Greendale, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

In the Village of Greendale, building, HVAC, electrical and plumbing permits come from Inspection Services at Village Hall, 6500 Northway (414-423-2100), where Paul Wolfgramm is Director of Inspection Services. DSPS lists Greendale as a delegated Uniform Dwelling Code municipality, and the village reviews commercial building and HVAC plans of any size through E-Plan Exam. Under the fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, new homes are $0.35 per square foot measured over every floor level, including basements, decks and porches, plus a $250 plan review.

What requires a building permit in Greendale?

Greendale requires building and HVAC permits under Municipal Ordinance 15.07, electrical permits under 16.13 and plumbing permits under 20.07. The department sums up the triggers in four lines: a building permit for any structural work, adding or removing walls, changing the use of a space, or removing drywall beyond what a trade permit needs; an HVAC permit for new or replacement mechanical equipment, changes to distribution systems or new gas piping; an electrical permit to modify any branch circuit wiring; and a plumbing permit for any change to water piping or to traps, drains, waste or vent piping.

A survey is required for fences, sheds, decks, pergolas and gazebos, garages, pools, new homes and parking slabs; existing plats of survey can be searched through the Milwaukee County Land Information Office, and new ones come from a professional land surveyor.

What Greendale decides and what the state holds

The state Uniform Dwelling Code governs how a house or garage is built, and the village’s garage guide quotes it for slabs, anchor bolts and fire-rated walls. Greendale decides where and how big: its zoning code (Chapter 17) caps detached accessory buildings in R-1 to R-3 districts at two per rear yard and 720 square feet in total, within 15% of the rear yard and 17 feet in height, and keeps detached garages at least 20 feet from the rear lot line. The village also publishes design guidelines for its Greendale Original Homes, updated in 2026, and runs floodplain administration through the same department.

Greendale building department: who handles permitting

Inspection Services covers building, HVAC, electrical and plumbing inspections, land use and zoning review, floodplain administration and property maintenance. Paul Wolfgramm is the Director of Inspection Services. On DSPS’s list of Uniform Dwelling Code agents, current as of September 24, 2026, the Village of Greendale is delegated, so the village reviews and inspects new houses itself. DSPS’s October 19, 2026 lists add Greendale as a delegated agent for commercial building and HVAC plan review (a special delegation, with E-Plan Exam as reviewer), commercial inspection, commercial electrical inspection (Municipal Services is the inspector shown) and commercial plumbing plan review.

Greendale permit types

Every Inspection Services permit, from a fence to a commercial build-out, is applied for through the village’s online permit form, with a full set of drawings where the work needs plan review. Questions go to the permit clerk or the Director of Inspection Services. A permit can be renewed once before it expires; the renewal lasts 18 months under Ordinance 15.08 and costs half the original fee, but not less than the minimum.

Residential permits

• Homes and additions: complete the online application and upload the drawings; a foundation location recertification letter is among the village’s forms, and owners acting as their own builder sign the village’s cautionary statement.
• Garages: any plan to heat or cool a garage must be shown on the permit drawings, and plumbing, electrical and HVAC work in it needs separate permits.
• Project guides: the village posts guides for garages and sheds (both revised in 2026), basements, decks with the state’s deck code appendices, residential setbacks, fences, egress windows, solar systems, arbors and trellises, pools and spas, pool demolition, signs, off-street parking for houses, dog kennels, short-term rentals and condominium conversions.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial building and HVAC work needs both a permit application and plan review. The village says it reviews commercial building and HVAC plans without size limits under Wis. Stat. 101.12(3)(g), through its partner E-Plan Exam; plans go straight to E-Plan Exam, and the approved plans are uploaded with the permit application. Commercial electrical permits need no plan review. Commercial plumbing falls into three groups: jobs needing no plan review, jobs E-Plan Exam can review for the village (16 or more fixtures, grease and garage interceptors, private water mains and larger private sewers, chemical waste, stormwater from an acre or more, mixed wastewater holding devices), and jobs that still go to DSPS, such as plumbing in hospitals, nursing homes, surgery and dialysis centers, community-based residential facilities and state-owned buildings. Fire alarm and sprinkler plans and inspections are done by FSCI through the fire department, and DSPS handles elevators and boilers.

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. The Director of Inspection Services reviews zoning; commercial applicants are asked to raise zoning early in planning.
• Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. The village fee schedule prices conditional use permits, zoning map and text amendments and appeals, and applicants also repay the actual cost of professional reviews and legal notices.
• Short-term rentals and business occupancy. A short-term rental permit costs $100, and the village publishes guides for opening or expanding a business.
• Right-of-way. Excavation in the road, a driveway approach and other right-of-way work each need a $65 permit under the village’s terms and conditions.
• Drainage. A new structure may not block the natural flow of surface water or existing swales (Ordinance 15.58(4)).

Greendale permit costs and fees

Fees come from the village’s Schedule of Fees and Deposits, effective January 1, 2026. Square footage counts every floor level, crawl spaces, basements, decks and porches, measured to the outside perimeter, and each permit has a $65 minimum.

Worked example using the schedule: a new house measuring 2,500 square feet across all levels, including the basement, deck and porch, is 2,500 × $0.35, or $875, plus the $250 plan review, $60 state seal and $50 occupancy permit, for $1,235 before trade permits. The schedule also lists a $150 erosion control fee for new homes, although its note says square-foot rates for new buildings and additions include erosion control, so ask whether it applies. Commercial building plan review runs from $200 for less than 500 square feet to $22,000 over 500,000, with a separate HVAC plan scale from $150 to $14,500. Zoning fees include $250 for a conditional use, $150 for the Zoning Board of Appeals, $300 for a map or text amendment and $65 for a zoning verification letter.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Greendale’s ordinances tie trade work to licensed trades: electrical work must be done by a licensed electrician under Ordinance 16.11, and plumbing work by a licensed plumber under Ordinance 20.08. The department’s older permit page says only state-licensed master electricians may do electrical work in the village.

• Electrical: new buildings, additions and alterations, circuit extensions, air conditioners and furnaces (with a heating permit), hot tubs, post lights and solar systems, which follow the village’s solar permit and inspection checklist. The minimum is $65 for a house and $100 for commercial work; a service up to 100 amps is $50.
• Heating (HVAC): new or replacement furnaces, boilers and air conditioners, and new ductwork or boiler piping. A residential furnace or air conditioner is $65 per unit, a commercial rooftop unit $200, and ductwork $2 per 100 square feet of conditioned space.
• Plumbing: water heaters, dishwashers, fixture replacements or moves, water softeners, backflow devices and lawn irrigation. The minimum is $65; a sanitary permit is $200 and a septic tank or mound system $400.
• Dwelling contractors: on one- and two-family jobs the state’s Dwelling Contractor certification and Qualifier rules apply to the contractor, and an owner doing the work signs the cautionary statement instead.

How to apply for a Greendale building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Resubmitted plans cost $50 for a house and $150 for commercial work, so complete drawings save money as well as time. The village requires a survey for most exterior work, so include it with the first submittal. Renew a permit before it lapses: the one-time renewal costs half the original fee, while work started without a permit is charged double, and triple for later offenses.

Inspections and occupancy in Greendale

Call Village Hall at 414-423-2100 to schedule every residential and commercial building, HVAC, plumbing and electrical inspection. The department asks for three days’ notice and says same-day inspections are rarely available. Work that is not ready when the inspector arrives can be charged $100, a third or later re-inspection is $65, and special inspections and reports are $200. The older permit page says residential roofs and siding are not inspected.

New homes need an occupancy permit ($50 per unit) before move-in, and commercial occupancy permits are $190.

Wisconsin building code in Greendale

Greendale applies the state codes as a delegated village, with local rules in its building, electrical and plumbing ordinances and in its Chapter 17 zoning code. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Greendale (community 550276) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective October 24, 2024, and the village’s Inspection Services acts as floodplain administrator.

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

Greendale permit search and official resources

Recorded plats of survey for Greendale lots can be looked up by address or tax key through the Milwaukee County Land Information Office’s Plat of Survey Search, as the village’s survey page explains. For permit and inspection records, ask Inspection Services at 414-423-2100.

• Greendale Inspection Services
• Permit requirements and project guides
• Online permit application form
• Inspection Services fee schedule page
• Schedule of Fees and Deposits, effective January 1, 2026
• Garage guide (October 2026)
• Surveys and GIS map
• Planning Commission agendas and minutes
• Zoning Board of Appeals agendas and minutes
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• DSPS commercial plan review delegated agents
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Greendale building permit FAQs

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

$0.35 per square foot over all floor levels, basements, decks and porches, plus a $250 plan review, $60 state seal and $50 occupancy permit; a 2,500-square-foot house totals $1,235 before trade permits.

How big can a detached garage be?

In R-1 to R-3 districts, no more than two detached accessory buildings with a combined 720 square feet, within 15% of the rear yard, no taller than 17 feet and at least 20 feet from the rear lot line.

Do I need a permit to finish my basement?

Yes. Finishing a basement changes the use of the space, which needs a building permit, plus electrical, plumbing or HVAC permits for that work.

Do I need a permit for a dumpster?

No, as long as it sits on the driveway or front yard during an active project and does not block the sidewalk or go in the street.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call Village Hall at 414-423-2100, ideally three days ahead; same-day inspections are rarely available.

Who reviews commercial plans?

E-Plan Exam, for the village, for commercial building and HVAC plans of any size and for most commercial plumbing that needs review; some health-care and state-owned plumbing still goes to DSPS.

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