Madison keeps the whole review pipeline inside city hall. As a second-class city it holds all-size commercial plan review delegation, and unlike most of its peers it staffs the reviews itself rather than contracting them out — the same team that reviews a downtown tower also reviews, by arrangement, projects for the neighboring Town of Blooming Grove.
The Building Inspection Division administers permits and inspections from the Madison Municipal Building on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, under the city's own ordinance architecture: Chapter 29 for building, Chapter 27 for minimum housing and property maintenance, Chapter 28 for zoning.
This guide covers the City of Madison. Fitchburg, Middleton, Sun Prairie, Monona and the surrounding towns permit separately — several through contract reviewers — so confirm the parcel's jurisdiction before filing.
The building code follows the building into the lease. Under Madison General Ordinances Chapter 32, a landlord must show a prospective tenant any outstanding official notice of violation of the Building Code (Chapter 29), Minimum Housing Code (Chapter 27), Health Code or Zoning Code affecting the building before a rental agreement is signed. An open permit-and-orders file is not just an enforcement matter in Madison; it is a disclosure obligation.
What requires a building permit in Madison?
Wisconsin splits construction into two statewide instruments, and neither one is a city invention. One- and two-family homes run on the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code (SPS 320 to 325), a code Wisconsin wrote for itself — the state never adopted the International Residential Code, so IRC chapter references from other states simply do not apply here. Everything that is a public building or a place of employment, including any residential building of three or more units, runs on the Wisconsin Commercial Building Code (SPS 361 to 366), which moved to the 2021 I-codes effective September 1, 2025; plans submitted on or after November 1, 2025 must comply with the 2021 editions. Under Wis. Stat. 101.65(1c) and 101.02(7r)(a), Madison may not enforce different technical standards — local ordinances must strictly conform to the state codes.
Typically permit required
- New construction, additions and structural alterations on both tracks, permitted under MGO Chapter 29
- Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work through separate trade permits
- Work touching rental housing, where Chapter 27 minimum-housing standards and Chapter 32 disclosure both apply
- Erosion control and stormwater measures on qualifying sites
- Signs, decks, pools and detached accessory buildings above ordinance thresholds
Often exempt
- Ordinary repairs and finishes that do not alter structure or systems
- Minor detached accessory structures below the ordinance threshold — verify the current square footage line with the Division
- Buildings used for farming — exempt from the state code under Wis. Stat. 101.05(5), with farming defined by DSPS rule; a produce stand stays exempt only while the farmer raised substantially all of what it sells
- Primitive rural hunting cabins — carved out of municipal jurisdiction by Wis. Stat. 101.65(1g)
- Bed-and-breakfast establishments as defined by statute (Wis. Stat. 101.05(2))
What is actually local, and what is not
Madison cannot vary the technical codes: 101.65(1c) and 101.02(7r)(a) require strict conformity on both tracks. The local layer is procedural and consequential — the Chapter 32 disclosure rule, Chapter 27 housing enforcement, and the fact that plan review of every size stays with city staff, which shapes both timelines and the correction dialogue.
Who handles permitting in Madison?
The Building Inspection Division issues permits, examines plans and inspects. Madison's second-class-city delegation covers commercial buildings of all sizes, and the city performs that review in-house; the same plan review desk also serves the Town of Blooming Grove under contract, per the state's delegated-authority roster.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Department | City of Madison Building Inspection Division |
| Counter | Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Suite 017, Madison, WI 53703 |
| Phone | (608) 266-4551 — Division; (608) 266-6503 — plan review and inspection supervision |
| Plan review | In-house, all sizes (second-class city delegation) |
| Ordinances | MGO Ch. 29 building; Ch. 27 minimum housing; Ch. 28 zoning; Ch. 32 landlord disclosure |
Permit types
Residential permits
One- and two-family work runs on the Uniform Dwelling Code, permitted through the Division with the state Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier certifications verified at issuance. On rental property the city's Chapter 27 minimum-housing standards keep applying after the build, and open orders on the building become disclosable under Chapter 32.
How Wisconsin contractor licensing works
Wisconsin has no state general contractor license for commercial work — the city's own forms note that 2013 Wisconsin Act 20 ended state building-contractor registration on July 2, 2013. For one- and two-family work the state requires a Dwelling Contractor certification on the business and a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier on an individual, and under Wis. Stat. 101.65(1m) Madison may not issue a building permit to a contractor who cannot produce them; owner-occupants are exempt. Electricians and plumbers are licensed statewide by DSPS. HVAC contractors only register with the state — there is no state HVAC license — which is exactly where local rules step in. Madison leans on the state credentials rather than a licensing overlay of its own; its local force sits in the housing-code and disclosure machinery instead.
Commercial permits
Commercial plans of every size are examined by city plan review staff — no volume ceiling, no routing to the state or a contract firm. Approval precedes the permit; fifty-thousand-cubic-foot projects arrive sealed by a Wisconsin-registered design professional with a supervising professional retained.
Mechanical work, and where the state reviews directly
Commercial plan review in Wisconsin is a two-step: under Wis. Stat. 101.12(3)(h) the plan approval comes first and the local permit cannot issue without it. The state review trigger is 25,000 cubic feet, plus categorical triggers at any size for schools, high-hazard occupancies and residential buildings of three or more units. At 50,000 cubic feet plans must be prepared, signed and sealed by a Wisconsin-registered design professional, with a supervising professional retained for construction observation. Commercial plumbing plans go to review at sixteen or more fixtures.
Madison permit costs and fees
Fees follow the city's adopted schedule by project type and valuation, with plan review charged alongside the permit. Confirm current figures with the Division at filing; Madison revises its schedule with the budget cycle.
| Item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Building permit | Valuation-based per the current adopted schedule |
| Plan review | Charged with the permit; in-house at all sizes |
| Trade permits | Separate electrical, plumbing and HVAC fees |
| Reinspection | Per the adopted schedule — confirm at filing |
Open orders travel with the building. An outstanding violation notice under Chapters 27, 28 or 29 must be disclosed to prospective tenants before lease signing under Chapter 32 — clearing the orders file is part of closing out the project.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Trade permits are pulled by state-licensed contractors — Madison adds no municipal trade license — and inspected by the Division's trade inspectors.
Permit required
- Electrical — state Master or Journeyman electrician licensing; city permit
- Plumbing — state plumbing license; city permit
- HVAC — state DSPS registration; city permit
- One- and two-family general work — state Dwelling Contractor plus Qualifier certification to pull the permit
Typically exempt
- Owner-occupants within the state owner exemptions on their own single-family dwelling
- Like-for-like maintenance that does not alter systems
How to apply for a Madison building permit
The metro is a quilt of separate authorities; Madison reviews only its own, plus Blooming Grove by arrangement.
Open Chapter 27 or 29 notices are disclosable at lease signing — know what is on record before you scope.
Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier for houses; sealed plans at fifty thousand cubic feet on the commercial track.
Suite 017 at the Municipal Building, or the city's online intake.
Review is in-house at every size, so the correction dialogue is with Madison staff directly.
Finals close the permit; a clean orders file closes the disclosure exposure.
Review, corrections and what actually causes delay
Because review never leaves the building, Madison's timeline is a function of city workload rather than state queues. The distinctive delay risk is upstream: rental projects that start with an open violations file inherit the Chapter 32 disclosure question until the orders clear.
Inspections in Madison
The Division inspects by discipline through construction to final. On rental property, Chapter 27 minimum-housing enforcement continues after occupancy, and inspection outcomes feed the same orders file the disclosure ordinance reads from.
Madison permit search and official resources
- Madison Building Inspection Division — permits, forms and inspections
- Madison General Ordinances — Chapters 27, 28, 29 and 32 as published
- DSPS plan review — state triggers and current submission data
- Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code — SPS 320 to 325 as published
Frequently asked questions
Who reviews commercial plans in Madison?
City plan review staff, at every size. Madison's second-class-city delegation has no ceiling and the city does not contract the work out.
What is the Chapter 32 disclosure rule?
Before a lease is signed, the landlord must show the prospective tenant any outstanding official notice of violation of the building, minimum housing, health or zoning codes affecting the building.
Which code governs a house remodel?
The Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code — SPS 320 to 325, the state's own code. Wisconsin never adopted the International Residential Code.
Did the commercial code change recently?
Yes. The 2021 I-codes took effect September 1, 2025, with mandatory compliance for plans submitted on or after November 1, 2025.
Does Madison license contractors itself?
No trade overlay — state credentials govern. The city's local force is in Chapters 27 and 32, not licensing.
Does Madison review for anyone else?
Yes — the state's roster lists Madison's reviewer as also serving the neighboring Town of Blooming Grove.
Simplify Madison permitting with Alliance Permitting
Madison projects live and die on the orders file and the in-house correction dialogue. We check the record before you scope, assemble a submittal city examiners can approve quickly, and track it through final — with the disclosure exposure closed out, not just the permit.
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Send us the scope and the parcel. We confirm the review path with the Madison Building Inspection Division, assemble the submittal, file it, and track it through issuance — corrections included.
More Wisconsin permitting guides
More Wisconsin permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Madison permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.