Price County, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Price County’s Zoning & Land Conservation Department, in the Normal / Annex Building, 104 South Eyder Avenue, Room 205, Phillips (715-339-3272), issues land use permits under the county zoning and shoreland ordinances and all sanitary (septic) permits. It does not issue building permits: the county’s Uniform Dwelling Code sheet sends owners to the UDC inspection agency, and DSPS lists no county delegation. Under the 2025 fee schedule a new home’s land use permit is $0.22 per square foot of finished area, including basements and lofts.

What requires a permit in Price County?

A county land use permit is needed for new homes and mobile homes, additions, accessory buildings, decks and three-season porches, moving a structure, remodeling, and grading or filling near water where county zoning applies. A new dwelling also needs a state sanitary permit or a privy permit unless it already has a working septic system or privy, and a UDC building permit from the municipality.

Where county zoning applies is set out on the department’s page. The shoreland ordinance covers all property within 1,000 feet of a lake or flowage and within 300 feet of a river, creek or stream. The same page says all unincorporated land is under county zoning except the non-shoreland areas of the towns of Kennan, Catawba, Georgetown, Ogema and Hill, where the town chairman handles zoning questions, and also says all 17 towns have adopted the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance; owners in those five towns should ask the department which applies to their parcel. Grading or filling of more than 10,000 square feet may also need a DNR permit.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county writes the zoning, shoreland and land division rules, sets permit fees through the County Board of Supervisors and runs the private sewage program: every dwelling with pressurized water must have a septic system, only Wisconsin licensed plumbers may install or repair one, and a sanitary permit is required before any new dwelling permit. The construction rules for one- and two-family homes are the state Uniform Dwelling Code, enforced by each municipality’s inspection agency; the county’s sheet notes that UDC permits are also needed to install HUD-code manufactured homes built after April 1, 2007. Commercial buildings follow the state commercial code and DSPS plan review.

Price County building department: who handles permitting

The Zoning & Land Conservation Department, led by Land Conservation and Zoning Administrator Evan Lund, handles land use, sanitary and land division permits, 911 numbers, conditional uses and special exceptions, and supports the Board of Adjustment. UDC building permits are separate. The county’s UDC information sheet names one inspection agency, T.A.K. Inspections of Phillips, as serving every town, village and city in the county, and DSPS’s list of UDC delegated agents (current as of September 24, 2026) has no Price County entry, so the county holds no delegation of its own.

Towns, villages and cities in Price County

DSPS lists 18 of the county’s 22 municipalities as delegated for new one- and two-family dwellings. For the four that are not listed, the DSPS page directs owners to its Inspector Lookup Tool to find the state-appointed UDC inspector; the county’s sheet lists T.A.K. Inspections for them as well. Starred places on the county sheet also require UDC permits and inspections for major additions and renovations to existing homes.

Price County permit types

The county posts its land use permit application, building requirements guide, fee schedule, conditional use, special exception, land division and rezoning forms, the plumbers and soil testers list, and the sanitary, privy, holding tank and maintenance forms on one page, and reminds applicants that a project may also need town, state or federal permits.

Residential permits

• Land use permit. Fill in both sides of the application with a plot plan showing the site against lot lines, roads and lakes, multiply the square footage by the fee rate, and stake out the house, addition or building. The department checks the setbacks and, if all is in order, posts the permit.
• State sanitary permit. A soil test comes first; a Wisconsin licensed plumber then prepares and submits the permit. The county suggests getting it at least a year before building, and it is good for two years. A bedroom addition that changes wastewater flow needs the septic tank pumped and inspected.
• Privy permit. For a dwelling without pressurized water: an open-pit privy needs a soil boring by a certified soil tester and the privy installation agreement, while a vaulted privy needs only the agreement. Only vaulted privies are allowed in shoreland areas.
• 911 number. A new home needs a 911 emergency number application ($50), signed off with the driveway access permit.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial and other non-dwelling projects in county-zoned areas use the same land use permit, and uses that need a conditional use permit ($350) or special exception ($350) go through the county’s hearing process. Nonmetallic mines need a $500 conditional use permit, metallic mining a $10,000 annual permit and junkyards a $500 five-year permit. Commercial building plans follow the state commercial code and DSPS plan review.

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

What comes before the building permit

• Sanitary or privy permit. Required before the land use permit for a new dwelling, and before any new dwelling permit.
• Driveway access. Town road: the town chairman signs the access permit (Elk, Emery, Fifield and Lake have their own forms; Fifield and Lake charge $50 through the county). County highway: the Price County Highway Department. State highway: a WisDOT connection permit.
• Land division. Certified survey maps and county plats go through the department.
• Rezoning or variance. A zoning amendment petition ($400) or an appeal to the Board of Adjustment ($750).
• UDC permit. From the municipality’s inspection agency, before construction begins.

Price County permit fees

The county’s 2025 Fee Schedule says all zoning fees are set by the Price County Board of Supervisors. Land use fees for houses are based on finished area, including basements and lofts. After-the-fact permits cost double, and a $20 re-inspection fee applies if the project is not staked out when the site is checked.

Worked example from the schedule: a new house with 1,800 square feet of finished area, counting a finished basement, pays 1,800 × $0.22 = $396 for the land use permit, plus $450 for a mound sanitary permit and $50 for the 911 number, $896 to the county. The municipal UDC permit is priced by its inspection agency; the county’s UDC sheet warns that starting before the UDC permit is issued adds 50% to that fee. Copies of records cost $0.25 a page, with labor at $20 an hour for reports.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Price County issues no electrical, plumbing or HVAC permits for buildings. Trade work in a new home is handled under the municipality’s UDC permit by its inspection agency, and commercial trade work follows the state codes. The county’s part is the private sewage system:

• Septic installation and repair: only Wisconsin licensed plumbers, who submit the state sanitary permit to the county after a certified soil test. The county posts a list of plumbers and soil testers.
• Maintenance: owners keep systems serviced under the septic maintenance agreement, with three-year inspection and pumping reports, and holding tanks need a servicing contract and agreement.
• Existing systems: the county’s existing POWTS inspection form is used when an older system has to be checked, for example before a bedroom addition.

Builders of new one- and two-family homes need the state Dwelling Contractor and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier certifications to obtain the UDC permit, unless the owner will live in the home.

How to apply for Price County permits

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The land use permit for a new dwelling cannot be issued without the sanitary or privy permit, so a late soil test holds up everything else. An unstaked site means a return trip and a $20 re-inspection fee. Starting construction before the UDC permit is issued adds 50% to that permit’s fee, and land use work done without a permit costs double.

Inspections and final approval

The county’s inspection is a site check: the department verifies setback distances on the staked project before posting the land use permit, and septic systems are inspected under the sanitary permit. Building inspections for new homes, and in Fifield, Lake, Park Falls and Phillips for major additions and renovations, are made by the municipality’s UDC inspection agency under its permit, so schedule them with that agency.

After a septic system is in use, the county’s maintenance program asks for an inspection and pumping report every three years, filed through the county’s online system or on the paper form for owners without access. Holding tanks are serviced under a contract on file with the county.

Wisconsin building code in Price County

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Price County (community 550343) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program in the regular program since December 5, 1989; it prints no current map date for the county. Floodplain questions go to the Zoning & Land Conservation Department.

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

Price County permit search and official resources

For a copy of a land use or sanitary permit, ask the Zoning & Land Conservation Department; copies are $0.25 a page and the county’s ordinances are free. The county’s ordinances are posted on its eCode360 page.

• Zoning and Land Conservation
• Permits, applications and general information
• Land use permit application
• Price County building requirements
• Zoning fee schedule (2025)
• Uniform Dwelling Code information
• Sanitary permit application requirements
• Septic systems
• General town driveway access permit
• 911 emergency number application
• County ordinances
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Price County building permit FAQs

Does Price County issue building permits?

No. It issues land use and sanitary permits; the UDC building permit comes from the municipality’s inspection agency, which the county lists as T.A.K. Inspections throughout the county.

How much is a land use permit for a new house?

$0.22 per square foot of finished area, including finished basements and lofts, with a $100 minimum under the 2025 schedule.

Do I need a permit for a small addition?

Not a county land use permit if it adds 80 square feet or less of horizontal expansion, but it must still meet setbacks; check the UDC rule in Fifield, Lake, Park Falls and Phillips.

How long is a sanitary permit good for?

Two years; the county suggests getting it a year before you plan to build.

Can I use a privy instead of a septic system?

Only for a dwelling without pressurized water, and in shoreland areas only a vaulted privy.

Which waters count as shoreland?

Land within 1,000 feet of a lake or flowage or 300 feet of a river, creek or stream.

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