Kaukauna, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Inside the City of Kaukauna, permits come from the Planning and Community Development Department, which runs zoning, planning and building inspection from the Municipal Services Building at 144 W. Second Street (920-766-6315). The department is led by Director Dave Kittel, and Brett Jensen is the Building Inspector. Kaukauna requires a permit for construction, additions, renovations and alterations whatever the project costs, and its 2026 fee schedules price a new house at $35 plus $0.25 per square foot for each of the building, electrical and plumbing permits. The Town of Kaukauna, outside the city, holds its own state delegation and issues its own permits.

What requires a building permit in Kaukauna?

The city’s rule is broad: a permit is needed before repairs, alterations or improvements to a property and for all new construction, and the building permits page says the value of the job does not matter. Electrical, plumbing and heating or cooling work needs its own permit in many cases.

Limits the inspector checks: one shed besides the garage, up to 170 square feet, in the rear yard and on a concrete floor from 100 square feet; detached garages of one story, up to 1,400 square feet and 18 feet high, never on a vacant lot or in a front yard; front-yard fences up to 3½ feet with 50% visibility and side or rear fences up to 6 feet; pools only in the rear yard, 7 feet from side and rear lines.

What Kaukauna decides and what the state holds

The city holds the state’s delegation to enforce the Uniform Dwelling Code on new one- and two-family homes (DSPS list current as of 9/24/2026) and a special delegation for commercial building and HVAC plan review, so most plan review stays local. Kaukauna writes its own zoning code, fence, shed, garage and pool rules, stormwater and erosion control ordinances, and right-of-way rules, and it adopts the permit fee schedules. Construction standards for houses and commercial buildings, and trade licenses, are set by the state.

Kaukauna building department: who handles permitting

Planning and Community Development covers economic development, long-range planning, zoning administration and building inspection under one director. The Building Inspector reviews residential plans, issues permits and inspects. Commercial building, HVAC and plumbing plans go to E-Plan Exam, the reviewer DSPS lists for the city’s delegations, and commercial electrical inspection is delegated to the city with RG Inspections, LLC named on the DSPS list as inspector. The Engineering Department handles right-of-way, grades and stormwater permits.

The city’s two web pages give slightly different summer-hours dates (May 28 to September 2 and May 29 to September 3), so call ahead around those dates.

Kaukauna permit types

All residential and commercial applications are on Cloudpermit; you create one account and reuse it for later permits. The city sorts its applications by who normally files them, which tells you when a credential is needed.

Residential permits

• Owner-friendly permits: deck, detached garage, driveway (with a sample driveway diagram), fence, pool, raze, shed and siding permits are the ones homeowners most often file.
• Trade permits: electrical, HVAC and plumbing permits are usually filed by the licensed tradesperson.
• New homes and remodels: the residential new-construction and remodel or alteration building permits are filed by a contractor certified under the state dwelling code, together with the Wisconsin Uniform Building Permit for a new house.
• Decks: attach a scaled plot plan at least 8 by 10 inches showing the house, garage and other structures, plus a deck plan with posts, footings at the 48-inch frost depth, beams, joists and stairs. A deck may not sit in a required front or side yard or cover more than 30% of the required rear yard, and all structures together may cover no more than 35% of the lot.
• Garages: a scaled site plan (1/8 inch per foot suggested) with lot dimensions, buildings, setbacks, easements and north arrow, the materials and the full job cost; a lot survey may be required.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial new construction and remodels use the commercial building permit applications in Cloudpermit and must be filed by a certified contractor. Commercial plans go to E-Plan for review; the permits page also links the state’s SBD-118 plan review application and the Wisconsin Uniform Building Permit for new buildings. Commercial signs need a sign permit; illuminated signs are priced under the electrical schedule.

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

• Site plan review. New buildings and additions for commercial, industrial and multi-family properties need a site plan reviewed by staff and approved by the Plan Commission. Submit three weeks before the meeting with grading, utility, erosion control, landscape, lighting and building plans and the erosion control and stormwater permit application; there is no site plan fee.
• Plan Commission. It meets as needed on the Thursday after the first and third Tuesday of the month; ask staff two weeks ahead to get on an agenda.
• Zoning relief and land division. Variances ($100, Board of Zoning Appeals), special exception permits ($100) and rezonings ($100) are paid by check when you file; certified survey maps of one to four lots cost $10 per lot. The city warns these can take more than 30 days.
• Downtown facades. Any facade alteration in the Commercial Core District needs a free certificate of appropriateness, filed 14 business days before the Redevelopment Authority meeting.
• Right-of-way. Digging in a street or public right-of-way needs a permit under Ordinance 8.06, sent to Engineering with a site plan.

Kaukauna building permit fees

The Inspection Department publishes separate 2026 residential and commercial fee schedules; the city’s pool page says permit fees are those of the schedule adopted by the City Council. Building, electrical and plumbing rates for new construction are the same on both, while several trade items differ.

For a new 2,000-square-foot house, the building, electrical and plumbing permits each come to $35 plus $500, or $535, with $7 more on the plumbing permit for garage drains; the HVAC permit is figured the same way on heated space only. The commercial schedule keeps those new-construction rates but prices commercial air conditioning and furnaces by BTU, fire suppression and sprinkler systems at $200, and other plumbing on a three-band value scale.

• Erosion control and stormwater: $200 to apply plus $25 a week of land disturbance for sites under one acre; $250 plus $0.0002 per square foot to apply and $250 plus $25 a week for one acre or more. Forfeitures run from $25 to $500 per day of non-compliance.
• Development fees: the city’s 2023 new housing fee report lists a $250 park fee per residential lot created by a subdivision (paid by the developer; land may be dedicated instead), a $200 subdivision plat review fee, and water and sewer hook-up fees collected for the Heart of the Valley Metropolitan Sewerage District, whose rates the city does not set.
• Planning applications: $100 each for a variance, special exception or rezoning; $10 per lot for a certified survey map; no fee for site plan review or a downtown certificate of appropriateness.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Kaukauna issues electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits itself through Cloudpermit, and its permits page groups them as work “typically done by a licensed professional.” For commercial jobs the city is a delegated agent for electrical inspection, with RG Inspections, LLC listed by DSPS as its inspector, and E-Plan Exam reviews commercial plumbing plans that need state-level review.

• Electrical: priced by square foot for new work, by cost for alterations, and by amperage for service changes, feeders and sub-feeders.
• Plumbing: new construction by square foot; other work at $30 plus $7 per fixture, counting items such as area drains, water lines, dishwashers, disposals, tubs and sinks.
• HVAC: new heated space by square foot; replacements of furnaces, air conditioners, duct work, fireplaces, wood stoves and high-pressure boilers at flat rates.
• General contractors: new construction, remodels and alterations must be filed by a contractor certified under the state dwelling code; for a house that means the Dwelling Contractor certification with a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier, unless the owner lives in the home.

Trade licenses are state credentials; the one local credential is the sidewalk builder license for work in the street right-of-way.

How to apply for a Kaukauna building permit

Applications may also be emailed, mailed or brought in; site plan projects also deliver a full-size plan set.

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Residential plans are reviewed by the Building Inspector; commercial plans wait for E-Plan Exam’s review. Typical hold-ups are a missing plot plan, a shed over 170 square feet that must be permitted as a garage, and setbacks that cannot be shown because property irons have not been found; the owner must show the line, and the inspector can ask for a sealed survey. Planning items that need a public hearing or council action can run past 30 days.

Inspections in Kaukauna

Inspections are scheduled by contacting the Building Inspector, and the fee schedules ask contractors and owners to give at least 48 hours’ notice. A $200 re-inspection fee may be charged when the inspector has to return because the work was not complete or access was not provided.

• Detached garages: call 920-766-6325 before the slab is poured, before footings are poured where they are required, after rough carpentry and before finish carpentry, and for a final.
• Fences: the inspector usually inspects only when a problem with construction or location is reported, and the city does not settle neighbor disputes over fence lines.
• New homes: inspections follow the Uniform Dwelling Code stages, from erosion control and footings through rough trades and insulation to the final before occupancy.

Sites under the city’s erosion control permit pay a weekly inspection fee, and failing to post the certificate of permit coverage or maintain controls carries forfeitures.

Wisconsin building code in Kaukauna

Kaukauna enforces the state dwelling and commercial codes through its own inspector under DSPS delegation. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Kaukauna (community 550305) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective July 22, 2010.

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

Kaukauna permit search and official resources

To see past permits or inspection records for a property, the city says any open records request must begin with the City Clerk; use the online open records request form or call the clerk at 920-766-6300. Parcel data is on the county’s property information map linked from the city site.

• Kaukauna building permits and applications
• Building Inspection page: contacts, payment options, FAQ
• Residential Inspection Department fee schedule 2026
• Commercial Inspection Department fee schedule 2026
• Planning and Community Development applications
• Site plan review application 2026
• Residential deck requirements
• Detached garage requirements
• Stormwater management and erosion control permits
• Construction site erosion control fee schedule
• Open records request form
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• DSPS commercial building plan review delegated agents
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Kaukauna building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit for a fence or a driveway in Kaukauna?

Yes. Fences need a $60 permit, and new or modified driveways have needed a permit since July 7, 2021; driveways must stay 2 feet off side lot lines.

How big can a shed be?

One shed of up to 170 square feet is allowed in the rear yard; anything larger is permitted as a detached garage, and sheds of 100 square feet or more need a concrete floor.

How much is a permit for a new house?

Building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are each $35 plus $0.25 per square foot (heated space for HVAC), with $7 more on plumbing for garage drains.

Can I apply without using Cloudpermit?

Yes. Applications are also accepted in person, by email or by mail.

Who reviews commercial plans?

Commercial building, HVAC and plumbing plans go to E-Plan Exam under the city’s DSPS delegations, and commercial sites also need Plan Commission site plan approval.

What does a re-inspection cost?

$200, charged when the inspector must come back because work was incomplete or the area could not be reached.

Does the City of Kaukauna permit work in the Town of Kaukauna?

No. The Town of Kaukauna holds its own DSPS delegation, so new homes there are permitted through the town.

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