Kewaunee County, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Kewaunee County regulates land near water and private septic systems, not buildings in general. The Land & Water Conservation Department, at 625 Third Street in Luxemburg (zoning line 920-845-9747), issues shoreland and floodplain zoning permits in the unincorporated towns and sanitary permits wherever public sewer is not available. Every town also has its own zoning administrator, and the building permit for a house comes from the town, village or city. Starting work early doubles the county fee or adds 3% of the project cost, whichever is greater.

What work requires permits in Kewaunee County?

County zoning in Kewaunee County is special-purpose zoning. It covers the shoreland, wetland and floodplain areas of the unincorporated towns: land within 1,000 feet of the ordinary high-water mark of a navigable lake, pond or flowage, and land within 300 feet of a navigable river or stream or out to the landward edge of its floodplain, whichever is farther. Outside those areas, zoning belongs to the towns.

The county’s shoreland building permit application ends with a reminder that the township will also require a building permit, and its FAQ leaves it to the owner to contact the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Natural Resources and the local town, city or village about their permits.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county board sets the local layer: the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 16, amended by Ordinance 192-07-2025, adopted July 22, 2025), the Flood Plain Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 19, covering all unincorporated areas), the Sanitary Ordinance (Chapter 15), and ordinances on animal waste storage facilities, land division and certified survey maps, private wells and well abandonment, and agricultural performance standards. Its Public Health & Groundwater Protection Ordinance, passed by the board in September 2014 and approved by 83% of voters in April 2015, bars mechanically applying waste, such as manure, from January 1 to April 15 on land likely to have 20 feet or less of soil over carbonate bedrock.

Building standards are the state’s. The county holds no Uniform Dwelling Code delegation; the towns, villages and cities do, and commercial plans go through state plan approval before the local permit.

Kewaunee County building department: who handles permitting

Land & Water Conservation, directed by Davina Bonness, runs shoreland and floodplain zoning, the sanitary program, nutrient and manure management, well testing and non-metallic mining. The department sits at the county fairgrounds in Luxemburg, not at the courthouse in Kewaunee.

Towns, villages and cities: who permits a new home

The state’s list of Uniform Dwelling Code delegations (current as of September 24, 2026) includes all 14 municipalities in Kewaunee County, so each one issues the permit for a new one- or two-family dwelling and arranges the inspections. Where the list names an agency, it shows Inspection Specialists for Algoma and the Village of Casco and SafeBuilt for the City of Kewaunee. Populations are Census estimates.

Several towns share a zoning administrator, so the county’s list is the quickest way to find the right one for a parcel.

The Highway Department, which maintains 220 miles of county highways and 61 miles of state highways in the county, takes its permit requests online: driveways and alterations on county trunk highways, utility work, use of highway department land, special events, implements of husbandry and oversize or overweight loads. Its fees are in a separate Highway Department fee schedule published each year.

Kewaunee County permit types and application documents

The department’s forms page carries the current applications: a shoreland/floodplain building permit, a shoreland/floodplain land use permit for earthwork, and a variance appeal and special exception application. Every shoreland application must have a plot plan attached.

Residential permits

The building permit application asks for the town, the legal description and parcel size, the zoning district and the lake, river or stream involved, whether the work is new construction or an addition, its length, width, height and stories, the estimated cost, the construction type and the builder’s details. It also asks for setbacks from the road centerline, the ordinary high-water mark or top of the lake bank, and the rear and side lot lines. The applicant initials a statement that DNR has been checked and no wetlands are involved, or that DNR has approved the work.

The land use permit covers filling, excavating and grading: the application asks for the dimensions and side slopes of the work, the cubic yards to be removed, the soil disposal site and the fill area.

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

Commercial permits

New commercial or industrial buildings and additions in the shoreland area each carry a $500 county zoning fee, and nuclear dry storage structures, stand-alone or attached, have their own $1,500 fee. The building’s plan approval comes from the state or a delegated municipality, and the building permit from the town, village or city.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial building permits through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Town zoning. The town zoning administrator handles general zoning outside the shoreland and floodplain areas.
• Sanitary permit. Where there is no public sewer, a county sanitary permit for the septic system, with a soil evaluation report reviewed by the county.
• Wetlands and waterways. DNR and Army Corps approvals where wetlands, shore protection or work in the water are involved.
• Land division. New lots by certified survey map or plat under the county’s land division ordinance, with a $100 plat review fee.
• Driveway. A Highway Department permit for a driveway or alteration on a county trunk highway.

Kewaunee County zoning, sanitary and building-permit costs

The posted County Shoreland Zoning & Sanitary Fee Schedule is marked effective January 1, 2022; the department’s FAQ explains that shoreland permit fees are set each year in the county budget, and that they pay only part of the shoreland program’s administrative cost, with the rest coming from the general county levy. Building permit fees for houses are set by the towns, villages and cities.

The zoning fee follows the footprint of the structure or use: a 12 by 16 foot shed (192 square feet) falls in the $75 band, a 24 by 30 foot garage (720 square feet) in the $150 band. A water sample taken by the county zoning administrator is $35, the annual POWTS maintenance fee is $10, and a Wisconsin Fund grant application is $100. On a lakeside lot without sewer, a new house with a footprint of 1,500 square feet and a conventional system would pay the county $650: $200 for the zoning permit and $450 for the sanitary permit, before the town’s building permit.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Trade work on a new house is inspected under the dwelling permit by the town, village or city’s UDC inspector; the county issues no electrical, plumbing or HVAC permits.

• Septic. Sanitary permits are issued by Land & Water Conservation for every municipality without public sewer, under Chapter 15, which also covers non-plumbing sanitation systems.
• Wells. The county’s private water systems ordinance governs wells and the abandonment of old wells and drillholes.
• Manure storage. New or altered animal waste storage facilities fall under their own county ordinance.
• Builders. For one- and two-family homes, the state requires a Dwelling Contractor certification and a certified Dwelling Contractor Qualifier before the local permit is issued, unless the owner-occupant builds the home.
• Utilities in the road. The Highway Department’s online permits include a utility permit for work along county highways.

How to apply for a Kewaunee County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

An application without a plot plan, or without setbacks to the water, road and lot lines, is not complete. Projects that need a special exception or variance wait for a public hearing ($550). The building application also has the applicant confirm that DNR has been checked and no wetlands are involved, or that DNR has approved the work. Starting before the permit or hearing approval doubles every required fee, or adds 3% of the project cost if that is more.

Inspections and final approval in Kewaunee County

The county inspects septic systems; septic system evaluations are $150 and reinspections $100, and the county zoning administrator takes water samples for $35. Building inspections, from footings to final occupancy, are the work of the municipality’s UDC inspector, or of the inspection agency the municipality uses.

The groundwater ordinance adds field rules for farms on shallow soils over carbonate bedrock: no mechanical waste application from January 1 to April 15, none on frozen, snow-covered or saturated ground, and no stockpiling of waste on those landscapes in that period.

Wisconsin building code

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Kewaunee County (community 550212) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current effective flood map dated August 28, 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

Kewaunee County permit search and official resources

For an existing shoreland, floodplain or sanitary permit, call Land & Water Conservation at 920-845-9747 with the town and parcel; for a town building permit, ask the town that issued it. County ordinances are posted chapter by chapter on the county’s ordinances page.

• Kewaunee County Land & Water Conservation
• Zoning (shoreland and floodplain)
• Zoning forms and documents
• Shoreland zoning and sanitary fee schedule (effective 1/1/2022)
• Shorelands, wetlands and floodplains FAQ
• Shoreland/floodplain building permit application
• Town zoning administrators
• Chapter 16 Shoreland Zoning (Ordinance 192-07-2025)
• Chapter 15 Sanitary Ordinance
• Sanitation program
• Kewaunee County ordinances
• Public Health & Groundwater Protection Ordinance
• Highway Department permit applications
• DSPS list of UDC delegated agents
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Kewaunee County building permit FAQ

Does Kewaunee County issue building permits?

Not for houses under the Uniform Dwelling Code. It issues shoreland and floodplain zoning permits and sanitary permits; the town, village or city issues the building permit.

Does the county zone my rural lot?

Only in the shoreland, wetland and floodplain areas of the unincorporated towns. General zoning belongs to each town’s zoning administrator.

How far from the water does county shoreland zoning reach?

1,000 feet from a navigable lake, pond or flowage, and 300 feet from a navigable river or stream or to the landward edge of the floodplain, whichever is greater.

How much is a county shoreland permit?

It depends on the footprint: $50 up to 100 square feet, rising to $200 for 1,001 to 2,000 square feet and $500 above 5,000.

How much is a septic permit?

$450 for a conventional system, $425 for a holding tank, $525 for a mound, at-grade or in-ground pressure system and $600 for a pretreatment system such as a sand filter or aerobic unit.

What happens if I start before the permit?

All required county fees double, or you pay an extra 3% of the project cost if that is greater.

Who issues a driveway permit on a county highway?

The Kewaunee County Highway Department, through its driveway and alterations permit for county trunk highways.

Who inspects a new house in Algoma or Kewaunee?

Each city holds its own UDC delegation; the state’s list names Inspection Specialists for Algoma and SafeBuilt for the City of Kewaunee.

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