Shawano County, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

In Shawano County, the Planning and Development Department (311 North Main Street, Shawano; 715-526-6766), led by Zoning Administrator Kyle Waelchli, issues sanitary (septic) permits and inspects every private septic system, handles shoreland permits in all towns, and issues land use permits in the 16 towns under county general zoning. It does not issue building permits: the Uniform Dwelling Code permit for a new home comes from the town, village or the City of Shawano. A land use permit for a typical house is $275, and permits are issued by appointment.

What requires a permit in Shawano County?

Which county permits apply depends on the town. Sixteen towns have accepted county general zoning: Angelica, Aniwa, Birnamwood, Fairbanks, Germania, Grant, Green Valley, Herman, Maple Grove, Morris, Navarino, Red Springs, Seneca, Washington, Waukechon and Wittenberg. In those towns a county land use permit is needed before any activity listed in section 40-232(b) of the zoning ordinance starts. Nine towns (Almon, Bartelme, Belle Plaine, Hartland, Hutchins, Lessor, Pella, Richmond and Wescott) handle their own general zoning, and no village or city is under county zoning.

The county’s fee schedule charges nothing for minor structures of 200 square feet or less away from the water, but a permit is still the rule, and the after-the-fact fee for an unpermitted minor structure is $300. In towns outside county zoning, the county’s permit chart says a county land use permit is needed only for shoreland or livestock waste projects.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The county writes the zoning (Chapter 40), shoreland, floodplain (Chapter 12), land division (Chapter 20) and septic (Chapter 38) ordinances and their fees. The building code is the state’s, and the county is not a UDC delegated agent on DSPS’s list current as of September 24, 2026. DSPS has delegated to the county the plan review of residential at-grade and mound septic systems up to 5,000 gallons a day, which is why the fee schedule adds a $400 review fee for those systems.

Shawano County building department: who handles permitting

Planning and Development issues the county permits, processes zone changes, conditional uses and variances for the Planning, Development and Zoning Committee and the Board of Adjustment, assigns E-911 addresses, inspects sites and issues violation notices. Permits are issued by appointment, Monday to Thursday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; most need an on-site visit, and the department warns the whole process can take up to 3 months when hearings are involved.

Towns, villages and Shawano: who permits a new home

DSPS’s list shows UDC delegations for the City of Shawano, nine of the ten villages (Birnamwood is listed under multiple counties) and 24 of the 25 towns; the Village of Bowler and the Town of Bartelme are not on it, so DSPS’s Inspector Lookup Tool gives their state-appointed inspector. The Village of Pulaski and the City of Marion, based in neighboring counties but voting in county elections, hold their own delegations too. The county’s permit requirement chart (May 19, 2026) lists each town’s inspector; it names the State for Bartelme and also for Germania, although DSPS shows Germania with its own delegation. Some towns also require a town administrative building permit and set minimum lot sizes, often 2 acres.

Shawano County permit types and application documents

Every county land use permit starts with the Preliminary Land Use Application form (revised July 23, 2026), and an Additional Project Form covers more than one structure. Staff tell you at the appointment what else to bring, usually a site plan like the county’s example. The Forms and Documents page also holds the sanitary permit application, soil evaluation report, holding tank agreement and servicing contract, privy and non-plumbing toilet permits, the ground disturbance application, pond requirements, and conditional use and variance applications.

Residential permits

• Sanitary permit. A certified soil tester evaluates the site and a licensed plumber designs the system; the county reviews and issues the permit and inspects the installation. Septic systems are part of the county maintenance program ($15 a year on the tax bill).
• Land use permit. In county-zoned towns, priced by structure size; shoreland projects anywhere in the towns have their own permit and may require mitigation or a 35-foot vegetative buffer.
• E-911 address. $75 for a new address.
• Town permits. The UDC permit, and in some towns a town administrative building permit and a driveway or culvert permit.

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

Commercial permits

A commercial land use permit is $600 in county-zoned towns, plus a conditional use where the district requires it. State plan approval and commercial electrical permits come from DSPS, except in the Town of Hartland, which DSPS lists as delegated for small commercial plan review, commercial inspection and commercial electrical. Commercial septic systems beyond the county’s POWTS delegation are reviewed by DSPS.

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

• Driveway. WisDOT for state or federal highways, the County Highway Department for county roads, the town for town roads; driveways or culverts in a possible wetland also need the Army Corps of Engineers and the DNR.
• Address, septic and land use. The county chart lists the E-911 address and sanitary permit for every town, then the county land use permit where it applies.
• Zoning changes. Zone changes and conditional uses go to a public hearing before the Planning, Development and Zoning Committee; variances under section 40-233 go to the Board of Adjustment.
• Land division. Certified survey maps are reviewed by the county ($250).

Shawano County zoning and sanitary permit costs

The Planning & Development fee schedule took effect January 1, 2025, with revisions enacted August 6 and September 3, 2025; the county posts it as its 2026 schedule. The department takes no action until the fee is paid. If a project starts before its permit or hearing approval, every applicable fee is tripled or set at 2% of the project cost, whichever is greater.

Worked example from the schedule: a 2,400-square-foot home (counted at its structure size) with a conventional septic system in a county-zoned town pays $275 for the land use permit, $600 for the sanitary permit, $30 to file the soil test and $75 for the address, $980 to the county before the town’s UDC permit. A mound system instead of a conventional one raises the septic cost to $700 plus the $400 review fee. Septic owners also pay the $15 yearly maintenance program fee, and the program’s $200 yearly late fee is assessed to taxes.

Trade permits and who may pull them

The county issues no electrical, plumbing or HVAC permits; on a house that work is inspected under the municipality’s UDC permit, and in the Town of Hartland commercial electrical work is permitted locally under its DSPS delegation. The county’s trade rule is for septic systems: with few exceptions, all work on a private onsite wastewater system must be done by a properly licensed plumber under a valid permit, and the county posts lists of licensed plumbers, certified soil testers and licensed pumpers. A privy or non-plumbing toilet has its own permit.

For a new home or addition, the state requires a Dwelling Contractor certification and a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier unless the owner who will live there does the work, and the town’s inspector may not issue the UDC permit without them. DSPS licenses electricians and plumbers and registers HVAC contractors; there is no state license for commercial general contractors.

How to apply for a Shawano County permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

Most permits need a site visit by the land use officer, and the department says the process can take up to 3 months where hearings are required. Unscheduled hearings cost an extra $950. Any data center project in a county-zoned town is on hold under the moratorium.

Inspections and final approval in Shawano County

The county inspects every septic system it permits and conducts on-site inspections for land use, shoreland and complaint cases, issuing violation notices where needed. Holding tank owners file servicing reports on the county’s form, and every system is tracked through the maintenance program. Building inspections of a new home are done by the town’s or municipality’s UDC inspector under the state stages: footings and foundation, rough framing and trades, insulation, and a final before occupancy.

Wisconsin building code in Shawano County

The county enforces land use, shoreland, floodplain and septic rules; the UDC is enforced by the City of Shawano, the villages and the towns or by DSPS-appointed inspectors, and commercial buildings by DSPS outside Hartland. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Shawano County (community 550412) as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, with flood maps effective July 17, 2024.

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

Shawano County permit search and official resources

The county’s online permit management system needs a user name and password, so for permit or septic records on a parcel call Planning and Development at 715-526-6766; copies are $0.25 a page. County Board and committee agendas and minutes, including the data center moratorium, are on the county’s CivicWeb portal.

• Planning and Development
• Zoning and the towns under county zoning
• Shoreland
• Private onsite wastewater treatment systems
• Permit records and permit types
• Planning and Development fee schedule
• Permit requirement chart by town (May 19, 2026)
• Preliminary land use application
• Sanitary permit application
• Forms and documents
• Ordinances
• Moratorium on data centers ordinance
• County agendas and minutes
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list
• DSPS delegated agent lists (commercial, POWTS)
• DSPS Inspector Lookup Tool
• FEMA Community Status Book, Wisconsin

Shawano County building permit FAQ

Does Shawano County issue building permits?

No. The county issues land use, shoreland and septic permits; the UDC building permit for a house comes from the town, village or the City of Shawano.

Is my town under county zoning?

Sixteen towns are: Angelica, Aniwa, Birnamwood, Fairbanks, Germania, Grant, Green Valley, Herman, Maple Grove, Morris, Navarino, Red Springs, Seneca, Washington, Waukechon and Wittenberg. The other nine towns, and all villages and the city, handle their own zoning, but county shoreland rules apply in all towns.

How much is a septic permit?

$600 for a conventional or in-ground pressure system, $700 for at-grade or mound (plus a $400 review fee), $750 for a holding tank and $1,200 for alternate technology.

Do I need a permit for a small shed?

In county-zoned towns, structures of 200 square feet or less carry no land use fee, but building one without the required permit brings a $300 after-the-fact fee; on a riparian lot the minor-structure permit is $100.

Can I walk in for a permit?

No. Permits are issued by appointment, Monday to Thursday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.; call 715-526-6766.

Can a data center be built in Shawano County now?

Not in the towns under county zoning: Ordinance 10-26, adopted June 24, 2026, suspends all county approvals for data centers there for 12 months from its effective date unless the County Board changes it.

What if I start work without a permit?

The county triples the applicable fees or charges 2% of the project cost, whichever is greater.

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