Monroe, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

In the City of Monroe, permits are issued by the Building Inspection division at City Hall, 1110 18th Avenue (608-329-2518), where Ryan Lindsey is the Building Inspector. The city takes permit applications online only, and its 2026 fee schedule charges a new house $0.15 per square foot for the building permit plus $0.06 per square foot each for the electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits.

What requires a building permit in Monroe?

Monroe’s building inspection FAQ says a permit is needed for any project that changes the structure of a building, and for maintenance or repair once materials cost more than $1,999. It names roofing, fences, decks, pools and plumbing, electrical or HVAC work as permit jobs, along with additions, demolition and sheds over 80 square feet.

Exempt work must still meet zoning and building rules. A shed under 80 square feet still needs a sketch and must respect setbacks, and the city’s fee schedule lists the same exemptions as the FAQ.

What Monroe decides and what the state holds

Monroe adopted its modified building regulations (Title 4 of the city code: building code, housing and property maintenance, and swimming pools) on February 17, 2015, and they add to the state codes rather than replace them. The city runs its own zoning code with 11 districts, a downtown historic district, and stormwater and erosion control rules in Chapter 11 of the zoning title. DSPS’s UDC delegated-agent list, current as of September 24, 2026, shows the City of Monroe as delegated for new one- and two-family homes, so the city issues the state permit seal and inspects. The Town of Monroe is a different municipality with its own entry on the same list, so check which one a parcel is in.

Monroe building department: who handles permitting

One office handles it all: the Building Inspection division receives applications, issues permits and certificates, and inspects construction, including electrical, plumbing and HVAC installations. The Building Inspector answers emails, calls and permit requests Monday to Friday, but plan reviews and inspections happen only on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., by appointment. Zoning questions go to the Zoning Administrator in the Code Enforcement Division, who meets people by appointment only.

Monroe permit types

Every permit starts on the city’s online Building Permit Form. The city asks you to list every contractor and subcontractor with their business and individual credential numbers, and it charges and collects all of a project’s fees at one time. Plans and specifications are requested when the job needs them.

Residential permits

• New houses and additions pay by floor area, counting every level, the basement, attached garage, porches and all enclosed space under roof, with a $100 single-family plan review and a $50 state permit seal.
• Garages and sheds need a sketch showing distances to lot lines and the house. Accessory buildings stay in the side or rear yard, 2 feet from side lines and 6 feet from the rear, no larger than 864 square feet or taller than 18 feet, and together under 30% of the lot.
• Fences and pools. Fences may be 6 feet tall in a rear yard and 4 feet elsewhere, at least 2 feet from public right-of-way. A pool needs a permanent enclosure at least 4 feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates within 10 days of completion.
• Driveways take a $60 permit and a sketch emailed to the inspector: 3 feet from side lot lines, 10 feet from the right-of-way, and 10 to 24 feet wide at the right-of-way for a house.

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

Commercial permits

Monroe is fully delegated by the state for building, HVAC, plumbing, fire alarm and fire sprinkler plan review of any size, and it uses E-Plan Services to run those reviews. Before filing with E-Plan, call the Building Inspector: new construction under 5,000 square feet or alterations under 10,000 square feet can often be reviewed and permitted by the city directly. Owners who prefer the state can still file with DSPS. Sprinkler and fire alarm work also needs the city’s fire suppression and alarm permit, signed by a licensed contractor, with a state-licensed plumber for any connection to the drinking water supply and the fire chief’s approval.

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

• Zoning. Conditional uses, rezonings and planned developments go to the Plan Commission; variances go to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Historic district. Work that changes the visible surface of a building in the historic district needs a certificate of appropriateness, decided within 45 days. A building permit for that work is invalid without it. The Building Inspector can approve like-for-like roofs, gutters, chimneys, awnings and signs administratively.
• Industrial park design review applies to buildings in the industrial park district.
• Erosion control and stormwater. The fee schedule lists an erosion control permit, and the application warns that disturbing an acre or more of soil brings in state rule NR 151; the city’s post-construction stormwater permit costs $125 for the first disturbed acre and $175 for each added acre.
• Utilities. Plumbers and contractors must contact the Water and Wastewater Utilities whenever they work on the water or sanitary sewer system.

Monroe permit costs and fees

Fees come from the city’s 2026 fee schedule, which lists 2025 and 2026 amounts side by side. New buildings are charged per square foot by building group: Group 1 covers houses, rooming houses, residential garages and sheds; Group 2 offices, shops, restaurants, churches, schools and similar buildings; Group 3 warehouses, factories and utility buildings. Fees are rounded to the nearest dollar.

When an owner supplies the labor, the schedule doubles the materials cost to set the alteration fee. Worked example from the schedule: a new house with 2,000 square feet of counted area pays $300 for the building permit, $120 each for electrical, plumbing and HVAC ($360), the $100 plan review and the $50 seal, or $810 in all, plus $150 if an erosion control permit is needed. The city’s December 2025 housing fee report lists no impact fee or park fee; a new building pays a $150 sewer connection fee and a $50 water meter fee, and homes pay a $68 annual stormwater utility fee. Zoning fees are $250 for a conditional use or rezoning, $300 for a variance and $400 for a planned development. The FAQ page still quotes a $50 minimum and 1% above $5,000, which the 2026 schedule replaces.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are separate line items on the same online application and are inspected by the city’s Building Inspector, who enforces the city’s rules for all three trades. The application asks for every contractor’s business and individual credential numbers. The city’s FAQ puts the owner rule simply: licensed contractors are required for rental properties, but an owner who lives in a single-family home may do the work there without hiring one.

• Electrical, plumbing and HVAC on new buildings are priced at $0.06 per square foot for houses and most commercial buildings and $0.05 for warehouses and industrial buildings.
• Alterations are 1% of the trade’s cost, with a $60 minimum on a house.
• Fire sprinklers are reviewed and inspected for $100 under 100 heads, $150 up to 250 and $175 above, and $50 for modifications; changes to 20 heads or fewer have no fee but still need approval. Fire alarm systems are $100 under 5,000 square feet, $150 to 10,000 and $175 above.
• Water and sewer work needs a call to the city’s Water and Wastewater Utilities, which publish a contractor and plumber specification guide.

How to apply for a Monroe building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Once every required item is in, a permit is usually issued in 2 to 3 business days. Missing contractor details or an incomplete form are the delays the city warns about. Plan reviews run only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so plan around those days. A permit lasts 2 years but expires if work stops for 6 months; a new permit is then needed.

Inspections in Monroe

Schedule inspections by phone or email with the Building Inspector (608-329-2518 or inspector@cityofmonroe.org); they are done on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The permit holder is responsible for calling for each inspection the permit requires. Fire suppression and alarm permits carry their own inspection record: underground service, rough, pressure test, backflow protection, hydrostatic test and final, followed by the fire chief’s approval.

An additional inspection costs $60, and an inspection of work done without a permit costs $100 on top of a penalty equal to the permit fee. For a new house the city, as the delegated agent, issues the state permit seal and makes the dwelling code inspections.

Wisconsin building code in Monroe

Monroe enforces the state dwelling and commercial codes with its own Title 4 building regulations and holds full state delegation for commercial building, HVAC, plumbing, fire alarm and sprinkler plan review. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Monroe (community 550162) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective May 18, 2009.

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

Monroe permit search and official resources

For a property’s permit history, ask the Building Inspection division at 608-329-2518. The City Clerk’s office at City Hall handles public records requests for the records it keeps, including Common Council and committee minutes.

• Building Inspection, Property Maintenance and Code Enforcement
• Building permit application page
• Online building permit form (iWorQ)
• 2026 City of Monroe fee schedule
• Building inspection FAQ
• Detached garage or shed requirements
• Residential driveway requirements
• Fire suppression and fire alarm permit application
• E-Plan Services delegated plan review
• Zoning, Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals
• Historic district construction rules
• Housing affordability and fee report, December 2025
• City Clerk and public records
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Monroe building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit for a shed in Monroe?

Only at 80 square feet or more, or if it stores a vehicle. A smaller shed needs no permit but must meet setbacks; sheds of 80 square feet or more need a foundation or slab.

Do I need a permit to replace my roof?

Yes. Roofing is on the city’s permit list; in the historic district a like-for-like roof can be approved administratively by the Building Inspector.

How much is a permit for a remodel?

1% of the construction cost for each trade involved, with a $60 minimum for residential work under the 2026 schedule.

Can I apply in person?

No. The city accepts permit applications online only, through the form linked from its building permit page.

Can I do the work on my own house?

The city’s FAQ says an owner living in a single-family home does not have to hire licensed contractors there; rental properties require them, and a permit is still needed.

When are inspections done?

Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.; book by phone or email with the Building Inspector.

Does a fence need a permit?

Yes, if it is more than 15 feet long. Fences may be 6 feet tall in a rear yard and 4 feet elsewhere; the permit costs $60.

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