Neenah, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

In the City of Neenah, the Inspection Department at City Hall issues building, electrical, plumbing and heating permits and inspects the work; Kyle Pederson is the Chief Building and Electrical Inspector, and the department’s main line is 920-886-6130. Every permit application is filed through the city’s Evolve online portal, and commercial plans that would otherwise go to the state can be reviewed by E-Plan Exam within 15 business days. The city’s 2026 permit fee schedule charges $100 plus $0.18 per square foot of all areas for a new single-family home. The Town of Neenah is a separate municipality with its own permits.

What requires a building permit in Neenah?

The department’s advice is to call 920-886-6130 before starting, because its list is not complete. New buildings and additions always need a permit, and so does most remodeling that moves or removes walls or adds living space, such as finishing an attic or basement. Cosmetic and repair work such as reroofing, residing or replacing kitchen cabinets may not need one unless it touches structure, plumbing or wiring.

The deck size in the 2026 fee schedule is written as over 24 inches above grade or 25 square feet, one square foot more than the web page; ask the department if a small deck falls between the two.

What Neenah decides and what the state holds

DSPS lists the city as delegated for the state dwelling code on new one- and two-family homes (list current as of 9/24/2026), with a special commercial building and HVAC plan review delegation carried out through E-Plan Exam, commercial plumbing plan review through E-Plan Exam, and commercial electrical inspection by the city. Neenah sets its own fees, zoning, floodplain land use permits and landmarks program; the codes are state law.

Neenah building department: who handles permitting

The Inspection Department handles building, electrical, plumbing and heating permits and inspections, with separate inspectors for building and electrical work and for plumbing and heating. Planning and Zoning in Community Development handles rezoning, variances, special uses, site plan review, land divisions and floodplain land use permits.

Neenah permit types

All permit applications are on the Evolve Public portal, which also offers an online permit flow, a list of your own permits, a permit search and online payment. To apply, log in or create an account, pick the permit category and type, add every subcontractor, and upload the drawings as a single file.

Residential permits

• New homes and duplexes: the plan submittal handout asks for PDF files: a scaled site plan with all buildings, lot dimensions, setbacks, the driveway and approach, water courses, easements, drainage, erosion control and tracking pad, and the legal description; and building plans with four elevations, dimensioned floor plans, square footage totals for every floor and the garage, a footing-to-ridge cross section, room uses, an energy worksheet naming the furnace, wall bracing and truss plans. Add the Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier numbers, the electrical, plumbing and heating contractors’ names and license numbers, and the construction cost. Separate trade, erosion control and lateral permits follow.
• Additions and remodels: priced by area where it can be measured, otherwise by project cost.
• Garages and sheds: each property may have one garage, one storage shed and one gazebo. Detached garages are limited to 816 square feet, 10-foot walls on two elevations and 20 feet overall, and sheds to 200 square feet; an attached garage or one within 5 feet of the house needs a 30-foot rear yard, 6-foot side yards totaling 16 feet, and frost-protected footings, while buildings more than 5 feet away may sit 3 feet from rear and side lines (6 feet from a side line if built in the house’s side yard), all 25 feet back from the front lot line.
• Small structures: sheds, gazebos and qualifying decks are a flat $40, fences $30, foundation repair $40, and pools $40 to $100 depending on type, with an electrical permit also required for in-ground pools.
• Who may apply: an owner who lives in the home may pull remodeling permits. A contractor, or an owner who does not live there, needs the state Dwelling Contractor credential, which the city’s page notes costs $35 a year with proof of $250,000 in general liability insurance, plus the Dwelling Contractor Qualifier credential held by an individual and renewed every two years.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial building, HVAC, plumbing, fire alarm and fire sprinkler plans that would normally go to the state can be submitted to E-Plan Exam through its online project portal, and review is completed within 15 business days of complete paperwork and fees. Once approved, file the building permit and trade permits on Evolve. The city charges a $75 commercial plan review fee for projects that are not state-approved, and new commercial buildings carry a $300 assessment fee.

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 and site plan review. Site plan review costs $200 for a minor and $400 for a major plan, $100 for a parking lot and $150 for a change of use; a telecommunication tower is $3,000.
• Variances and special uses. A variance or appeal application is $350, a special use $500 and a rezoning $500 under the 2024 planning fee schedule.
• Floodplain. Building in the mapped floodplain needs a floodplain land use permit, $100 residential or $200 commercial; a map amendment is $500.
• Land division. Certified survey map review is $125 in the 2026 permit schedule and $150 on the 2024 planning schedule page; final plats are $100 plus $10 per lot. The city reviews extraterritorial certified survey maps as well.
• Driveways. For driveways built on or after May 1, 2023, the city requires a hard surface, a 2-foot side setback, no extension in front of the house and, for a single-family home, a 30-foot maximum width at the front property line; the apron in the right of way needs a Public Works excavation permit (920-886-6240).
• Subdivision costs. The city’s January 2026 housing fee report lists impact fees of $1,000 per acre for subdivisions, $1,000 per acre for oversized sanitary sewer and $2,240.95 per acre for water main oversizing, and a stormwater management fee of $200 plus $75 per lot.

Neenah building permit fees

The city links its “Current Permit and Assessment Fee Schedule”, titled Permit Fee Schedule 2026, from the permits page; the document does not print an adoption date. Square-foot fees count all areas.

Worked example from the 2026 schedule: a new single-family home of 2,400 square feet pays $100 plus $432, or $532, for the building permit. Plumbing, electrical and HVAC permits are $122 each at that size. Adding the $175 erosion control fee, $30 plan review, $100 assessment fee and $100 new lateral permit brings the total to $1,303.

• Plumbing extras: fixture-count work is $30 plus $8 per fixture for residential; a water heater replacement is $35; commercial laterals are $50 plus $10 per inch of diameter plus $8 per fixture.
• Electrical by cost: where area does not apply, electrical permits run from $30 (work up to $300) to $443 plus $1 per $1,000 (work over $100,000).
• Demolition: $30 for garages and sheds, $100 residential and $200 commercial, plus a bond check of $500 to $2,000 by building volume.
• Moving a building: $200 plus a $10,000 to $25,000 bond check and insurance.
• Solar: $10 per kilowatt for photovoltaic systems, $30 minimum.
• Code enforcement notices: $50 for a second notice and $100 for each notice after.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Neenah issues and inspects electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits itself. The chief building inspector also covers electrical work, and DSPS lists the chief inspector as the city’s commercial electrical inspector; a separate inspector handles plumbing and heating.

• Electrical: new homes and additions are priced by area; service-only work is $50 plus $10 per 100 amps.
• Plumbing: new homes by area; small jobs by fixture count; laterals, well license renewals and well abandonments have their own fees.
• HVAC: new work by area; replacements in one- and two-family homes by appliance; fireplaces, stoves and garage heaters $30 each for replacements and additions.
• Licenses: the city’s license page links the state credential search so owners can check that a contractor is properly licensed before the permit is filed.
• Commercial trade plans: commercial HVAC and plumbing plans go to E-Plan Exam with the building plans.

How to apply for a Neenah building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

E-Plan Exam’s 15-business-day review starts only when all required paperwork and fees are in. On residential jobs, settle the scope questions on the city’s permit page before applying: whether a remodel is structural, whether it adds living space, and where the lot lines are, which the city’s Finding My Lot Line page explains.

Inspections in Neenah

Inspections are requested through the city’s online Request an Inspection form or by calling the department at 920-886-6130.

• Re-inspections: a failed or repeat inspection for building, electrical, HVAC or plumbing work costs $75.
• Smoke and CO alarms: the department posts the carbon monoxide and smoke detector rules that apply to all dwellings.
• Commercial: DSPS lists the city for commercial building, HVAC, fire suppression and fire alarm inspections as well as commercial electrical inspections.
• Activity reports: the department publishes a monthly permit summary, with reports posted through October 2026.

Wisconsin building code in Neenah

Neenah enforces the state dwelling code on new homes under its DSPS delegation and handles commercial plan review through E-Plan Exam under its special delegation. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Neenah (community 550509) 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

Neenah permit search and official resources

The Evolve portal includes a permit search, and the monthly building activity reports list permits issued. The city’s ordinances are published through the Municipal Code page.

• Neenah Inspection Department
• Evolve Public online permitting and permit search
• When do I need a permit?
• Permits, forms, applications and fees
• Permit Fee Schedule 2026
• Planning and zoning fees
• License information for contractors and homeowners
• Plan submittal requirements for new homes
• Garages and storage sheds handout
• Residential driveway standards
• Building activity reports
• Request an inspection
• Municipal code
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• DSPS commercial building plan review delegated agents
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Neenah building permit FAQs

Do I need a permit to reroof my house in Neenah?

Not usually. The city says reroofing and residing may not need a permit unless the work involves structural items or the plumbing or electrical system; call 920-886-6130 to confirm.

How much is a permit for a new house?

$100 plus $0.18 per square foot of all areas, with a $200 minimum, plus separate trade permits, erosion control, plan review and assessment fees.

Can I apply in person?

The city’s permits page says all permit applications are available through the Evolve online portal; call 920-886-6130 with questions about filing.

How long does commercial plan review take?

E-Plan Exam completes reviews within 15 business days of receiving all paperwork and fees.

Does a fence need a permit?

Yes, new and replacement fences need a permit: $30 residential and $60 commercial.

Can a homeowner pull a permit?

An owner who lives in the home may pull remodeling permits. Others need the state contractor credentials.

Does the city issue permits in the Town of Neenah?

No. The Town of Neenah has its own DSPS delegation, and Winnebago County zoning applies there; see the Winnebago County guide.

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