Menasha, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

The City of Menasha’s Building Inspection staff, part of Community Development, issue building, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits for the whole city, which spans Winnebago and Calumet counties. Andrew Dane is the Community Development Director. Residential applications go through the city’s online permitting portal, and the residential inspector keeps office hours on Monday and Wednesday mornings (920-967-3655). Commercial plans up to 50,000 cubic feet are reviewed in-house. Under the fee schedule effective August 5, 2024, a new house costs $0.14 per square foot of all areas, and a complete new-home application is approved or denied within 10 business days.

What requires a building permit in Menasha?

Menasha publishes a residential list of projects requiring permits and warns that it is not all-inclusive: if in doubt, call the inspector. Interior jobs such as adding a kitchen island or changing a kitchen layout are on it.

Driveways are split: Community Development reviews the private side and Engineering the public side. Some permits also need zoning approval, and changing a building’s occupancy brings in other departments.

What Menasha decides and what the state holds

The Menasha Building Code (Title 15) adopts the state commercial code, the dwelling code and the camping unit code by reference and applies the dwelling code to additions and remodeling of existing homes, garages and sheds, including those built before June 1, 1980. Local additions include a two-layer limit on roofing and a ban on asphalt siding except to match existing work. DSPS lists the city as delegated for new one- and two-family homes (list current as of 9/24/2026), for small commercial building and HVAC plan review, for commercial plumbing plan review and for commercial electrical inspection.

Menasha building department: who handles permitting

Separate inspectors handle residential and commercial building work, and each splits the day between site inspections and office work, so walk-in hours are limited. Commercial plumbing and electrical inspections are done by inspectors the city lists on its commercial page. Zoning questions go to Community Development before a permit is filed.

Menasha permit types

Residential permits are submitted and tracked online; the city asks applicants to read its permit packets first because they list what each submittal needs. Packets cover garages (with a grade request), new homes, razing, razing a house while keeping the foundation, temporary storage, deck framing, basement remodeling and residential roofing.

Residential permits

• New homes: the October 2026 packet asks for the online city application, a fully completed state electronic permit application, a grade request to Engineering (920-967-3610), the sanitary district receipt, signed erosion control conditions and the city’s inspection protocol. Plans include a scaled site plan with erosion measures, final house plans with wall bracing, a wall cross section, foundation details (soil, rebar to ACI 332-14 or 318-14, concrete strength), floor system plans, heat distribution layout and a signed energy worksheet; truss plans go to the inspector before the rough inspection.
• Zoning limits for houses: a 4/12 minimum roof pitch; attached garages up to 1,200 square feet in R-1 and R-1a or 1,300 in R-2 and R-2a, capped at 80% of the house’s floor area; detached garages up to 816 square feet for a single-family home in R-1 or 624 per unit in R-2.
• Later work: finishing a basement or bonus room approved as unfinished needs a new permit, plan review and fees.
• Backfill: the city posts a soil report listing permitted backfill soils for new construction.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial applications are emailed to the commercial inspector or delivered to City Hall, with separate electrical, HVAC, plumbing, raze, roof-siding-window-door and temporary storage forms. The city reviews commercial plans in-house for projects of 50,000 cubic feet or less: complete the state SBD-118 form, use its Table 2 to calculate the fee and submit both to the commercial inspector. New buildings and additions over 50,000 cubic feet go to DSPS. The city’s page says it may review interior alterations up to 100,000 square feet; DSPS’s small-commercial delegation is written as alterations under 100,000 cubic feet. Commercial plumbing plans with 16 or more fixtures are submitted to City Hall with the city’s plumbing plan review application.

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

• Zoning. The zoning code (Title 13) sets setbacks, garage sizes, heights and the number of structures; call Community Development before applying.
• Utilities and grade. No residential permit is issued until sewer, water, grading and graveling serve the lot, and the Engineering Department sets sidewalk, curb and driveway grades.
• Floodplain and shoreland. Floodplain zoning (chapter 13-3) and the shoreland-wetland district (13-2-C) apply along the city’s waterfront. After the 2026 tornado the city began substantial-damage reviews for damaged buildings in the FEMA floodplain, and properties with a base flood elevation need that elevation and the proposed building elevations set by a Wisconsin-licensed surveyor or engineer.
• Erosion control. Construction site erosion control and post-construction stormwater rules are in the city code; commercial erosion fees are set by Engineering.

Menasha building permit fees

The residential and commercial fee schedules posted by Building Inspection are dated effective August 5, 2024. The code has the Community Development Director recommend fees to the Common Council each year, and fees stand until the council changes them. Work begun before the permit is issued is charged double.

Worked example from the residential schedule: a new house with 2,600 square feet of total area pays $364 for the building permit, $75 erosion control, $50 occupancy, $33 state seal and $65 zoning, or $587. Trade permits at that size add $118 for HVAC and $144 each for electrical and plumbing, for $993 in all.

• Commercial building: new buildings and alterations $0.15 per square foot ($150 minimum); remodels $9 per $1,000 of value ($75 minimum); reroofing or residing $8 per $1,000 ($75 minimum); occupancy $100 per unit; early start $100 for footings and foundations only.
• Commercial trades: HVAC and electrical $50 plus $0.055 per square foot; plumbing $10 per fixture with a $250 minimum; replacements $10 per $1,000 of value.
• Razing: residential $50 for the first 1,000 square feet and $25 per 1,000 after; commercial double those amounts.
• Agricultural buildings: $0.04 per square foot new, $5 per $1,000 for remodels.
• Tornado repairs: the city’s tornado recovery page says roofing and siding repairs and fence repairs carry no permit fee and raze permit fees are temporarily waived; it gives no end date.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Menasha’s code adds local rules to the state trade licenses, and the residential project list notes which trades must be licensed.

• HVAC: the code requires heating contractors to hold a City of Menasha license, issued each year from March 1 to the end of February; the fee schedule sets it at $45 new and $30 to renew. The project list says HVAC installations are only by licensed HVAC contractors or qualifiers.
• Electrical: work requires a state license, but a homeowner may do work in the single-family home they own and live in, inspected like a licensed electrician’s work. Service equipment, panels, solar, and work on any residential property that is not an owner-occupied single-family home must be done by a licensed electrical contractor, and an owner may not take out a permit on a contractor’s behalf.
• Plumbing: only licensed master plumbers receive plumbing permits, except an owner installing plumbing in a single-family home they own and occupy. Excavating in a street for plumbing needs a $1,000 surety bond.
• Builders: new-home and remodel permits for contractors follow the state Dwelling Contractor credential rules; electrical and plumbing permits are taken out separately by those trades.
• Tornado mast repairs: if the mast is still attached and Menasha Utilities confirms it is undamaged, an electrician may reinstall it without a city inspection; a damaged or pulled meter needs an electrical permit.

How to apply for a Menasha building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The 10-business-day decision clock for new homes runs only from receipt of every form, fee, plan and document and the completion of other local prerequisites. The packet rejects preliminary or conceptual plans and sketched site plans, and it asks for plans marked final or construction-ready. Early starts are not being accepted for residential projects at present, so foundations wait for the full permit.

Inspections in Menasha

Schedule inspections at least one to two business days ahead: email the residential inspector, or call or email the commercial inspector. The new-home protocol asks for requests at least 24 hours before the work is ready and takes them in order received, shifting to the next day when the docket is full.

• Stages: new construction, additions and remodels are inspected at key points such as the foundation, framing, plumbing, electrical and final.
• Plans on site: house plans and the wall bracing plan must be on site for the rough-in, and truss profiles and layout for that inspection.
• Permit life: a permit is void if work does not start within four months or stops for 60 days, and all work must be completed within 12 months of issuance.
• Corrections: cited violations must be fixed within 30 days of written notice, after which a stop-work order may be posted; appeals of an inspector’s order go to the Board of Appeals.

Wisconsin building code in Menasha

Menasha enforces the state codes through its Title 15 building code and holds appointed-agent status for commercial plan examination. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Menasha (community 550510, in Calumet and Winnebago counties) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 17, 2003.

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

Menasha permit search and official resources

Permit applicants can track their own residential applications in the GovWell portal. For older permit records, use the City Clerk’s Open Records Request Form; the clerk’s page points to the city’s public records notice and chapter 3 of the municipal code.

• Menasha Building Inspection
• Residential inspection and permit packets
• Commercial inspection and plan review
• GovWell online permitting portal
• Residential projects requiring permits
• Building fee schedule (effective August 5, 2024)
• New one- and two-family dwelling packet
• Menasha city code
• Tornado recovery and rebuilding
• Open records requests
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• DSPS commercial building plan review delegated agents
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Menasha building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to remodel my kitchen in Menasha?

Often, yes. Changing the layout, adding cabinets, or adding an island or peninsula is on the city’s permit list, as is moving any wall.

How much is a permit for a new house?

$0.14 per square foot of all areas, plus $75 erosion control, $50 occupancy, a $33 state seal, $65 zoning and separate HVAC, electrical and plumbing permits.

How long does approval take?

For new homes, the city approves or denies within 10 business days of receiving everything required. Commercial plans over 50,000 cubic feet need DSPS review first.

Do tornado repairs need permits?

Yes. Roofing and siding repairs still need a residential building permit, but the city’s recovery page says there is no permit fee; raze permit fees are temporarily waived.

Can a homeowner do their own electrical or plumbing?

In a single-family home they own and occupy, yes, with a permit and inspection. Service panels and solar need a licensed electrical contractor.

Does an HVAC contractor need a city license?

Yes. Menasha’s code requires heating contractors to hold a city license, $45 new and $30 to renew.

Can I start foundations early?

Not at present. The residential inspection page says early starts are not being accepted.

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