Richfield, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

In the Village of Richfield, the village building inspectors at Village Hall, 4128 Hubertus Road (262-628-2260 ext. 117), issue every building, electrical, HVAC and plumbing permit, including in the hamlets of Hubertus and Colgate. DSPS lists the village as a delegated Uniform Dwelling Code municipality. A new house costs $0.36 per square foot plus $230 plan review under the fee schedule revised September 18, 2025, and because the village has no public sewer or water, every new home also needs a Washington County sanitary permit.

What requires a building permit in Richfield?

Richfield’s building rules are in Chapter 135 of the village code, Building Construction, which covers structures that are built, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, converted or demolished. The Building Inspections page and the inspectors’ procedures overview spell out the projects that need a village permit besides new houses and businesses.

Starting before a permit is issued doubles the fee, except in emergencies, and the inspectors may write citations daily for violations that are not corrected. Owners are asked to check setbacks before planning a project: in the RS-1 Country Estates district, for example, a house must sit 65 feet from the front lot line, 50 feet from the rear and 40 feet from each side. In most single-family districts a house may be 35 feet tall, while an accessory building is limited to 15 feet if it is 192 square feet or smaller and 20 feet if larger, never taller than the house.

What Richfield decides and what the state holds

Chapter 135 supplements the state statutes on construction, and Chapter 170 (zoning), Chapter 167 (erosion control and stormwater management) and the 2005 groundwater protection ordinance are the village’s own. The state’s Uniform Dwelling Code governs how a house is built; the village decides where it may go and what it costs to permit. Washington County keeps the private sewage system permit and its own county highway, shoreland and erosion triggers. A groundwater protection permit under that ordinance requires a $1,000 escrow, billed at actual hourly cost with the balance refunded.

Richfield building department: who handles permitting

The village’s building inspectors issue all building, electrical, HVAC and plumbing permits and oversee every phase of construction inside village limits. The Building Inspections page lists Mary Strankowski as the Building Inspector. DSPS’s list of Uniform Dwelling Code agents, current as of September 24, 2026, shows the Village of Richfield as delegated, so new one- and two-family homes are reviewed and inspected locally. This is the Washington County village, not the Towns of Richfield in Adams and Wood counties.

Zoning, floodplain and shoreland permits, site plans and conditional uses go through the Planning and Zoning Department, which staffs the Plan Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Architectural Review Board; Village Administrator Jim Healy is the department contact.

Richfield permit types

The Forms & Permits page posts fillable building, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, occupancy and sign permit applications, and the Building Inspections page links a full packet for each common project. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing permits can be paid online through the village website for a service fee. Plans for a remodel or addition need not be professionally drawn, but they must be legible and accurate, and a survey may be required if the village has none on file.

Residential permits

• New homes. The new home packet asks for three paper plan sets (one signed by the developer or architectural control committee where there is one), a digital copy, an energy calculation worksheet, a copy of the Washington County sanitary permit, two surveys showing the house, silt fence, tracking pad and driveway, the state building permit application (form SBD-5823), the builder’s state Dwelling Contractor Qualifier certification, the road bond and any impact fees.
• Remodels and accessory buildings. Additions, basement finishing, decks, sheds, garages, pools, fences, berms and roofing each have their own packet.
• Holding tanks. A holding tank agreement, available at Village Hall, must be signed before the plans go to Washington County.

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

Commercial permits

DSPS’s October 19, 2026 list of commercial plan review agents gives the village authority to review plans for small commercial buildings, generally new buildings under 50,000 cubic feet; larger projects go to the state. Business and industrial buildings get a village building permit priced by square foot, plus Plan Commission review of a site plan and business plan of operation (with Architectural Review Board approval first). The schedule notes that the state fee schedule for commercial projects may be charged instead of, or on top of, the village’s at the village’s discretion, and that review fees other agencies bill the village are due at application.

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. Zoning, floodplain and shoreland permits are filed on ZoningHub and approved by staff; Plan Commission items are due 35 days before the meeting, or 42 days when a public hearing is needed.
• Sanitary permit. With no village sewer or water, a new home needs a Washington County sanitary permit, and a new bedroom or work near a drain field or tank may also need county approval.
• County checklist. The village posts Washington County’s self-certification form: a county permit may be needed for a driveway on a county highway, work in the county’s mapped shoreland zone, ground disturbance over 4,000 square feet, 400 cubic yards of fill or 300 feet of ditch, more than 20,000 square feet of new hard surface, or a new road serving two or more homes.
• Driveway and culvert. A village driveway or culvert permit; culverts are at least 15 by 24 inches with flared ends.

Richfield permit costs and fees

All village fees are in one fee schedule, effective April 20, 2017 and last revised September 18, 2025, posted as the 2025 fee schedule. Permits start at $60, square footage is measured on exterior dimensions including the garage, each finished floor and unfinished basement areas, and all fees round up to the next dollar.

Impact fees. Each new single- or two-family dwelling unit pays $1,378 for parks and $1,853 for fire protection facilities, or $3,231 in total. There are no water or sewer hookup charges because the village has no municipal utilities. Worked example using the schedule: a house measuring 2,500 square feet under that rule is 2,500 × $0.36, or $900, plus $230 plan review, $175 erosion control and $60 occupancy, for $1,365 before the state seal, trade permits, the road bond and impact fees. The village’s New Housing Fee Report counts 27 new homes in 2025, with residential building permit fees for new homes averaging $7,670 each.

The planning section of the schedule lists a $75 zoning permit, a $225 shoreland, wetland or floodplain permit, $455 for a variance or zoning appeal, $450 for a certified survey map and $400 for a residential conditional use. The village’s new home packet still quotes $0.34 per square foot; the revised schedule’s $0.36 is the current figure.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The village inspectors issue and inspect all trade permits. The procedures overview says plumbers and electricians must hold state licenses to work in Richfield, and that any wiring for a pool, deck, shed or garage goes in under permit by a licensed electrician. Builders of new homes list their Dwelling Contractor Qualifier number on the village application.

• Electrical: a new house is $60 plus $0.05 per square foot, not counting the service; a 200-amp service is $35, a car charging station $60 and solar panels $120 plus the service. Every job costs at least $60, or $100 for commercial work.
• Plumbing: residential work starts at $50, including one fixture, and each added fixture is $12; building drain, sewer and water service runs start at $35 to $50 for the first 75 feet.
• HVAC: furnaces, boilers, air conditioners, fireplaces and wood stoves are $60 per unit, and duct systems $1.75 per 100 square feet of conditioned area.
• Fire protection: sprinkler systems are $0.50 per head and fire alarm systems $5 per initiating device, each with a $100 minimum.

How to apply for a Richfield building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The new home packet lists the survey, county sanitary permit and developer approval as required items, so an application missing them is incomplete, and work started before issuance doubles the fee. Business plans and conditional uses wait on the Plan Commission’s 35- or 42-day submittal deadlines and, for some items, a Village Board decision. A renewed permit may carry an additional plan review fee.

Inspections and occupancy in Richfield

The building permit form tells applicants to call 262-628-2260 at least 24 hours before every inspection and to have the permit number and address ready. A new home is inspected at the state Uniform Dwelling Code stages, and its survey must already show the silt fence and tracking pad the inspectors will look for. Re-inspections cost $60, and failing to call for a trade inspection costs $50.

An occupancy permit is $60 per residential unit, addition or accessory use, $175 for an office, commercial or industrial building and $100 for a change of tenant. The $2,000 road bond is refunded when the project is completed to village standards.

Wisconsin building code in Richfield

Richfield enforces the state codes through Chapter 135 of its village code as a DSPS-delegated UDC municipality. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Richfield (community 550518, Washington County) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective February 20, 2026; the village’s floodplain page explains how to see the flood layers on the county GIS viewer.

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

Richfield permit search and official resources

For an existing permit, a survey on file or a property’s inspection history, contact the building inspection office at 262-628-2260 ext. 117 or inspector@richfieldwi.gov; paper copies cost $0.25 a page under the fee schedule.

• Richfield Building Inspections
• Forms and permits
• Village fee schedule, revised September 18, 2025
• New Housing Fee Report
• Building permit procedures overview
• New home permit packet
• Building permit application
• Washington County permit self-certification
• Building code information and online payment
• Planning and zoning applications
• Living in a floodplain
• Groundwater protection
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Richfield building permit FAQs

How much is a building permit for a new house in Richfield?

$0.36 per square foot including the attached garage, plus $230 plan review, erosion control, occupancy, the state seal and trade permits; impact fees add $3,231 per house.

Can I email my permit application?

No. The village does not accept emailed applications; bring or mail them to Village Hall, although digital plan copies go to the inspector.

Who issues septic permits in Richfield?

Washington County. A new home needs the county sanitary permit before the village permit, and replacement systems or holding tanks may also go to the county.

Do I need a permit for a shed, fence or new roof?

Yes. A shed under 192 square feet is $50, and fences and roofing or siding are $60 each.

Can I do my own wiring or plumbing?

The village says plumbers and electricians must be state-licensed to work in Richfield, and wiring to accessory structures must be done by a licensed electrician.

How do I schedule an inspection?

Call 262-628-2260 at least 24 hours ahead with the permit number and address.

Does the village charge sewer or water hookup fees?

No. There are no municipal utilities, so homes rely on private wells and private sewage systems such as septic systems or holding tanks.

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