Marinette County, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

In Marinette County the county is a land-use office, not a building department. The Zoning/Sanitary Division of the Land Information Department, on the second floor of the Resource Center at 1925 Ella Court in Marinette ((715) 732-7535), issues zoning permits under the county zoning code in all 18 towns, shoreland and floodplain permits, and sanitary permits for private septic systems. DSPS shows no county delegation for the Uniform Dwelling Code: every city, village and town but one holds its own, and the Town of Beecher is served by a state-appointed inspector. The county’s 2026 user fees put a sanitary permit at $700 and a zoning permit at $200.

What requires a permit in Marinette County?

Outside the three cities and four villages, a building project usually needs county permits before the town building permit. Which county permits apply depends on where the parcel sits and whether it needs a septic system.

Shoreland structures must sit at least 75 feet from the ordinary high-water mark, and the shoreland chapter limits impervious surfaces near the water. Highway setbacks also come from the county code: 110 feet from the centerline (or 50 feet from the right-of-way) on federal and state highways, and 75 feet from the centerline (or 42 feet from the right-of-way) on lettered county highways.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county writes and enforces its zoning, shoreland-wetland, floodplain, private sewage, land division and highway access ordinances, and its Board of Adjustment hears variances. Construction standards are the state’s Uniform Dwelling Code and Commercial Building Code, applied by the town, city or village inspector. Where a town ordinance on shorelands is stricter, the town rule also applies, but the county says its zoning permits must still be obtained. The county also posts many towns’ own ordinances and forms on its Town Ordinances page.

Marinette County building department: who handles permitting

The DSPS list of UDC delegated agents (current as of September 24, 2026) has no row for Marinette County, so the county issues no building permits. Each city and village and 17 of the 18 towns hold their own delegation; two towns’ rows name an inspection firm. The Town of Beecher is not on the list, so new homes there are permitted and inspected by the DSPS-appointed UDC inspector found through DSPS’s Inspector Lookup Tool.

Marinette County permit types

The Zoning/Sanitary Division issues zoning permits, conditional use permits, filling and grading permits, razing permits and sanitary permits, and reviews certified survey maps and plats. Permit and sanitary records are searchable in the county’s Land Information Portal alongside tax and GIS data.

Residential permits

For a new house or cabin in a town, the usual order is: a driveway permit from whoever controls the road, a sanitary permit if there is no sewer, the county zoning permit, and then the town building permit. A shoreland zoning application needs the owner and legal description, a scaled drawing of every existing and proposed improvement (house, deck, patio, stairs, walkways, driveway and other hard surfaces) measured to the lot lines, the high-water mark and the road centerline, a floor plan for any lived-in building, and the location of the well and septic system. A zoning permit expires 12 months after it is issued unless work has started and continues.

A sanitary permit is issued in the property owner’s name, one per system, and is needed before any building that requires a septic system and before a system is installed, replaced, reconnected or changed; manhole risers, covers, baffles and pumps are exempt. A failing or partly replaced system is evaluated first, with a soil and site evaluation filed with the county ($10).

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

Commercial permits

Commercial uses that the zoning code allows only conditionally go through a zoning or conditional use application ($500 per review) before the permit, and the Board of Adjustment ($1,000 per hearing) decides variances and appeals. Commercial plans that need state approval go to DSPS or a delegated municipality, and the building permit comes from the town, city or village. The county reviews private sewage system plans as a state agent, at the state plan review fee.

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

• Highway access. On state, federal and lettered county highways, the county code requires the road authority’s driveway permit (WisDOT or the County Highway Department) before a zoning or building permit is issued; towns may require their own permit on town roads.
• Sanitary permit. From the Zoning/Sanitary Division before construction of anything served by a private system.
• Zoning and shoreland permit. County zoning in the towns, and a shoreland zoning permit within the shoreland distances.
• Land division. Certified survey maps ($200) and plats ($300 preliminary, $100 final) under the land division chapter.
• Filling and grading. A permit is needed for filling or grading under the shoreland rules, and a shoreland mitigation plan is reviewed for $200.

Marinette County permit fees

County fees are set in the County Board’s 2026 User Fees, approved June 24, 2025 and amended several times through November 1, 2026. The 2027 User Fees, adopted June 30, 2026 and amended July 28, 2026, raise several zoning fees for next year. A permit applied for after the work has started costs triple the fee.

Town building permit fees are set by each town board, and city and village fees by their councils and boards; the City of Marinette, for example, charges $0.14 per square foot for a new house. A new home on a private septic system in a county-zoned town therefore pays at least $700 for the sanitary permit and $200 for the zoning permit, plus any county driveway permit and the town’s own building fees.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Marinette County issues no electrical, plumbing or HVAC permits. Those come with the building permit from the town, city or village inspector, and the credentials are the state’s: a Dwelling Contractor certification and Qualifier for one- and two-family work (owner-occupants are exempt), DSPS licenses for electricians and plumbers, and DSPS registration for HVAC businesses.

• Septic work: the county sanitary permit is obtained by the owner, the owner’s agent or the contractor, in the owner’s name, before any system or part of one is installed or modified.
• Soil testing: soil and site evaluations used to design a system are filed with the county.
• Plumbing inside the building: inspected by the local building inspector under the town, city or village permit.
• Utility and road work: work in county right-of-way needs a county Highway Department permit, and a utility permit with an open roadway cut costs $1,000 unless the utility is municipally owned.

How to apply for permits in Marinette County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The county code ties the steps together: on state and county highways the driveway permit comes before the zoning or building permit, and the sanitary permit before any structure that needs a septic system, so a missing step at the start holds up everything after it. Variances need a Board of Adjustment hearing, and rezonings a petition and hearing. Starting work first triples the permit fee.

Inspections in Marinette County

Building inspections for a new house or addition (footings, foundation, rough framing and trades, insulation and final) are done by the inspector of the town, city or village that issued the permit, or by the DSPS-appointed inspector in the Town of Beecher. The county inspects private sewage systems under its sanitary permits and charges $100 for a re-inspection; its zoning staff inspect properties for compliance with zoning permits and issue certificates of compliance. Shoreland zoning permits lapse after 12 months if work has not started.

A failing or partly replaced septic system must be evaluated before the county issues a new sanitary permit, and the Zoning/Sanitary Division keeps the inventory and maintenance records for private systems.

Wisconsin building code in Marinette County

Marinette County holds no UDC delegation; the state codes are applied locally by the delegated towns, cities and villages. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Marinette County (community 550259) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated November 4, 1992, and the county’s floodplain zoning chapter governs mapped flood areas in the towns. The City of Marinette participates separately (community 550261).

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

Marinette County permit search and official resources

Sanitary and permit data for a parcel are in the county’s Land Information Portal, together with tax records and GIS maps. For permit files not shown there, contact the Zoning/Sanitary Division at (715) 732-7535; building permit files for a house are kept by the town, city or village that issued them.

• Land Information Department and Land Information Portal
• Sanitary/Zoning Division
• Town, village and city ordinances posted by the county
• County ordinances and user fee schedules
• 2026 User Fees (amended November 1, 2026)
• 2027 User Fees (adopted June 30, 2026)
• Chapter 17 Zoning Code
• Chapter 21 Shoreland-Wetland Zoning
• Chapter 19 Floodplain Zoning
• Chapter 15 Private Sewage Systems
• Chapter 22 Highway setbacks and driveways
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• DSPS Inspector Lookup Tool
• WisDOT state highway connection permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Marinette County permit FAQs

Does Marinette County issue building permits?

No. It has no UDC delegation; building permits come from the town, city or village, and from a DSPS-appointed inspector in the Town of Beecher.

Which towns are under county zoning?

All 18: the zoning code divides every town into Forestry, Recreation and Unrestricted districts.

How much is a septic permit?

$700 under the 2026 User Fees, of which $100 goes to the state; a transfer is $50 and a renewal $200.

How close to a lake can I build?

Structures in shoreland must generally be at least 75 feet from the ordinary high-water mark, and shoreland covers land within 1,000 feet of a navigable lake.

Do I need a driveway permit first?

Yes, on a state, federal or county highway: the county code requires the road authority’s driveway permit before a zoning or building permit, and a county highway permit is $250.

What happens if I build before getting a permit?

County after-the-fact permits cost triple the normal fee.

Are county fees going up in 2027?

Some are: the 2027 User Fees raise the zoning or conditional use permit, filling and grading, mitigation plan reviews and certified survey maps to $250, the preliminary plat to $350 for up to four lots and the final plat to $150.

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