Marquette County, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Marquette County issues building permits as well as zoning permits. The Planning and Zoning Department at 77 West Park Street, Room 104, Montello (608-297-3036), led by Zoning Administrator Jean Potter, runs zoning, shoreland, floodplain and septic permitting, and the county’s Building and Mechanical Code is enforced by its contracted inspector, General Engineering Company, in every municipality except the Town of Springfield, the Villages of Endeavor, Neshkoro and Oxford and the City of Montello. A new house pays $0.33 per square foot (minimum $847) under the UDC fee schedule in force from July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026, plus a $175 county zoning permit.

What requires a permit in Marquette County?

The county’s rule of thumb is that a new home, a deck or patio, or an addition always needs both a building permit and a zoning permit, while most accessory buildings in the zoned towns need only the zoning permit. Which ordinances apply depends on the town and on how close the land is to water.

Zoned towns also limit a house to at least 400 square feet of year-round living area and 20 feet wide, allow one dwelling per parcel, and let campers stay on a parcel seasonally only if they are removed from December 1 to April 15. Some towns require additional local permits of their own.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county writes its zoning administration and comprehensive zoning chapters (61 and 62), shoreland and floodplain protection (63 and 64), subdivision (69), the Building and Mechanical Code (71), the private sewage chapter (74) and a fee chapter (99). Its building code applies the state’s Uniform Dwelling Code; new-home energy compliance is shown with a 2009 IECC ResCheck and a heat loss calculation. Commercial buildings follow the state Commercial Building Code, and plans that need state approval must be approved before the permit application.

Marquette County building department: who handles permitting

The DSPS list of UDC delegated agents (current as of September 24, 2026) shows Marquette County itself as a delegated agent, with General Engineering as its inspection agency, and twelve municipalities marked “See County of Marquette”. General Engineering’s inspector keeps office hours in the Courthouse on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 to 9 a.m.

Marquette County permit types

Zoning applications (zoning permit, conditional use, campground, annual camping, wireless tower and rural address) are on the county’s forms page, each with an online payment option, or can be filled in at the zoning office. Building permits can be applied for online through General Engineering Company’s website or on paper.

Residential permits

New homes use the state UDC application; everything else (decks, additions, electrical services, remodels and alterations) uses the county’s General Building Permit Application. Each needs the owner’s details, every contractor with license numbers and expiry dates, and the signed cautionary statement. A new home or addition also needs an erosion control plan showing the tracking pad, energy code information, two sets of plans (one if filed as a PDF) with rooms labeled and window and door sizes, a wall cross section and brace wall worksheets where they apply. A deck permit needs footing size, post spacing, beam and joist sizes and spans, and the deck’s height above grade.

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

Commercial permits

The General Building Permit Application also covers new commercial buildings and commercial additions or alterations, with electrical, plumbing, HVAC, construction and erosion control boxes. It asks whether a State of Wisconsin plan approval is needed, and the approved plans must be filed with the application. A commercial zoning permit is $150, and commercial electrical work is priced at $0.09 per square foot with a $220 minimum.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Sanitary permit first. Where a septic system is needed, the sanitary permit must be issued before the zoning permit.
• Zoning permit. The county checks the use and the setbacks: 63 feet from a town road, 75 from a county road and 110 from a state road (to the centerline), 75 feet from the high-water mark and from wetlands, and district side yards from 10 to 50 feet.
• Board of Adjustment. Variances, special exceptions and appeals ($300 each) are heard on the last Thursday of the month at 1:00 p.m.; applications received by month’s end are heard the next month, and a lone application can wait one more month. Tell your town board about the request.
• Rezoning or land division. Rezonings are $300; certified survey maps are $25 plus $10 a lot.
• Driveways. A county highway driveway permit is $100; a state highway needs a WisDOT connection permit.

Marquette County permit costs and fees

The Planning and Zoning Department publishes three schedules: 2026 zoning fees and 2026 sanitary fees (both dated July 1, 2025) and UDC building fees in force from July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026.

Worked example from the schedules: a new house with 3,000 square feet including its garage, deck and basement pays 3,000 × $0.33 = $990 for the building permit, plus $94 plan review, $165 erosion control, $94 occupancy and the $40 state seal ($1,383), and a $175 county zoning permit in a county-zoned town. On a conventional septic system add $375 for the sanitary permit and $125 for plan review; recording a holding tank or aerobic system agreement costs another $30 at the Register of Deeds.

Trade permits and who may pull them

In the municipalities under the county code, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are issued with the building permit by the county’s contracted inspector. On a new home the mechanicals are included in the $0.33 square-foot fee; on additions, remodels and other work each trade is added at its own fee. The General Building Permit Application asks for the construction contractor, the Dwelling Contractor Qualifier (an owner, officer or employee of the Dwelling Contractor), the HVAC contractor, the electrical contractor and master electrician, and the plumbing contractor.

• Credentials: Wisconsin issues the Dwelling Contractor certification and Qualifier for one- and two-family work (owner-occupants are exempt), licenses electricians and plumbers through DSPS, and registers HVAC businesses.
• Septic systems: all work must be done by a licensed plumber, soil tests for the design by a state-certified soil tester, and the owner signs a maintenance agreement for the new system. The county posts lists of plumbers, soil testers and pumpers.
• Commercial electrical: $0.09 per square foot (minimum $220), with separate fees by system rating that start at $495 for systems up to 25 kW.

How to apply for permits in Marquette County

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The order matters: no zoning permit is issued until the sanitary permit is, and the building permit follows the zoning permit, so start with the septic design. Variances and special exceptions wait for the monthly Board of Adjustment hearing after published notice, and a hearing with only one application can be pushed back a month. A new-home file is complete only with the cautionary statement, erosion control plan, ResCheck and heat loss calculation, and both sets of plans.

Inspections in Marquette County

General Engineering Company inspects work under county building permits; call its office at (608) 745-4070 to schedule, or speak with the inspector during the Courthouse hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. A new home receives an occupancy certificate ($94 per unit) after the final inspection. Septic installations are inspected under the county sanitary permit, and the county posts the form inspectors use to report on existing systems.

Zoning compliance is checked by the zoning office against the permit and the setbacks; the county asks owners to contact it before any construction or land use project so that every needed permit is identified first.

Wisconsin building code in Marquette County

Marquette County enforces the state Uniform Dwelling Code through its own delegation and Chapter 71, with General Engineering Company as its inspection agency. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Marquette County (community 550601) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current flood map dated December 18, 2012, and the county floodplain ordinance applies wherever those maps show flood hazard areas.

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

Marquette County permit search and official resources

Zoning districts and parcel information are on the county’s Land Information GIS map. For copies of past zoning, sanitary or building permits on a parcel, contact the Planning and Zoning office at 608-297-3036 or permits@marquettecountywi.gov; building permits in Montello, Endeavor, Neshkoro, the Village of Oxford and Springfield are issued by those municipalities.

• Planning and Zoning Department
• Building requirements, setbacks and jurisdiction
• Residential dwelling permitting (General Engineering)
• Zoning permit applications and forms
• General building permit application
• UDC fee schedule (7/2025–12/2026)
• 2026 zoning fee schedule
• 2026 sanitary fee schedule
• Sanitation and septic systems
• Zoning and land use ordinances
• Chapter 63 Shoreland Protection
• Variances and special exceptions
• Planning and zoning FAQ
• Highway Department permits and fees
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• WisDOT state highway connection permits
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Marquette County permit FAQs

Does Marquette County issue building permits?

Yes. Its Building and Mechanical Code applies everywhere except the Town of Springfield, the Villages of Endeavor, Neshkoro and Oxford and the City of Montello, with General Engineering Company as inspector.

Do I need a zoning permit for a shed?

Yes, for any shed or accessory structure of 100 square feet or more in a county-zoned town; the fee is $75.

How much is a building permit for a new house?

$0.33 per square foot including garage, decks and basement, with an $847 minimum, plus $94 plan review, $165 erosion control, $94 occupancy and a $40 seal.

Which towns have no county zoning?

Shields and Springfield, although county shoreland zoning still applies near lakes and streams there.

How much is a septic permit?

$375 for a conventional system and $475 for a mound, at-grade or in-ground pressurized system, plus plan review of $125 or $250.

How far from the water must I build?

At least 75 feet from the ordinary high-water mark of navigable waters, and from wetlands in county-zoned towns.

When does the Board of Adjustment meet?

On the last Thursday of the month at 1:00 p.m.; applications received by the end of a month are heard the following month.

What is the smallest house allowed?

In the zoned towns, 400 square feet of year-round living area and at least 20 feet wide.

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