Milwaukee County, WI permit planning guide

Use the available permit guidance for Milwaukee County, WI, then confirm the offices and requirements for your property address.

Best first step

Find the approvals for your parcel, not just a generic form.

Start by confirming whether the parcel is in an unincorporated area and whether county shoreland, sanitary, floodplain, or land-division review applies. A city or village may still administer the building permit.

Prefills Milwaukee County, WI Checks authority by address

What are you building?

Choose a common project or enter any description on the next screen.

Deck / porch Fence Shed / accessory structure Detached garage Kitchen remodel Bathroom remodel Accessory dwelling unit (ADU)Other project

How to use this Milwaukee County, WI County page

Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code (SPS 320–325) applies statewide to 1- & 2-family dwellings; municipalities (or their contracted UDC inspectors) administer it locally. Commercial buildings follow SPS 361–366 with DSPS or delegated plan review. Zoning, fences, signs, and right-of-way work are regulated by local ordinance; shoreland/floodplain standards flow from NR 115/116 via county and municipal ordinances.

Start with the parcel location. County authority can differ inside the same county depending on whether the site is in an incorporated city, village, town, or unincorporated area.
Use this page as a readiness checklist before any phone calls so you can submit complete, accurate information to the right office.
Flag overlays early—shoreland, floodplain, roads, drainage, septic, and access approvals can add extra approvals that are easy to miss.
Gather owner information, a rough site plan, and project scope details before contacting agencies.
Validate the final office list with Permit Check once your parcel and project context are captured.

A practical Milwaukee County, WI sequence

This is a preparation sequence, not a claim that Milwaukee County, WI issues every listed approval. Permit Check confirms the issuing authority for the parcel before filing.

Confirm the parcel, municipality, project scope, and any county or state overlay before choosing an application.
Gather the site plan, project dimensions, ownership information, and any trade or contractor details the office requests.
Resolve prerequisite zoning, shoreland, floodplain, sanitary, access, or land-use reviews before the building application when applicable.
Submit each approval to the office that issues it and keep the records together through inspections and closeout.

What this county may handle

These references and project checks help you identify county-level steps before you contact the issuing office. A city, village, town, or state agency may handle other approvals for the same project.

A practical preparation order

Confirm the parcel, municipality, project scope, and any county or state overlay before choosing an application.
Gather the site plan, project dimensions, ownership information, and any trade or contractor details the office requests.
Resolve prerequisite zoning, shoreland, floodplain, sanitary, access, or land-use reviews before the building application when applicable.
Submit each approval to the office that issues it and keep the records together through inspections and closeout.

Reference excerpts

These excerpts provide context from official materials associated with this county.

library.municode.com

CLASSIFICATION SALARY STANDARDIZATION ORDINANCE[1] Share Link to section Print section Download (Docx) of sections Email section Compare versions Footnotes: --- (1 Editor's note—Printed herein is chapter 17 of the Code providing for standardization of wages, classification and employment practices, in effect as of April 1, 1993. Civil service rules are printed in appendix A to this Code. * ### 17.01. - Compensation and classification uniformity. Share Link to section Print section Download (Docx) of sections Email section Compare versions All authorized positions in the service of the county shall be compensated and classified in accordance with the duties and responsibilities assigned to the position. Positions assigned duties and responsibilities which are similar and which require similar training, education and experience shall be compensated and classified uniformly. The director of human resources shall determine which authorized positions are either not covered or covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act and for those positions which are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, the director of human resources shall determine which positions are exempt and non-exe

Open official source

Sec. 17.01 · Ch. 17 · page 1

library.municode.com

[](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOI_CH16CAMAORCMGOBO_16.10RE) [Chapter 19 - FINGERPRINTING OF COUNTY EMPLOYEES ](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOI_CH19FICOEM) * ## Chapter 17 - CLASSIFICATION SALARY STANDARDIZATION ORDINANCE[1] Share Link to section Print section Download (Docx) of sections Email section Compare versions Footnotes: --- (1 Editor's note—Printed herein is chapter 17 of the Code providing for standardization of wages, classification and employment practices, in effect as of April 1, 1993. Civil service rules are printed in appendix A to this Code.

Open official source

Ch. 17 · page 1

library.municode.com

[](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH91CENE9-1-1CA_91.11COE9PL) [Chapter 93 - COMBINED COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD ](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH93COCOSEBO) * ## Chapter 92 - COURTHOUSE AND ANNEX ST. ANTHONY'S BUILDING PARKING Share Link to section Print section Download (Docx) of sections Email section Compare versions

Open official source

Ch. 92 · page 1

library.municode.com

code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH91CENE9-1-1CA_91.11COE9PL) [Chapter 93 - COMBINED COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD ](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH93COCOSEBO) * ## Chapter 92 - COURTHOUSE AND ANNEX ST. ANTHONY'S BUILDING PARKING Share Link to section Print section Download (Docx) of sections Email section Compare versions * ### 92.01. - Definition. Share Link to section Print section Download (Docx) of sections Email section Compare versions Courthouse annex. * ### 92.02. - Authorized parking. Share Link to section Print section Download (Docx) of sections Email section Compare versions Parking spaces in the courthouse annex structure shall be made available to those persons who receive permission from the director of public works or his/her designee to park in a designated space. Only those persons authorized by the director of public works or his/her designees shall be allowed to park in assigned spaces in the courthouse annex. Parking spaces at the St. Anthony's Building shall be assigned to county employes by the director of public works or his/her designees. * ### 92.03. - Unauthorized pa

Open official source

Ch. 92 · page 1

library.municode.com

es?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH92COANSTANBUPA_92.12PARE) to [](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH92COANSTANBUPA_92.14ABDIVE) of this chapter may stipulate according to the provisions of section [](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH92COANSTANBUPA_92.08STPR) of this chapter. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY All sections effective upon passage and publication unless otherwise indicated. Ch. 92.CreatedAmended 92.04.Amended 92.05.Amended 92.07(1).Amended 92.08.Repealed and recreatedAmended 92.10.Repealed and recreatedAmended 92.11.Repealed and recreatedAmended 92.12.Repealed and recreatedAmended 92.13.Repealed and recreatedAmended 92.14.Repealed and recreatedAmended 92.14(1).Amended 92.14(2).Amended 92.14(3).Amended 92.14(4).Amended 92.14(5)(d).Amended 92.14(6).Amended 92.14(7).Amended 92.15.Repealed and recreated 92.16.Repealed and recreated 92.17.Repealed and recreated [](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH91CENE9-1-1CA_91.11COE9PL) [Chapter 93 - COMBINED COMMUNITY SERVICES BOARD ](https://library.municod

Open official source

Ch. 92 · page 1

library.municode.com

[](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH103SACICOJU_103.01SAES) [Chapter 105 - COUNTY COMMISSION ON FAMILY RESOURCES ](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MICOCOGEORVOII_CH105COCOFARE) * ## Chapter 104 - COMPENSATION OF JURORS Share Link to section Print section Download (Docx) of sections Email section Compare versions * ### 104.01. - Compensation of jurors. Share Link to section Print section Download (Docx) of sections Email section Compare versions The compensation of grand, petit and coroner's jurors serving in the county is fixed at the sum of eight dollars ($8.00) per half day for each half day of attendance on juror duties, plus a daily sum in the amount of nine dollars ($9.00) determined by the county board to compensate a juror for mileage for either a full day or half-day involved. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY All sections effective upon passage and publication unless otherwise indicated. Ch. 104.Repealed and recreatedAmended 104.01.Amended HISTORY NOTE ([Ord. No. 16-6](https://library.municode.com/wi/milwaukee_county/ordinances/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=763385

Open official source

Ch. 104 · page 1

Common county-page questions

What does this Milwaukee County, WI County page provide?

Milwaukee County, WI County page gives you a workflow scaffold: what permit families to expect, how to order them, and what to validate before you submit.

How do I avoid sending applications to the wrong office first?

Use the readiness sequence above, then run Permit Check to confirm your parcel's authority mix. That combination is usually the biggest reason applications get delayed. For Milwaukee County, WI, the same project can still require more than one office.

How should I use the official sources on this page?

Use them to confirm the current application, office contact, adopted fee schedule, and project-specific instructions before filing or paying a fee.

What the catalog covers first

Use this index as a preparation checklist before visiting any external form pages.

Development Center

Use this category to organize the project documents and approvals you may need.

Neighborhood Services

Use this category to organize the project documents and approvals you may need.

Board of Zoning Appeals

Use this category to organize the project documents and approvals you may need.

Public Works

Use this category to organize the project documents and approvals you may need.

Next-step resources on GovCodex

Find the right permitting authority

Use parcel-level logic to identify every department your project touches.

Open permit check

Do I need a permit?

Get a practical rule set before filing any forms.

Read guide

How to apply for a permit

Learn the sequence of documents and process checkpoints.

Read guide

How long does a permit take?

Set realistic expectations for review windows.

Read guide

Permit type explorer

Cross-check common permit families and filing patterns.

Open explorer

Official sources

Wisconsin statewide code source

Confirm the current office instructions, application version, and adopted fee schedule before filing.

The catalog below organizes common county-level workflows. Use Permit Check to confirm which office handles each approval for your property and project.

Preparation library

Browse forms only when you need them

Search by project or approval. Official forms and adaptable state templates are labeled separately.

Showing forms that match your project search.

Verified official form