Verona, Wisconsin Building Permit Guide

Inside the City of Verona, the city’s own Building Inspection Department (111 Lincoln Street, 608-848-9940) issues permits for houses, commercial buildings and the electrical, plumbing and HVAC work that goes with them, all on one “Uniform Building and Trades” permit per project. Its 2026 fee schedule says a permit is needed for any project over $500 or any item it lists, and a new house pays a $75 base fee plus 10 cents per square foot of all areas for the building portion. The Town of Verona next door is a separate municipality with its own permits.

What work requires a building permit in Verona?

Verona’s 2026 fee schedule requires a permit whenever a project costs more than $500, and for any item it names even when it costs less.

The shed and garage handout adds the zoning layer: a detached garage may not exceed 900 square feet, accessory buildings may not sit in easements or closer to the street than the house, and most residential districts need 5 feet from interior side and rear lot lines under ordinance 13-1-132.

What Verona decides and what the state holds

The technical rules are state codes: the department enforces the Uniform Dwelling Code for one- and two-family homes and the Wisconsin enrolled commercial codes for everything else. DSPS lists the City of Verona as a delegated UDC municipality (list current as of 9/24/2026), so new homes here are reviewed and inspected by city staff rather than a state-appointed inspector. The city sets its own fees, impact and park fees, the 2021 Zoning and Sign Ordinance (Title 13) and its stormwater rules. Deed and plat restrictions are recorded with the Dane County Register of Deeds, and the city says it neither holds nor enforces them.

Verona building department: who handles permitting

The Building Inspection Department (its forms call it the Department of Building and Code Enforcement) handles residential and commercial permits, trade permits, inspections and property standards complaints. Inspectors are often in the field, so book an appointment to meet one.

Addresses near the city edge may be in the Town of Verona, a separate DSPS-delegated municipality; check the parcel on the city’s zoning map first.

Verona permit types and filing documents

Every job starts on the same Uniform Permit Application (last updated May 2025). Use one form per project, name every contractor and subcontractor with license numbers, and tick each permit type; the instructions sheet says which sections each type needs.

Residential permits

• New homes and additions complete every section, including project areas, bedrooms (park fees are per bedroom) and lateral and meter sizes.
• Detached garages and sheds need zoning approval, two sets of scaled plans showing window and door sizes and a wall section, and a site plan with distances to every lot line.
• Decks, pools, fences, roofs, siding and windows use shorter parts of the same form, with flat fees on the 2026 schedule.
• Occupancy has its own Occupancy Permit Application.

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

Commercial permits

Commercial, industrial and multifamily projects carry a building group (Group 2 or 3 on the fee schedule) and a construction type on the application. Under a notice on the city’s commercial plan review page, the city now sends building, HVAC, egress lighting and energy review for larger projects to E-Plan Exam, while it keeps fire alarm, sprinkler and plumbing plan review for projects of every size. In-house building review covers new construction or additions up to 5,000 square feet and interior alterations up to 10,000 square feet, staff permitting. City reviews need the Building, Mechanical or Fire Plan Review Application (or the plumbing one) with three sets of plans and the submitter’s 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 and site plan. New commercial, industrial and certain multifamily buildings, additions and any change of use or occupancy go first to the Planning & Development Office for site plan approval and any conditional use permit. The office also handles certified survey maps, plats and annexations and staffs the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals; a variance costs $500.
• Erosion control and stormwater. Public Works issues an erosion control permit when a site disturbs more than 4,000 square feet, moves more than 400 cubic yards, disturbs more than 100 feet of ditch or 300 feet of buried pipe, alters a watercourse or wetland, or records a plat. A stormwater management permit is needed above 20,000 square feet of new impervious area (counted since August 21, 2001), for plats and certified survey maps and for redevelopment.
• Street and utility work. Work in the right-of-way needs a Street Opening / Work in the Right-of-Way application and 72 hours’ notice; driveway openings are priced on the building fee schedule.
• Floodplain. Verona participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (community 550092, flood map effective September 17, 2014).

Verona building-permit fees and plan review costs

Fees come from the City of Verona’s 2026 Plan Review and Permit Fees schedule. New construction, additions and remodels are priced by building group and floor area, where “all areas” means every floor level, the basement, attached garages, decks, porches and other roofed space. Group 1 is residential, Group 2 offices, shops, restaurants, schools and similar uses, Group 3 warehouses and factories. Sheds and garages of 200 square feet or less pay only the base fee.

Worked example. A new house measuring 3,000 square feet across all areas pays a building fee of $75 + (3,000 × $0.10) = $375, and the electrical, plumbing and HVAC portions each cost $75 + (3,000 × $0.06) = $255. With the $250 new-home plan review and the $75 state seal, those items total $1,465 before erosion control, utility and impact fees.

Development fees on new homes. The schedule adds a street tree fee of $450 per street side, a park development fee of $300 per bedroom, and impact fees on new construction listed as $310 per single-family unit, $213 per multifamily unit and $2.10 per $1,000 of project cost for non-residential buildings. New water and sewer connections pay by meter size: a 5/8- or 3/4-inch meter is $324 water impact and $551 sewer connection, a 1-inch meter $810 and $1,377.

Commercial plan review. The city charges a $100 plan entry fee plus a table rate by floor area: building plans start at $330 and HVAC plans at $220 for less than 2,500 square feet, and fire alarm or suppression plans at $130 each. Projects sent to E-Plan Exam are billed on that service’s terms, so confirm the route before budgeting.

Trade permits and who may pull them

Verona does not issue separate trade permits for a project: electrical, plumbing and HVAC portions are added to the project’s uniform permit, each with its own fee line, and city inspectors check the rough and final work. Standalone trade jobs use the same form and the flat fees above.

Electrician and plumber licenses, HVAC business registration and the dwelling contractor credentials are state requirements (see Wisconsin rules). Fire alarm and sprinkler permits are reviewed by the city with technical questions going to the Verona Fire Department; solar jobs add the city’s solar checklist.

How to apply for a Verona building permit

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The instructions sheet warns that incomplete forms cause delays, so missing contractor license numbers, project areas or bedroom counts are the first things to check. Commercial jobs lose time when site plan approval is still pending or when an oversized project is filed with the city instead of E-Plan Exam. Public Works does not start an erosion control or stormwater review until every required document is in.

Verona construction inspections and closeout

Inspections are booked in the city’s iWorQ permit and inspection portal, where you can also look up a permit by number or address. Scheduling needs a Contractor Access Code: contractors use their state registration number (building, dwelling, electrical or HVAC), and owners pulling their own permit get a code from the Building Inspection Department. The portal is only for permit inspections; ordinance complaints go through the city’s complaint form.

• Footing or floating slab before any concrete is poured.
• Rough construction once framing is complete and before interior finishes go on.
• Rough trades for electrical, plumbing and HVAC before anything is covered.
• Final inspection for occupancy when the structure is complete; on a garage or shed with no interior finish, the rough and final can be one visit.

Calling an inspector before the work is ready costs $75, and each extra visit to clear red-tag items costs another $75. Occupancy needs its own permit, and the fee doubles if a building is occupied without a required certificate. Public Works erosion control permit holders also self-inspect weekly and within 24 hours of a half-inch rain, logging each check in PermiTrack.

Wisconsin building code

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

Verona permit search and official resources

To check a permit’s status, search the iWorQ portal by permit number or address. The Construction Reports page posts a permit-by-permit list for each year back to 2010 (the 2025 report runs to 109 pages). For older files, plans or other city records, the city asks for its Open Records Request form or a request to the City Clerk.

• Verona Building Inspection Department
• Guide to Permits: contacts, hours and handouts
• Permit Fees 2026 (PDF)
• Uniform Permit Application, May 2025 (PDF)
• Residential Detached Garages and Storage Sheds, 2025 (PDF)
• Commercial Plan Review and E-Plan Exam notice
• Permit Tracking: how to search and schedule inspections
• iWorQ permit and inspection portal
• Construction Reports, 2010–2025
• Planning & Development Department
• Zoning Map and Ordinance (Title 13)
• Erosion Control and Stormwater Management permits
• Public Records and open records request
• DSPS UDC delegated agents list

Verona building-permit FAQ

Who issues building permits in the City of Verona?

The city’s Building Inspection Department at 111 Lincoln Street (608-848-9940). City staff also inspect new homes under the city’s UDC delegation.

Do I need a permit for a small project in Verona?

Yes once the job costs more than $500, and for any item on the fee schedule (roofs, windows, fences, water heaters and similar) whatever it costs.

Does a shed need a permit in Verona?

Not under 80 square feet, though setback and anchoring rules still apply; larger sheds and garages need zoning approval and a permit.

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

$75 plus $0.10 per square foot of all areas for the building portion, plus trade, plan review, seal, impact and utility fees.

How do I submit a Verona permit application?

Download the uniform application, fill it in, save it and email it with plans to buildinginspector@veronawi.gov, or file it at City Hall.

Who reviews commercial plans in Verona?

Larger building and HVAC plans now go to E-Plan Exam; the city keeps fire alarm, sprinkler and plumbing review and smaller projects.

Can a homeowner pull trade permits in Verona?

The uniform application has a “By Homeowner” box for electrical, plumbing and heating work, and an owner-occupant without a Dwelling Contractor certification initials the cautionary statement on the form.

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