Howard, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

The Village of Howard issues its own building, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and sprinkler permits through the Department of Code Administration, part of Community Development under Director David Wiese, at Village Hall, 2456 Glendale Avenue (920-434-4640). Howard holds state delegation for new one- and two-family homes, so its inspectors review and inspect them. The department’s fee schedule, revised September 22, 2026, charges a new home $0.12 per square foot plus $0.06 per square foot for each trade, and new houses also pay $1,892 in park and transportation impact fees.

What requires a building permit in Howard?

Howard’s permit application covers new buildings, additions, alterations and remodels, repairs, moving and demolition, for houses, duplexes, multi-family, commercial and industrial buildings, garages and storage buildings and agricultural buildings. The village’s project guides spell out the common residential jobs.

No building or earth-disturbing work may begin until the fees are paid, the permit is issued and the placard is posted on site; fees for work started without a permit may be doubled.

What Howard decides and what the state holds

The state sets the construction standards: the Uniform Dwelling Code for one- and two-family homes and the Commercial Building Code for public buildings and places of employment, whose plans must carry state approval before Howard issues a permit unless SPS 361.30 exempts them. Howard decides zoning, floodplain and shoreland-wetland zoning, erosion control and stormwater rules, accessory building limits, impact fees and its own permit fees, and it runs the Board of Appeals for variances.

Howard building department: who handles permitting

Code Administration administers and enforces the village and state building, zoning, floodplain, wetland, historic preservation and nuisance codes, alongside planning and economic development in the Community Development Department. The state’s UDC delegated-agent list, current as of 9/24/2026, shows the Village of Howard (which lies in both Brown and Outagamie counties) as delegated, with a village inspector. Public Works, at a separate facility, handles driveway design, stormwater and utility connections.

Howard permit types

One village application serves building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC work, and the contractor responsible for the work completes, signs and dates it; incomplete applications are not accepted. It names every contractor: the builder’s dwelling contractor and qualifier numbers, the electrical contractor and master electrician numbers, and the HVAC, plumbing, sewer and water, and sprinkler contractors’ licenses.

Residential permits

• New homes and additions: emailed plans (floor plans for each level, foundation, all elevations, a wall section and wall bracing), a recorded certified survey map or plat, a scaled site plan showing the total impervious surface area, an erosion control plan under Chapter 22, energy calculations on the state worksheet, and water calculations when a new village water connection is made.
• Accessory buildings: with an attached garage, one detached garage or storage building of up to 5% of the lot or 1,024 square feet, whichever is less; without one, two buildings totaling up to 10% of the lot or 2,224 square feet. Height is capped at 23 feet or the house height, side walls and doors at 10 feet, and side and rear setbacks run from 3 to 5 feet depending on lot size, with 10 feet to other buildings.
• Decks: reviewed against the state code’s deck appendix (Appendix B), with footings at least 4 feet deep; owners doing their own work sign a waiver form.
• Pools: at least 10 feet from side and rear lines and other buildings and 5 feet from a septic system, enclosed by a fence at least 4 feet high with lockable gates, or a cover of equivalent protection.
• Finished basements: a bedroom needs two means of egress, hard-wired smoke and CO alarms and AFCI protection; a new bathroom needs a vented exhaust fan and a backwater valve.

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

Commercial permits

Group III buildings (everything other than residential and storage) pay a sliding rate by floor area. Public buildings and places of employment need state-approved, stamped plans before the village permit unless exempt under SPS 361.30, and commercial, industrial, institutional and multi-family sites also need public works approval of the water service design and the stormwater management design.

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. Rezoning, conditional use, planned development district, site plan and certified survey map applications are on the Planning and Zoning page; a zoning letter can confirm a property’s status.
• Variances. File three weeks before the Board of Appeals meeting, which is held on the fourth Tuesday of the month when a variance is requested; allow up to 60 days for legal notices, and bring 15 copies of color documents.
• Floodplain. Work in a regulatory floodplain needs a floodproofing design by a registered engineer or architect certifying it meets the village’s Floodplain and Shoreland Wetland Zoning Code.
• Septic and wells. A lot on a private system needs a Brown County sanitary permit (county zoning division, 920-448-6480); a private well kept after connecting to village water needs a five-year well operation permit ($35) under Section 36-179.
• Driveways. Public Works issues a driveway design approval for the apron in the right-of-way, which you take to Village Hall to get the driveway permit; on a county trunk highway, attach the Brown County access permit.

Howard permit costs and fees

The Department of Code Administration’s Permit Fee Schedule, stamped revised September 22, 2026, sorts buildings into Group I (homes, rooming houses and residential accessory buildings), Group II (warehouses and storage) and Group III (all other buildings). Floor area counts all levels, basements, garages and enclosed space under roof; the minimum building permit is $100 and every other permit $50, and fees not on the sheet are set in the Howard Municipal Code.

Worked example from the schedule: a new single-family home with 2,000 square feet of living space, a 500-square-foot garage and a 1,000-square-foot unfinished basement pays a building permit of 2,500 × $0.12 plus 1,000 × $0.06, or $360; electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits of $180 each (2,500 × $0.06 plus 1,000 × $0.03); $100 erosion control; the $35 state seal; and $1,892 in impact fees, for $2,927 before the utility connection and water capacity charges, which depend on the meter.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Each trade is a separate permit priced by floor area at its own rate, or at 2% of the trade’s cost for alterations, and the contractor named for each trade on the application must hold the matching state credential.

• Electrical: the application asks for both the electrical contractor number and the master electrician license number; the basement guide lists the AFCI protection required for bedroom, living room and hallway circuits and bathroom lighting, and a dedicated 20-amp circuit for bathroom receptacles.
• Plumbing: a licensed plumber pulls the permit; a new connection to the village water system needs a water calculation worksheet under the state plumbing code (SPS 382.40(7)).
• Sewer and water laterals: the hook-up packet tells owners leaving a septic system or well to hire a licensed sewer and water contractor or plumber, take out the permits and call ahead for inspections.
• HVAC and sprinklers: listed with their own contractor license numbers; HVAC businesses register with DSPS.
• Owners: the basement guide says property owners may obtain permits for their own projects when the house is owner-occupied; builders working for an owner must give their dwelling contractor and qualifier certification numbers.

How to apply for a Howard building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The department processes an application only once every required submittal is in, so a missing recorded survey map, erosion control plan, energy worksheet or county sanitary permit stops the clock. Commercial jobs wait on the state-approved plans and the public works design approvals, and a variance adds up to 60 days for notices before the Board of Appeals can act.

Inspections in Howard

Book inspections on the village’s online Inspection Request form, giving the permit number (for example P26-xxxxx) and a requested date and time; staff will call if that slot does not work. Two business days’ notice is required for every inspection. Being unready, or failing, can bring a reinspection fee of $75, $150 or $300, while an inspection cancelled ahead by phone or by email to build@villageofhoward.com carries no fee.

The project guides list the stages: a deck gets footing, rough framing and final inspections; an accessory building needs property pins located at foundation placement so setbacks can be checked, then rough electrical where wiring is covered, then a final. New homes follow the Uniform Dwelling Code stages through to the final inspection before occupancy.

Wisconsin building code in Howard

Howard enforces the state codes through its delegated inspection program and keeps its local rules in the Howard Municipal Code, including the construction site erosion control chapter (Chapter 22), the floodplain and shoreland-wetland zoning code and the stormwater ordinance. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the Village of Howard (community 550023, in Outagamie and Brown counties) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective May 9, 2023.

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

Howard permit search and official resources

Code Administration posts its permit reports and logs in the village’s online archive, with the most recent report linked from the department page. For a property’s permit file, contact the department at 920-434-4640 or build@villageofhoward.com; Planning and Zoning can also issue a zoning letter for a property.

• Code Administration: forms, permit reports and contacts
• Permit fee schedule (revised September 22, 2026)
• Building permit application
• Building permit inspection request
• Accessory building permit and guide
• Deck permit and guide
• Swimming pool permit and guide
• Basement finishing guide
• Fence and hedge regulations
• Driveway design approval form
• Planning and Zoning applications
• Variance procedures and requirements
• Erosion control and stormwater
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Howard building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit for a fence in Howard?

No. The village’s fence sheet reads “No Fee, No Permit,” but residential fences are limited to six feet and must follow the fence rules.

How much does a deck permit cost?

$100, with plans reviewed to the state deck appendix and footing, framing and final inspections.

What impact fees does a new house pay?

A $1,225 park impact fee and a $667 transportation impact fee per single-family unit, $1,892 in all.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Use the online Inspection Request form with your permit number, at least two business days ahead.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

Yes, for a house the owner occupies, according to the village’s basement guide; hired builders must show their state dwelling contractor credentials.

Is a shed under 200 square feet exempt?

No. An accessory building under 200 square feet still needs a $50 permit and must meet the size and setback rules.

Who approves a new driveway?

Public Works approves the apron design first; you then take that approval to Village Hall for the $25 driveway permit.

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