01 / SAMPLE SCREEN
Check the property and permit path
Start with an address and a proposed project. See available parcel and authority evidence, likely next steps, and the questions that still need local confirmation.
Try Permit CheckProperty intelligence for building permits and zoning
Know what you can build.
Know what to do next.
Start with a property and an idea. Check the permit path, explore what fits in Builder, and carry a reviewable plan to the people who will design, build, or approve it.
First check each month is free. Check availability: Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota
- Resolving address
- Locating parcel
- Determining jurisdiction
- Loading zoning district
- Checking applicable overlays
- Resolving regulatory authority
PropertyFound · 421 N 3rd Ave
JurisdictionCity of Sturgeon Bay
CountyDoor County, Wisconsin
ZoningR-2 Two-Family
DOOR COUNTY GIS · 2025 ORTHO BASE
PROJECTDetached garage, 24 × 36421 N 3rd Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI
No conflicts detected
Building permit and zoning compliance review required. Next action: submit a site plan showing setbacks.
Sample output for an example parcel, shown to illustrate the workflow. It is not a determination for a real property.
The problem
Property rules are fragmented. Your project shouldn't be.
One project can involve parcel records, zoning maps, municipal ordinances, county overlays, state building code, permit forms and several reviewing authorities. GovCodex resolves them around a single property and a single project.
COUNTYCounty GIS parcel viewer
MUNICIPALZoning map PDF
ORDINANCEMunicipal code chapter 20
DEPARTMENTBuilding inspection page
STATEWisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code
PORTALPermit application portal
PROPERTY + PROJECT
One property. One project. Every applicable authority, rule, constraint and source resolved in one model.
- Parcel resolved
- Authority resolved
- Zoning and overlays applied
- Permit path sequenced
- Every finding cited
How GovCodex works
A compound model, not a lookup.
Each layer depends on the one before it. Property resolves the parcel, the parcel resolves the jurisdiction, the jurisdiction resolves the code, and the code meets the geometry of what you actually want to build.
Address matched to a parcel
The address is resolved against county parcel records, not a generic geocode.
Parcel ID016-24-31200412DOOR COUNTY GIS
Lot area10,240 sq ftDOOR COUNTY GIS
Frontage80 ft on N 3rd AveCALCULATED
Corner lotNoPARCEL GEOMETRY
Inside GovCodex
From first question to a reviewable plan
See how the work continues after a permit search. These sample screens illustrate the workflow; findings and available tools depend on the property and local coverage.
02 / SAMPLE SCREEN
Develop the project in Builder
Carry the check into a saved workspace. Explore the lot, compare placement and design options, and make the missing inputs visible before preparation.
Start a project
03 / SAMPLE SCREEN
Leave with a plan you can review
Bring property findings, permit steps, design direction, and assumptions into a feasibility report or project brief. Confirm official forms and filing instructions with the authority.
Explore feasibility planningIllustrative UI demos with fictional project data. GovCodex supports research and preparation; the issuing authority controls submission, review, and approval.
Worked example
Pick a project. See what governs it.
Every panel below is sample output for one example parcel, shown to illustrate what a GovCodex answer contains. Run a check on your own address for findings tied to the current ordinance.
PROPERTY QUESTION
Can I build a 24 × 36 detached garage at 421 N 3rd Ave, Sturgeon Bay?
Yes, subject to placement. A detached garage of this size is allowed in the R-2 district as an accessory structure if it sits in the rear yard, holds the interior side setback and keeps total lot coverage under the district maximum.
Zoning districtR-2
Side setback7 ft
Accessory height18 ft
Coverage left11.4%
Building permitZoning compliance review
GOVERNING AUTHORITYCity of Sturgeon BayDoor County, Wisconsin · Zoning and building review
NEXT ACTIONSubmit a site plan showing the proposed structure and all setbacks.
Run this on my propertyEvidence
Every useful answer should show its work.
Findings carry the ordinance, the authority that enforces it and the date the record was last verified. Where a condition could change the answer, GovCodex says so instead of manufacturing certainty.
Read the methodology →FINDING · SAMPLE
Detached accessory structures must maintain a minimum 7 ft interior side setback in the R-2 district.
SOURCESturgeon Bay Municipal Code § 20.16(4)(b)
AUTHORITYCity of Sturgeon Bay — Zoning Administrator
VERIFICATIONSample output. A live finding carries the date its source was last checked.
CONDITIONOn a corner lot, both street sides take the front setback; within the shoreland zone, the shoreland setback applies.
Open the Sturgeon Bay Municipal Code
Sample finding. The figures and section reference above illustrate the shape of a GovCodex answer; run a check on your own address for findings tied to the current ordinance.
Other tools hold one layer. GovCodex joins them.
Traditional searchFind the rule.
GISSee the parcel.
Permit portalSubmit paperwork.
Generic AIGenerate an answer.
GovCodex
Understand how the rule affects this project on this property — with the parcel, the authority, the code and the permit path resolved together.
Built first for the people who break ground.
Homeowners
Check the property and likely permit path, test a project idea, then bring clear questions and a project brief to your designer, contractor, or local office.
For homeowners →Contractors & Builders
Screen a site before bidding, compare build options with a client, and keep source links, assumptions, and packet gaps in one saved project.
For builders →Coverage
We publish what we can verify.
Every jurisdiction exposes its ordinances, parcel data and permit information differently. Coverage is stated per state and per jurisdiction rather than implied to be uniform.
WisconsinCatalog
72 COUNTIES WITH PUBLISHED PERMIT CATALOGS
IllinoisCatalog
102 COUNTIES WITH PUBLISHED PERMIT CATALOGS
MinnesotaCatalog
87 COUNTIES WITH PUBLISHED PERMIT CATALOGS
5,775 municipalities and 261 counties indexedExplore coverage →
Local pilots: North Carolina — Raleigh and unincorporated Wake County pilot
Free to explore. Pay when a project gets real.
Questions about GovCodex
Read the permit FAQ →GovCodex is a property intelligence platform that connects a proposed construction or renovation project with parcel data, zoning requirements, permitting authorities and official government sources.
GovCodex identifies the zoning district, dimensional standards, overlays and permit triggers that apply to a specific parcel, then relates them to the project you describe. Final determinations rest with the authority having jurisdiction.
From primary sources: municipal zoning ordinances, county GIS and parcel records, state building codes, department pages, official permit forms and published environmental datasets. Each finding links to the record behind it.
No. GovCodex organizes and cites the rules your building department enforces. Permits are still issued, reviewed and inspected by the local authority.
Start with the property. End with a plan.
Tell GovCodex what you want to build and see what applies before you spend time or money in the wrong direction.