Greenfield, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Building permits in the City of Greenfield come from Inspection Services, part of the Department of Neighborhood Services in Room 203 of City Hall, 7325 West Forest Home Avenue (414-329-5325), led by Director of Neighborhood Services Jeff Katz. DSPS lists Greenfield as a delegated Uniform Dwelling Code municipality, and the city now reviews commercial building and HVAC plans itself through E-Plan Exam. Contractors must file building projects online; homeowners can apply online or in person.

What requires a building permit in Greenfield?

Inspection Services publishes a “Do I need a permit?” list, revised February 6, 2026, that groups work into building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits plus occupancy permits. The city says the list covers the common items but is not complete; call 414-329-5330 with a project that is not on it.

Note how the list treats roofs: it names roofing for commercial properties, condominiums and apartments, and for houses only when a third layer is added, while siding is listed without any such limit.

What Greenfield decides and what the state holds

The state codes set construction standards, and Greenfield adopts its own building, plumbing and electrical chapters (Chapters 15, 16 and 17 of the municipal code) around them. The city controls zoning and land use permits, site plans, special uses and planned unit developments, tree preservation on new home lots through the City Forester, erosion control through Engineering, and a payment in lieu of park land of $1,806 per new dwelling unit.

Greenfield building department: who handles permitting

Inspection Services oversees new construction and alterations to houses and commercial buildings and the installation of plumbing, electrical and heating and cooling systems; plans are reviewed and permits issued with conditional approval under state and city codes. Jeff Katz is Director of Neighborhood Services, the department Inspection Services sits in. On DSPS’s list of Uniform Dwelling Code agents, current as of September 24, 2026, the City of Greenfield is delegated. DSPS’s October 19, 2026 lists show Greenfield 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 and commercial plumbing plan review. The city’s own pages split field inspections between city inspectors and SafeBuilt.

Greenfield permit types

Online permitting is required for contractor-submitted building projects. Contractors apply through the city’s BS&A Online portal after emailing their company name to inspectionservices@greenfieldwi.us for a PIN, using the city’s account setup instructions. Homeowners can apply online or in person at the Department of Neighborhood Services, using the city’s homeowner-only building, electrical, HVAC and plumbing forms. A homeowner may not file on behalf of a contractor: if a contractor does the work, the contractor applies.

Residential permits

• New one- and two-family homes. The city’s requirements sheet asks for the local and state permit applications, listing the credential numbers of every contractor (general, plumbing, electrical and HVAC); erosion control and driveway approach forms; the UDC energy worksheet; two sets of plans, one already approved by the subdivision’s architectural review board; and five stamped, sealed surveys. One survey shows erosion control, one the trees (deciduous trees of 4 inches or more in diameter and conifers 6 feet or taller), drainage and the driveway, and the rest the house, setbacks and grades.
• Owner as builder. When the owner acts as general contractor, the cautionary statement is part of the package; Greenfield publishes it as a homeowner cautionary affidavit.
• Homeowner projects. The homeowner form covers additions, alterations, decks, demolition, fences, foundation repairs, garages, gazebos, pergolas, pools, rec rooms, residing, sheds and spas, filed with two copies of the survey or drawings and the net project cost (materials only, not labor, electrical or plumbing).
• Sheds, gazebos and detached garages. The accessory structure handout (March 2024) asks for two copies of an as-built survey with the building drawn to scale and two sets of plans showing dimensions, elevations, a cross section and slab details; a general picture is enough only for a storage shed. Sheds and gazebos sit at least 2 feet from side and rear lot lines and 10 feet from the house, detached garages at least 5 feet from lot lines or 10 feet from the house, and nothing may stand in the front yard. Garages can reach 1,000 square feet on R-1 and R-2 single-family lots and 800 square feet in R-2A, R-3 and R-3A, and accessory buildings may cover no more than 40% of the rear yard.
• Handouts. The city posts handouts for accessory structures, decks, fences, pools, finished basements and gas piping, plus a solar worksheet and an electrical permit fee worksheet.

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

Commercial permits

Greenfield is now a delegated municipality for commercial building and HVAC plan review, done in partnership with E-Plan Exam instead of DSPS. Applicants upload the commercial plan review checklist and the building and HVAC plan review application through the city’s E-Plan Exam page, which also carries E-Plan Exam’s fee schedule and a plumbing application packet. Commercial forms on the permit information page include the accessibility disproportionality worksheet, the DSPS compliance statement and a certificate of supervision.

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 land use. A one- or two-family zoning or land use permit is $75; site plans, special uses, rezonings and planned unit developments carry their own development fees, and the city has a Plan Commission and a Zoning Board of Appeals for those reviews and for variances.
• Erosion control. On a new house the contractor may install erosion control and the stone tracking drive once plans, permits and surveys are filed, and the building permit is not released until Engineering inspects and approves those measures.
• Trees. The tree survey must be submitted before any tree removal, and the City Forester, working through Inspection Services, sets tree preservation and protection requirements.
• Driveways and right-of-way. Driveway permits and right-of-way permits are separate, and the center of a new driveway is staked 5 feet behind the pavement or curb when the house is staked.
• Floodplain. Work in a mapped floodplain uses the city’s floodplain development permit application.

Greenfield permit costs and fees

Greenfield’s building, plumbing and electrical fees are set in its municipal code chapters, which the city links on its inspection codes page; the rates below are the ones printed on the homeowner residential building permit form. Development fees come from a separate schedule under Municipal Code section 3.12 (sheet revised December 12, 2019).

The homeowner form also has lines for occupancy, park fees, plan review, tree forester review, the state UDC permit seal and a zoning fee, which the department fills in at review. Other development fees on the 3.12 sheet include $550 for a certified survey map, $600 for site plan approval of new construction, $750 for a special use permit for new construction, $650 for a rezoning, $300 for the Zoning Board of Appeals and $2,500 for a culvert and its installation. The homeowner trade forms print their own rates: plumbing is $14 per fixture and $60 per 100 feet of building drain, electrical services are $75 up to 600 amps and $150 above, with outlets, switches and fixtures at $1.25 each, and an HVAC furnace up to 150,000 BTU is $60 with a $150 plan exam; each form has a $60 minimum, and paying by card adds 2.5%. The city’s undated electrical fee worksheet prices a new one- or two-family home at $0.09 per square foot plus the service. The full building, plumbing and electrical fee schedules sit in the code chapters rather than on a handout, so ask Inspection Services to quote the fees for a new house or a commercial project.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are separate from the building permit, and the city reminds homeowners to get them in addition to a building permit when the work calls for them. Contractors file trade permits online with their PIN; the city publishes homeowner-only electrical, HVAC and plumbing forms for owners doing their own work.

• Electrical: the city’s electrical permit fee worksheet prices the job; SafeBuilt inspects electrical work, finished basements and solar panels.
• Plumbing and gas piping: the homeowner plumbing form, citing Wis. Stat. 145.06, lets an owner do plumbing only inside a one-family home that is his or her primary residence; city inspectors handle plumbing and gas piping inspections, and gas piping has its own specifications worksheet, plan exam submittal handout and test affidavit.
• HVAC: furnace and air conditioner replacements are inspected by SafeBuilt; heating and cooling units are $60 each on the homeowner form.
• Contractor credentials: the state permit application for a new home lists the credential numbers of every contractor, including the Dwelling Contractor certification, and the city also publishes a contractor information form.

How to apply for a Greenfield building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

For a new house, the permit cannot be released until Engineering has approved the erosion control measures, and trees cannot come down before the tree survey is in. Homeowner forms are for homeowners only; when a contractor does the work, the contractor must apply online. On a recently bought parcel the portal may still list the previous owner’s name, the city notes.

Inspections and occupancy in Greenfield

Greenfield divides inspections between its own inspectors and SafeBuilt. Book fencing, gas piping, plumbing and siding inspections with the city at 414-329-5325 or inspectionservices@greenfieldwi.us. Book alterations, decks, electrical work, finished basements, foundation repairs, furnace and air conditioner replacements, garages, gazebos, pools, roofing, sheds, solar panels and sunrooms with SafeBuilt at 262-420-4732 or wiinspections@safebuilt.com. Give the address or permit number, the type of inspection and a contact; same-day requests are not accepted except in emergencies, and planned inspections must be requested by 3:00 p.m. the business day before.

The city issues occupancy permits on its own application form, and a one- or two-family certificate of compliance costs $100. Re-inspections may carry a $75 fee.

Wisconsin building code in Greenfield

Greenfield enforces the state codes as a delegated city, with its local building, plumbing and electrical codes in Chapters 15 to 17. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Greenfield (community 550277) 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

Greenfield permit search and official resources

Permit records can be searched on the city’s Building Department Record Search in BS&A Online. For copies, Inspection Services processes public records requests about inspections and zoning, including permits, planning, development and land-use records, through the city’s online request form; the city says to expect at least five business days.

• Greenfield Inspection Services
• Do I need a permit?
• Permits required handout (February 2026)
• Apply online
• Homeowner residential building permit application
• New one- and two-family dwelling permit requirements
• Permit information and handouts
• Commercial plan review (E-Plan Exam)
• Development fee schedule
• Greenfield inspection codes (Chapters 15-17)
• Floodplain development permit application
• Building Department Record Search (BS&A Online)
• Inspection Services and zoning records requests
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Greenfield building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to reroof my house in Greenfield?

The city’s permit list includes house roofing when a third layer is added, and roofing on commercial buildings, condominiums and apartments; SafeBuilt inspects roofing work.

Can a contractor apply on paper?

No. Online permitting is required for contractor-submitted building projects; homeowners can still apply in person.

Who does my inspection, the city or SafeBuilt?

The city inspects fences, gas piping, plumbing and siding; SafeBuilt inspects most other work, including decks, electrical, garages, roofing and remodels.

Does a deck need a permit?

Yes, for any attached deck, for a detached deck more than 8 inches off the ground, and for a deck around a pool.

How do I get old permit records?

Search the Building Department Record Search on BS&A Online, or file an Inspection Services and zoning records request and allow at least five business days.

Does Greenfield review commercial plans?

Yes. The city is now delegated for commercial building and HVAC plan review, which E-Plan Exam carries out in place of DSPS.

What does the city charge for a driveway permit?

$75 under the development fee schedule, plus $25 per foot of curb cut.

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