Salem Lakes, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

The Village of Salem Lakes moved its building and zoning work to Kenosha County, so permits for houses, additions, decks and commercial buildings are filed through the county’s online permitting portal and handled from the county building at 19600 75th Street in Bristol. County zoning administrators cover the village on set days, and the village’s state-delegated building inspection is done by the inspector the village lists. The village still approves driveways on village roads for $50. Under the county schedule the village posts, a new home pays $0.38 per square foot plus a $250 plan review.

What requires a building permit in Salem Lakes?

The fee schedule that Salem Lakes posts for its building and zoning work, the Kenosha County Division of Planning & Development schedule, shows what is permitted in the village by listing it. Building fees for Brighton, Paris and Salem Lakes cover new one- and two-family homes and attached garages, additions, remodels, repairs and alterations, detached garages and accessory buildings, sheds, decks and patios, fences, driveways off county highways, culverts, pools, spas and hot tubs, re-roofing and siding, razing, moving a building over a public road, and signs; separate electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits apply to the trade work.

What the village decides and what the state holds

Salem Lakes keeps its own ordinances: the Salem Lakes general zoning and shoreland/floodplain zoning ordinance, its floodplain rules and Ordinance 458 on driveways. The village’s two floodplain pages give different dates: the adoption tracking sheet lists a public hearing and adoption on January 22, 2024 and an effective date of April 11, 2024, while the floodplain mapping page says Ordinance 2024-02.75, effective February 5, 2024, repealed and recreated section 490-45, and that the updated Kenosha County flood study maps were adopted on April 11, 2024. Both pages agree that the updated flood maps took effect on April 11, 2024. The village keeps its own Plan Commission and Board of Appeals, with agendas and minutes on its site, and it has a 2050 comprehensive plan in public review draft (August 2025). Kenosha County administers the permits under those rules. The construction standards are the state’s Uniform Dwelling Code and Commercial Building Code, and the village holds the state delegation for new one- and two-family dwellings.

Salem Lakes building department: who handles permitting

The village’s building page says it plainly: the Building and Zoning Department has moved to Kenosha County, and questions about building and zoning go to the county. Two county zoning administrators serve Salem Lakes, one on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other Wednesday through Friday. The village lists its building inspector separately, and the state’s delegation list names Blue Line Inspections as the inspection agency for the village.

Salem Lakes is on the state’s Uniform Dwelling Code delegation list (current as of September 24, 2026) in its own right, with the village administrator as contact. Inspection of a new house is therefore done under the village’s delegation, while the county handles the paperwork, zoning review and fees.

Salem Lakes permit types and application documents

Building permits are applied for in the Kenosha County online permitting portal, which the village links from its building page. The village’s zoning page keeps the zoning forms used in Salem Lakes: a certificate of compliance application, comprehensive plan amendment, conditional use permit packet, cost recovery agreement, fire department site plan review checklist, land division, lot line adjustment, parcel combination affidavit, rezoning packet, shoreland permit application, site plan review, temporary use, variance, and waivers of liability for the survey and the foundation survey.

Residential permits

A new house runs through zoning and building together: the county zoning permit for a single-family home is $300, the building permit is charged by the square foot, and the file needs an erosion control permit and, at the end, an occupancy permit. The village’s forms list includes waivers of liability for the survey and for the foundation survey, and the building page posts an impervious surface area calculation worksheet.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial buildings pay $2,000 for a new principal structure in county zoning fees and $1,000 for an addition or alteration, plus building fees of $0.35 per square foot and a plan review of $300 plus $30 per unit. Site plan review is priced by building area, from $750 for 3,000 square feet or less, and the village’s fire department has its own site plan checklist.

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. The county zoning administrators review setbacks and use under the Salem Lakes zoning ordinances; rezonings, conditional uses and variances follow the village’s own fee lines.
• Floodplain and shoreland. The 2024 floodplain rules and maps, and a shoreland permit for lakefront work; the village still posts the 2020 floodplain mapping study for Camp and Center Lakes.
• Septic. Where there is no sewer, a county sanitary permit, priced from $475 for an in-ground gravity system.
• Driveway. A $50 village permit on village roads, or a Kenosha County permit on county roads.
• Access on WIS 83. The village posts the WIS 83 access management vision for the highway from WIS 50 to the state line.

Salem Lakes permit costs and fees

The fee schedule the village links is the Kenosha County Division of Planning & Development Fee Schedule, effective February 14, 2024; its building fee sections are headed “Brighton, Paris, Salem Lakes” and it has a separate section of Village of Salem Lakes zoning fees.

Most of the village lines include a $75 publication fee. Other lines that come up on house projects: razing or wrecking is $100 plus $0.12 per square foot (capped at $900), pools, spas and hot tubs are $13 per $1,000 of value with a $75 minimum, a culvert is $100, and a sign is $125. Erosion control plan review where no engineered stormwater plan is needed is $250. The schedule’s deck lines add up to $260 for a typical deck: $75 for the building permit, $50 for plan review, $60 for the zoning permit and $75 for erosion control. The village’s own driveway application for a village road shows a $50 fee, while the county schedule lists $75 for driveways not on a county highway; the village’s driveway page sends village-road driveways to its Highway Department, so ask which form applies before paying.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits for Salem Lakes are part of the same county system, with residential minimums of $75 each and a re-inspection fee of $75. A new structure pays $75 plus $0.05 per square foot for each trade; an electrical service upgrade or rewire is $75, plumbing fixtures are $10 each, and an air conditioner or new furnace is $75.

• Builders. A new one- or two-family home needs a state Dwelling Contractor certification and a certified Dwelling Contractor Qualifier unless the owner-occupant builds it.
• Owners on driveways. The village asks owners doing their own driveway to sign its homeowner waiver.
• Septic. County sanitary permits, from $475 for an in-ground gravity system to $775 for a mound, are on the same county schedule.
• Commercial trades. Commercial electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits have a $125, $75 and $125 minimum respectively.

How to apply for a Salem Lakes building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The two county zoning administrators split the week, one on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other Wednesday through Friday, so questions go to whoever is on duty that day. Projects needing a rezoning, conditional use or variance go through a village hearing with publication, and floodplain sites must meet the 2024 floodplain ordinance before a permit issues. New curb and gutter for a driveway needs a pre-pour inspection once it is framed.

Inspections in Salem Lakes

Building inspections in the village are done by the inspector the village lists, the agency the state’s delegation list names for Salem Lakes. The county schedule charges $100 for a re-inspection and $75 for failing to call for a required inspection on a home, and the occupancy permit for a new house is $100 ($100 for a temporary one).

Driveways have their own checks: the Salem Lakes Highway Department must approve the driveway before the permit issues, it must sit at least 2 feet off the property line and be no wider than 24 feet at the street, concrete is 7 inches thick where there is curb and gutter and 4 inches where there is not, and new curb and gutter sections need a pre-pour inspection.

Wisconsin building code

FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Salem Lakes (community 550505) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with a current effective flood map dated April 11, 2024, the date the village gives for adopting the updated Kenosha County flood insurance study maps prepared by the Wisconsin DNR with FEMA.

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

Salem Lakes permit search and official resources

Current building and zoning permits sit in the Kenosha County permitting portal. The county schedule also prices written answers about a property: buildability, re-buildability, zoning verification and floodplain review letters are $65 for the first parcel and $10 for each additional one, and processing a FEMA letter of map amendment request (out as shown) is $50. For village records, the village’s forms page has an Open Records Request form, and the Village Clerk answers license and permit questions at 262-843-2313, extension 5715.

• Salem Lakes building, zoning, planning and land use
• Salem Lakes zoning department forms
• Kenosha County online permitting portal (eTRAKiT)
• Zoning and building fee schedule (effective February 14, 2024)
• Driveway permitting
• Village driveway permit application
• Salem Lakes floodplain ordinance
• Floodplain ordinance adoption schedule
• Floodplain mapping update
• Impervious surface area worksheet
• Licenses, permits and other forms
• DSPS list of UDC delegated agents
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Salem Lakes building permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in Salem Lakes?

Kenosha County, which took over the village’s building and zoning work; applications go through the county’s online portal.

Where is the building office?

At the Kenosha County building, 19600 75th Street in Bristol. Village Hall, at 9814 Antioch Road, still takes driveway permits for village roads and open records requests.

How much is a permit for a new house?

The building permit is $0.38 per square foot, with a $250 plan review, a $300 zoning permit, a $200 erosion control fee, a $2,000 impact fee and a $100 occupancy permit, among other items.

Who approves my driveway?

The village Highway Department on village roads ($50 village form); Kenosha County’s Division of Highways on county roads.

Do I need a permit for a deck or fence?

Yes. Each is a $75 building fee, with zoning fees of $60 for a deck and $50 for a fence.

Who do I call about zoning?

The county zoning administrator: 262-960-2165 on Mondays and Tuesdays, 262-857-1901 Wednesday to Friday.

Does Salem Lakes have floodplain rules?

Yes. Ordinance 2024-02.75 recreated the floodplain section of its zoning ordinance, and the updated flood maps were adopted April 11, 2024; village staff answer map questions at 262-843-2313.

Who inspects new homes?

The village holds the state delegation, and the state’s list names Blue Line Inspections as its inspection agency.

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