In the City of New Richmond, the Building Inspection Department in Community Development issues residential and commercial building permits and also enforces the zoning ordinance. Applications go through the city’s online permit portal, and the Building & Zoning Office (715-243-0413) at City Hall, 156 East First Street, answers questions and books inspections. Community Development Director Beth Thompson heads the department. Permit fees start at $75 and follow a valuation table approved by the City Council on December 8, 2025.
What requires a building permit in New Richmond?
The city’s “When Do I Need a Permit” sheet (updated 2025) works through each kind of building and ends with a catch-all: any change over $500 needs a permit. Its main entries:
Permit needed
- New buildings, additions, and finishing or remodeling space
- Re-roofing, whether shingled over or torn off, and new siding
- Windows or doors where the opening changes
- New or replacement decks, detached garages and accessory buildings
- New wiring, new or upgraded electrical service, added switches, outlets or lights
- Added plumbing fixtures and water heaters
- Furnaces, boilers, central air and air handling systems
- Fences, signs, pools, spas, hot tubs, fireplaces, moving or razing a building
No permit
- Same-size window and door replacements
- Replacing floor coverings
- Replacing existing switches, outlets or light fixtures
- Water treatment devices and a secondary water meter
- Repairs to an existing fence
Two items stand apart on the list. A change of use of a building or space is a “please call” item, so ask the Building & Zoning Office before signing a lease. Outdoor wood boilers and outdoor wood-burning fireplaces are listed as not allowed at all. The city also asks owners to check private covenants before building, since the municipality does not enforce them.
What the city decides and what the state holds
New Richmond writes its own zoning (Chapter 121) and subdivision (Chapter 117) ordinances, erosion control and landscaping rules, impact fees and permit fees. The building codes are state codes. DSPS’s list of UDC delegated agents, current as of September 24, 2026, shows the city as delegated for new one- and two-family dwellings and names West Wisconsin Inspection Agency as its inspection firm. DSPS’s commercial lists of October 19, 2026 show the city delegated for plan review of small commercial buildings, fire sprinkler and alarm plan review at the same scale, commercial plumbing plan review, commercial building inspection, and commercial electrical permits and inspection (with Melstrom Inspections named for electrical).
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Get a free quote →New Richmond building department: who handles permitting
The Building Inspection Department issues building permits and makes the inspections the state requires, for houses and commercial buildings alike, and oversees zoning compliance across the city. The city warns that its inspectors are often out in the field, so call ahead to meet one at City Hall. Planning work such as annexations, land divisions, rezonings, site plan review, conditional uses and variances goes through the City Planner, who staffs the Plan Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Building & Zoning Office, Community Development, City Hall, 156 East First Street, New Richmond, WI 54017 |
| Phone | 715-243-0413 (Building & Zoning, inspections); 715-246-4268 (City Hall) |
| Hours | Monday to Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Friday 7:00 to 11:30 a.m. |
| Department head | Beth Thompson, Community Development Director, 715-243-0402 |
| Online applications | City online permit portal (newrichmondwi.ourcommunityconnect.com) |
| Outside the city | Towns of Richmond and Star Prairie: All Croix Inspections; Town of Stanton: West Wisconsin Inspection Agency (the city’s permit page gives their numbers) |
New Richmond permit types
Most permits start on the online application: you agree to the city’s permit terms, list every contractor and subcontractor with addresses and phone numbers, and upload plans and specifications. A printable application is also posted for those who prefer paper. Staff contact you if anything more is needed.
Residential permits
- New one- and two-family homes. The New Home packet asks for two sets of building plans (or a PDF if you apply online), and the erosion control, site stabilization and landscaping plan with its deposit. Review generally takes about two weeks; when the plans are approved and paid for, the permit is issued.
- Decks, accessory buildings, pools, fences and basements. The city posts a construction guide or application packet for each, plus residential driveway design standards. A fence must stay 3 feet from any side of a utility transformer, pedestal or cabinet and 10 feet from its door (3 feet if a gate at least as wide sits directly in front), and the utility will not replace fencing it removes from an easement.
- Re-roofing and re-siding. A flat $150 permit per building.
- Footing and foundation. The schedule lists a flat $150 footing and foundation permit per building.
Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles residential permit expediting, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.
Commercial permits
Commercial work is permitted by the same department. Within its DSPS delegation the city reviews small commercial buildings and their fire sprinkler and alarm plans; larger projects are reviewed by DSPS, and the city’s plan review fee does not apply to plans the state reviews. New commercial buildings and additions also pay $300 per unit each for plumbing and electrical. The Development Review Packet (2026) explains site plan review.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →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
- Zoning. Check the district on the interactive zoning map and the Chapter 121-36 district standards; rezonings are reviewed by the Plan Commission and decided by the City Council after a public hearing.
- Site plan and stormwater review. $275 plus a $2,000 escrow for projects that need it.
- Conditional use, variance and appeals. Conditional use $275 plus $2,000 escrow; a variance or appeal $275 plus a $500 escrow for a first request, $300 for a second.
- Land division. Certified survey map $225 plus $750 escrow; preliminary plat $435 plus $5 per lot over 6; final plat $275 plus $2 per lot.
- Erosion control and landscaping. A plan and deposit are required with every building permit application: $1,200 per dwelling unit for one- and two-family buildings, refunded after a Completion Certificate, which must be applied for within one year of the Certificate of Occupancy.
- Dumpsters on streets. Need prior approval from the Director of Public Works.
New Richmond permit costs and fees
Building permit fees come from the valuation table approved by the City Council on December 8, 2025 and effective January 1, 2026. Owners must report the full project cost, including labor, finish work, painting, roofing, electrical, plumbing and HVAC, and the inspector can assign a value under the city’s valuation calculator policy if the figure looks low. Values between table steps round up, the minimum permit is $75, and fees are non-refundable under code section 121-30(b)(1).
| Work | Fee |
|---|---|
| Project value $500 to $2,000 | $75 |
| Project value up to $200,000 | Table rate in $1,000 steps (e.g. $40,000 = $524.25; $200,000 = $1,484.25) |
| $200,001 to $500,000 | $1,484.25 plus $5.25 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $3,059.25 plus $4.50 per additional $1,000 |
| Over $1,000,000 | $5,309.25 plus $3 per additional $1,000 |
| Plan review (not for state-reviewed plans) | $100 per dwelling unit; $50 per addition, alteration, accessory structure or deck; $250 commercial |
| Reroof or reside / raze / move | $150 per building / $200 / $250 |
| State permit seal (one- and two-family) | Current state seal rate plus $2 |
| Re-inspection | $100 per trip |
| Permanent sign / temporary sign | $100 / $25 per event |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Worked example from the schedule: a new house valued at $350,000 pays $1,484.25 plus 150 × $5.25 ($787.50), or $2,271.75, plus the $100 plan review, $2,371.75 before the state seal. Work started without a permit is charged double under ordinance section 105-33. The online application terms still quote a $75 re-inspection fee; the 2026 schedule’s $100 is the current figure.
New homes also carry impact fees under the schedule effective July 1, 2023. A single-family home pays $681 for parks, $1,694 for the library, $221 for law enforcement, $1,431 for transportation and $312 for storm water ($4,339 in all), plus a sewer capacity (SAC) charge of $960 and a water impact fee of $1,312 for a 5/8- or 3/4-inch meter. Duplex and apartment units pay by unit size, and commercial, industrial and institutional projects pay per square foot.
Trade permits and who may pull them
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work is listed on the city’s permit sheet and inspected by the city at the rough-in and final stages; on a new home the permit application covers construction, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and erosion control together, with each contractor’s state license or certification number. Commercial buildings and additions pay the $300 per-unit plumbing and electrical charges in the 2026 schedule.
- Electrical: new circuits, rewiring, a new or upgraded service and added devices need a permit; one-for-one replacement of switches, outlets and fixtures does not. The temporary or permanent service must pass inspection before the city’s electric utility energizes it.
- Plumbing: added fixtures and water heaters need a permit; water treatment devices and a secondary meter do not. Laterals and underground piping are tested before they are covered.
- HVAC: new or replacement furnaces, boilers, central air and air handling systems all need a permit.
The city puts it on the owner or builder to check that every subcontractor’s state license is current. For a new home or addition the state requires a Dwelling Contractor certification and a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier unless the owner who lives there does the work. Electricians and plumbers are licensed by DSPS and HVAC firms register with it; commercial general contractors need no state license.
Rather not deal with the building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply for a New Richmond building permit
Outside the limits, the surrounding towns use their own inspection agencies.
Look up the district and setbacks (measured from property lines, never the curb) and read any private covenants.
Building plans, site plan, the erosion control and landscaping plan, and the contractor list with credential numbers.
Accept the terms on the city’s permit page and upload everything through the online portal, or use the printable application.
Applications are handled in the order received; new homes take about two weeks, and staff call if more is needed.
The permit is not issued or valid until the fees and any erosion deposit are paid; no excavation before then.
Review, corrections and what causes delay
The city states it cannot guarantee a turnaround time because of the volume of permit requests, and incomplete or inaccurate packets slow review further. Missing subcontractor details, an unreported labor value or a missing erosion control plan are the usual reasons staff come back with questions. Commercial plans above the city’s delegation limits wait on DSPS approval.
Inspections and occupancy in New Richmond
Call the Building & Zoning Office at 715-243-0413 to book inspections; the city prefers 48 hours’ notice and, under the Uniform Dwelling Code, has up to 2 business days to make an inspection after it is requested. Property lines must be marked at the first footing inspection. A new home goes through these stages:
- Water and sewer laterals, with an air or water test
- Footings and foundation forms before concrete; masonry walls after dampproofing, before backfill; drain tile where required
- Underground plumbing, tested, and the under-slab vapor barrier or insulation
- Temporary or permanent electrical service
- Rough plumbing, electrical, mechanical and framing
- Insulation and vapor retarders
- Final inspection
A Certificate of Occupancy follows a passed final, and nobody may move in until every condition on the final report is met. Each re-inspection is $100 under the 2026 schedule. Permits expire 24 months after issuance.
Wisconsin building code in New Richmond
New Richmond enforces the state codes as the delegated agency for one- and two-family dwellings and, within DSPS’s limits, for small commercial buildings, together with its zoning, subdivision and erosion control ordinances. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists New Richmond (community 550384) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective March 16, 2009.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →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
New Richmond permit search and official resources
For permit and inspection history on an address, ask the Building & Zoning Office at 715-243-0413; the department also posts a map of new residential dwelling units permitted in 2025. City fees and charges for copies are in the Clerk’s 2026 schedule of fees.
- Building permits and inspections
- Online permit application terms
- Online permit portal
- Building permit fees, effective January 1, 2026
- Schedule of impact fees (July 1, 2023)
- City 2026 schedule of fees (zoning, plats)
- When do I need a permit?
- New home building permit packet
- Erosion control, site stabilization and landscaping form
- Flyers, guides and other permit forms
- Zoning maps and ordinance
- Community Development staff
- DSPS UDC delegated agents list
- DSPS commercial delegated agent lists
- FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →New Richmond building permit FAQs
Do I need a permit to re-roof in New Richmond?
Yes. Re-roofing, whether over the old shingles or after a tear-off, needs a permit; it is a flat $150 per building, the same as re-siding.
Can I replace windows without a permit?
Yes, if the opening stays the same size. Changing a window or door opening needs a permit.
How much is a permit for a $350,000 house?
$2,271.75 under the 2026 table plus a $100 plan review, before the state seal, impact fees of $4,339, sewer and water connection fees and the $1,200 erosion deposit.
How long does a permit last?
24 months from the date it is issued.
Can I install an outdoor wood boiler?
No. The city’s permit sheet lists outdoor wood boilers and outdoor wood-burning fireplaces as not allowed.
I live just outside the city. Who issues my permit?
Your town’s inspector: All Croix Inspections for the towns of Richmond and Star Prairie, West Wisconsin Inspection Agency for the Town of Stanton, per the city’s permit page.
What if I start work before the permit is issued?
The permit fee is doubled under ordinance section 105-33, and no construction or excavation is allowed until the permit is paid for and issued.
Simplify New Richmond 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.
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Let Alliance prepare, file, and track your New Richmond permits while your crew stays on the job.
More Wisconsin permitting guides
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Read guide →Oconto County Building Permit Guide
Read guide →This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about New Richmond permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.