with state-approved plans, a notarized servicing contract and a separate $100 groundwater fee check payable to the state’s Industry Services Division, which the city forwards.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, industrial, institutional and multifamily plans that would otherwise go to the state can be submitted to E-Plan Exam, and the city says reviews are completed within 15 business days of a complete submittal with fees. Every city approval from Planning and Engineering must be in place before the building permit application is accepted, the plan review fee is paid with the submittal, and incomplete submittals are not accepted. The forms list includes the city’s agent plan review form (FRSBD-118) and the DSPS SBD-118 for state-approved plans.

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 and site plans. The Planning Department administers the Unified Development Ordinance and handles site plans, subdivisions and condominium plats, rezonings, special uses, planned developments and zoning compliance permits, with the Plan Commission and the Board of Zoning and Building Appeals deciding the cases that need them.
• Floodplain. The Floodplain Zoning Ordinance controls where buildings may go in the Special Flood Hazard Area.
• Moving a building. Plan Commission approval comes before any move into or within the city.
• Occupancy for businesses. The Department of City Development approves a commercial use before the occupancy permit application.
• Driveways. A drive approach permit from Inspection Services is required, and the approach must be in place before occupancy where the handout says it applies; culverts are ordered through Engineering and installed by Public Works.

Franklin permit costs and fees

Building and HVAC fees are in Table 1 of Chapter 92, rewritten by Ordinance 2025-2714, which the Common Council adopted on December 2, 2025; electrical fees (Ordinance 2025-2716) and plumbing fees (Ordinance 2025-2715) were updated the same night, and the city flagged the increases for January 1, 2026. Every permit also carries a $10 technology fee, and residential fees are paid when you pick up the permit.

Square footage is measured to the outside of the exterior walls on each finished floor and the garage; unfinished basements are left out, and valuations leave out heating, electrical and plumbing work. Worked example using the 2026 handout: a 2,000-square-foot new house is 2,000 × $0.45, or $900, plus $300 plan review, $200 erosion control, the $70 state seal, $65 occupancy and the $10 technology fee, for $1,545 before trade permits, house numbers and the drive approach permit.

Impact fees. Franklin’s 2026 impact fees, effective January 1, 2026, total $8,587 per single-family or two-family dwelling unit: $2,534 parks, $601 fire, $686 law enforcement, $446 library, $877 transportation, $3,383 water and a $60 administrative fee. Lots in the Southwest Sanitary Sewer Service Area add a sewer impact fee of $4,548 for a house. Note that the 2026 new construction fee handout still prints the 2025 total of $8,168; the 2026 impact fee sheet is the newer document. The fees rise each January with the Census construction price index for single-family homes.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Franklin’s FAQ says all electrical and plumbing work in the city must be done by licensed contractors who obtain the permits, while homeowners may do any other work on their property with the right permits.

• Electrical: permits are required for all electrical work and replacements and must be obtained by a Wisconsin-licensed master electrician. Fees follow Ordinance 2025-2716, for example $105 for temporary construction wiring and $24 per 100 amps of feeder.
• Plumbing: permits must be obtained by a licensed plumbing contractor; the plumbing page makes one exception, letting owners obtain permits for burying downspouts, sump pump discharge and lawn irrigation systems.
• HVAC: needed for new HVAC and ductwork, pool heaters and replacement equipment. Existing cellular-core ABS or PVC furnace vents may not be reused with a replacement furnace unless its maker approves.
• House contractors: any contractor applying for one- and two-family new construction, additions, alterations, attached decks, foundation repair, reroofing or residing must hold valid state certifications, meaning the Dwelling Contractor certification and a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier.

How to apply for a Franklin building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Incomplete submittals are turned away, and fees charged to the city by other government bodies for reviewing plans are passed on in full to the permit. Revised plans submitted during review cost $125 per submittal for commercial work, and a permit that expires before the work is finished can be reissued at half the regular fee or at the re-inspection rate for each remaining inspection, as the Building Inspector decides. If work has not started four months before the permit would expire, a new application is needed at the full fee.

Inspections and occupancy in Franklin

Inspections are booked only by phone at 414-425-0084, Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the city asks people not to fax, email or leave requests on inspectors’ voicemail. Requests need 24 hours’ notice, requests made by 4:30 p.m. can usually be scheduled for the next day, and same-day inspections are not guaranteed. Commercial projects follow the city’s inspection and occupancy checklists.

Failing to call for a required building or HVAC inspection, including occupancy, costs $125 the first time, $245 the second and $365 after that. An owner who finished the work during the permit term but never had the final inspection is still entitled to one final inspection and one re-inspection without renewing the permit. Residential occupancy permits are $65 per unit.

Wisconsin building code in Franklin

Franklin applies the state codes as a delegated municipality, with its own building, plumbing and electrical chapters and the 2025 Unified Development Ordinance. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Franklin (community 550273) 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

Franklin permit search and official resources

Requests for Inspection Services records go to generalinspection@franklinwi.gov. The fee ordinance charges actual cost for research of the department’s records and the scanner’s hourly rate to scan a project to PDF; the city does not make paper copies of plans, though an outside service may, at full cost.

• Franklin Inspection Services
• Permits issued by Inspection Services
• Forms and applications
• Building permit fees, Ordinance 2025-2714
• One- and two-family new construction fees, 2026
• 2026 impact fees
• Electrical permit fees, Ordinance 2025-2716
• Plumbing permit fees, Ordinance 2025-2715
• Inspection scheduling
• Inspection Services FAQ
• BS&A Online permit portal
• Planning Department and Unified Development Ordinance
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Franklin building permit FAQs

How much are building permit and impact fees for a new house in Franklin?

The building permit is $0.45 per square foot with a $165 minimum, plus $300 plan review and other set fees; 2026 impact fees add $8,587 per house, and more in the Southwest Sanitary Sewer Service Area.

Do I need a permit for a fence in Franklin?

Yes, for every fence except snow fencing used between November 15 and April 15, and the application must include the We Energies easement acknowledgement.

Can I do my own electrical or plumbing work?

The city’s FAQ says no: electrical and plumbing work must be done by licensed contractors, although owners may get permits for burying downspouts, sump discharge and lawn irrigation.

How long does a house permit take?

Permits are handled in the order received, and Franklin asks for at least 10 business days; commercial plan reviews by E-Plan Exam are completed within 15 business days of a complete submittal.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Yes. A house reroof costs a $95 minimum plus the $10 technology fee, and the state code allows no more than two layers of shingles.

Who issues septic permits in Franklin?

Inspection Services processes the sanitary permit for a mound or holding tank together with the plumbing permit and forwards the state groundwater fee.

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