Green Bay's local rules are specific enough to quote. The city used to license HVAC contractors and now expressly does not; an electrical permit is triggered by adding more than three outlets even when no building permit applies; and since October 2021 every sanitary and drain-waste-vent installation is pressure-tested in front of the plumbing inspector.
The Inspection Division, within Community and Economic Development at 100 North Jefferson Street, issues residential and commercial permits, reviews site plans, and runs a two-form intake: a short application for driveways, sheds, fences and patios, and a long application for everything else — including all commercial work.
This guide covers the City of Green Bay. The separate Town of Green Bay, plus De Pere, Ashwaubenon, Howard, Bellevue and Allouez, permit on their own; several use private inspection agencies, so the parcel decides the counter.
The HVAC door closed here. The city's own commercial permits page states that Green Bay formerly required HVAC contractors to obtain city licensing and that the requirement is no longer in effect — state registration still applies. Where Milwaukee stacked five city licenses on top of the state's, Green Bay went the other way and wrote it down.
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Get a free quote →What requires a building permit in Green Bay?
Typically permit required
- New buildings, additions and remodels on both tracks
- Electrical work adding more than three outlets — receptacles, lights or switches — even with no building permit in play
- All heating work, under HVAC permits
- Sanitary sewers, storm sewers, turf watering systems and water heater replacement, under plumbing permits
- Work on designated historic properties, which needs a Certificate of Appropriateness through the Landmarks Commission before the permit
Often exempt
- Minor electrical repairs below the three-outlet trigger
- Ordinary maintenance and finishes that do not alter structure or systems
- Buildings used for farming — exempt from the state commercial building code under Wis. Stat. 101.05(5), with farming defined by DSPS rule; a produce stand stays exempt only while at least 90 percent of what it sells was grown or produced on the farm
- Primitive rural hunting cabins — carved out of municipal jurisdiction by Wis. Stat. 101.65(1g)
- Bed-and-breakfast establishments as defined by statute — outside the commercial building code under Wis. Stat. 101.05(2), though a third floor in use or a new addition must meet the Uniform Dwelling Code
What is actually local, and what is not
Green Bay cannot vary the state codes, and it removed the one licensing overlay it had. Its local layer is procedural: the two-form intake, the three-outlet trigger, the witnessed plumbing tests under SPS 382.21, Landmarks review on the third Wednesday of the month, and a doubled fee on unpermitted work.
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
Who handles permitting in Green Bay?
The Inspection Division issues permits and inspects both tracks. Green Bay holds second-class-city delegation covering commercial buildings of all sizes, and contracts the plan-review function to E-Plan Exam, the private reviewer named on the state's delegated-authority roster.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | City of Green Bay Inspection Division (Community and Economic Development) |
| Counter | 100 North Jefferson Street, Green Bay, WI 54301 |
| Phone | (920) 448-3300 — inspections and scheduling, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. |
| Inspection supervision | (920) 448-3315 |
| Commercial plan review | All sizes; performed by E-Plan Exam under city delegation |
| Scheduling | Online request by 4:00 p.m. at least one business day ahead, or by phone |
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →In 2025, building permits issued in Green Bay authorized 283 new privately owned housing units, 56 of them single-family homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey.
Permit types
Residential permits
Houses run on the Uniform Dwelling Code. To pull a permit on a one- or two-family dwelling a contracting business must hold the state Dwelling Contractor certification and employ a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier — the city page states it verifies both before issuance. An owner who occupies an existing single-family home may permit their own work; duplexes and condominiums are expressly not single-family for this purpose, and rental property work must be done by licensed contractors.
How Wisconsin contractor licensing works
Wisconsin certifies dwelling contractors and licenses electricians and plumbers at state level (see Wisconsin rules). Green Bay rescinded its former municipal HVAC license, leaving state registration as the only HVAC credential, and adds no other city trade license.
Commercial permits
All commercial submittals use the long-form application and route through the city's delegation, with E-Plan Exam performing the review at every size. Plan approval precedes the permit; sealed drawings and a supervising professional attach at 50,000 cubic feet.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Mechanical work, and where the state reviews directly
Commercial plans above set sizes go to the state for review first (see Wisconsin rules). Since October 1, 2021 the city enforces SPS 382.21 as written: sanitary sewer and interior drain, waste and vent installations are tested and witnessed by the plumbing inspector, with the responsible plumber required to notify the Division ahead of the test.
Green Bay permit costs and fees
Fees are modest and the enforcement posture is not. On the 2026 schedule, one- and two-family plumbing bills at $7 per fixture ($8 on multi-family and commercial work), with water service and sewer connections at $50 each; the serious number is what happens without a permit.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Plumbing fixtures | $7 per fixture on one- and two-family work, $8 on multi-family and commercial; $50 per water or sewer connection (2026 schedule) |
| Short-form projects | Sheds, driveways, fences and patios, applied for online — shed review typically 3 to 5 business days |
| Unpermitted work | The applicable permit fee is doubled under Section 8-47(g)(2); non-compliant work may still have to be corrected |
| Reinspection and other fees | Per the current adopted schedule — confirm at filing |
Start without a permit and the fee doubles — the city’s permit forms cite Section 8-47(g)(2): if a building permit was not obtained before the job began, the applicable permit fee is doubled. The permit card is expected in the front window before work begins.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →Trade permits and who may pull them
Trades are state-credentialed; the city adds process, not licenses. All trade permits are submitted with the building permit application, with each contractor's state credential numbers listed.
Permit required
- Electrical — state license; permit whenever more than three outlets are added without a building permit, and always alongside one
- Plumbing — state Master Plumber license required to work in the city; witnessed testing under SPS 382.21
- HVAC — state DSPS registration; permits for any heating work
- One- and two-family general work — state Dwelling Contractor plus Qualifier, verified before issuance
Typically exempt
- Owner-occupants on an existing single-family dwelling they live in — with the Homestead affidavit on electrical work
- Minor repairs below the ordinance triggers
How to apply for a Green Bay building permit
The Town of Green Bay and five suburbs permit separately; postal addresses mislead.
Short form for sheds, driveways, fences and patios; long form for everything else and all commercial.
Trade permits ride with the building application, credential numbers included.
Certificate of Appropriateness first; the Commission meets the third Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Applications process in the order received; the city currently quotes about one week for building permits once everything is in, and 3 to 5 business days for a shed.
Notify the Division ahead; the inspector watches the sanitary and DWV test.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Green Bay works its queue strictly in order of receipt, so the practical lever is a complete first submission — contractor credentials listed, the right form, Landmarks cleared. The witnessed-test rule adds one scheduling step other cities skip; missing it stalls the plumbing close-out.
Inspections in Green Bay
Inspections run footing, foundation, tar-tile-stone, framing and rough-in, insulation and final on the building side, with erosion-control pre-construction meetings scheduled through Community and Economic Development. Request inspections online by 4:00 p.m. at least one business day ahead, or call (920) 448-3300.
Green Bay permit search and official resources
- Green Bay commercial permits — the HVAC rescission and trade rules, in the city's words
- Green Bay residential permits — Dwelling Contractor verification and owner rules
- DSPS plan review — state triggers and current submission data
- Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code — SPS 320 to 325 as published
Frequently asked questions
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Does Green Bay license HVAC contractors?
Not anymore. The city's commercial permits page states the former city licensing requirement is no longer in effect; state DSPS registration still applies.
When does electrical work need a permit on its own?
When more than three outlets — receptacles, lights or switches — are added without a building permit. Minor repairs sit below the trigger.
What is the witnessed plumbing test?
Since October 1, 2021 the city requires sanitary and interior drain, waste and vent installations to be tested with the plumbing inspector watching, under SPS 382.21.
What happens if work starts before the permit?
The applicable permit fee is doubled under Section 8-47(g)(2), as printed on the city’s permit forms.
Who reviews large commercial plans?
The city holds all-size delegation and contracts the review to E-Plan Exam, so plans stay in the city's process rather than the state queue.
Which code governs my house?
The Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code, SPS 320 to 325. Wisconsin never adopted the International Residential Code.
Simplify Green Bay permitting with Alliance Permitting
Green Bay is a checklist city: right form, every credential listed, Landmarks timed, the witnessed test booked. We build the packet to pass first review, file it, and run the schedule — including the steps unique to this counter.
Ready to break ground in Green Bay sooner?
Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Green Bay Inspection Division, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More Wisconsin permitting guides
More Wisconsin permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Green Bay permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.