Jurisdiction directory

Wisconsin home project permits by county

Many Wisconsin households live outside city limits, where the county building department — not a city — issues the permit. 8 Wisconsin counties, covering the state's largest jurisdictions, are inventoried here.

Model reviewed August 2026

Counties covered

largest jurisdictions first

Municipalities tracked

in Wisconsin

Population covered

2.9M

residents in listed counties

Code basis

Statewide

Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code (SPS 320-325)

Featured counties

The largest and most active permit jurisdictions in the state.

Milwaukee County916,000 residents · seat Milwaukee Dane County570,000 residents · seat Madison Waukesha County411,000 residents · seat Waukesha Brown County270,000 residents · seat Green Bay Racine County197,000 residents · seat Racine Outagamie County191,000 residents · seat Appleton Winnebago County171,000 residents · seat Oshkosh Kenosha County169,000 residents · seat Kenosha

All Wisconsin counties we cover

8 counties, largest first.

Milwaukee CountySeat: Milwaukee · 916,000 residents Dane CountySeat: Madison · 570,000 residents Waukesha CountySeat: Waukesha · 411,000 residents Brown CountySeat: Green Bay · 270,000 residents Racine CountySeat: Racine · 197,000 residents Outagamie CountySeat: Appleton · 191,000 residents Winnebago CountySeat: Oshkosh · 171,000 residents Kenosha CountySeat: Kenosha · 169,000 residents

Sources

Sources & verification

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services

Model vintage August 2026. The links above are the issuing agencies' own pages — we publish them so you can confirm the current rule yourself, not as evidence that each fact on this page was re-checked with them today. Cost figures are modeled estimates based on national baselines adjusted for local labor and material pricing, not quotes. Permit rules change; confirm with the building department before starting work.