City of Franklin, Wisconsin - Inspection Services Department

City of Franklin, Wisconsin

city

9229 W. Loomis Road (Franklin City Hall), Franklin, WI 53132

Required

Required

A REROOFING PERMIT IN FRANKLIN IS A PAPER OR IN-PERSON APPLICATION, NOT AN ONLINE ONE. Inspection Services runs an online permit program through the BS&A portal, but it is open to licensed contractors only and covers a fixed list of work - air conditioners, dishwasher and garbage disposal replacements, furnaces and boilers, other plumbing work, other electrical work, sewer and water laterals, and water heaters. Reroofing is not on that list, so it falls under the City's "applying for all other permits" route: applications are submitted in person at the Inspection Services counter between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with drop-off recommended by 4 p.m., or mailed to City of Franklin - Inspection Services, 9229 W. Loomis Road, Franklin, WI 53132. The department asks for a minimum of ten business days to process a permit and contacts the applicant when it is ready for pick-up. The City of Franklin Building Permit Application, revised February 2026, carries a Reroofing permit type with two boxes to tick, Complete Tear Off or Over One Layer, and a space for the type of material, and it asks for the contractor's Wisconsin Dwelling Contractor and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier numbers and expiry dates. The form also prints the cautionary statement Wis. Stat. 101.65(1r) requires a municipality enforcing the Uniform Dwelling Code to give an owner applying for a building permit, about the owner's exposure if the contractor is not bonded or insured. Payment is by cheque mailed or dropped in the outdoor drop box at the City Hall main entrance, by credit card at the Treasury Office, or online with a service fee. Inspections are booked by telephone on 414-425-0084 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., with at least 24 hours' notice; the department asks that requests not be faxed, emailed or left on an inspector's voicemail, and same-day requests are not guaranteed. Note that the online-to-DSPS filing step the City imposes applies to NEW one- and two-family dwelling construction, not to a reroof.

STATE CODE PLUS A REGIONAL MUNICIPAL CODE, AND THE REGIONAL CODE IS THE HALF THAT REACHES OLDER HOUSES. One- and two-family dwellings in Franklin are built to the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code, chs. SPS 320 to 325 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code. That code is Wisconsin's own text rather than an adoption of the International Residential Code, which is why its roofing rules read differently from the IRC and why no IRC edition year applies to a house here. Franklin Municipal Code section 92-2A adopts it, along with a second instrument: "The City hereby adopts and incorporates by reference the Wisconsin Uniform Building Code, as amended from time to time, the Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapters SPS 302.31 Plan Review Fee Schedule, SPS 305 Credentials, SPS 316 Electrical Code, SPS 320-325 Uniform Dwelling Code, SPS 327 Campgrounds, SPS 361-366 Commercial Building Code, SPS 375-379 Buildings Constructed Prior to 1914, SPS 381-387 Uniform Plumbing Code, as amended from time to time." Inspection Services publishes that first instrument on its own page as the Municipal Building Code: it is the Wisconsin Uniform Building Code prepared in January 1967 and last amended January 11, 2023, numbered in sections from 30.00 onward, which is the same numbering Chapter 92 uses whenever it cites that code. Three provisions of it matter on a roof. Section 30.05(1) lists "Reroofing and residing" among the permits required. Section 30.025 provides that the Uniform Dwelling Code "shall apply to all one and two family dwellings and alterations and additions thereto and accessory structures unless amended herein" and that, except as provided in section 30.55(1.), "this code shall also apply to alterations and additions to all one and two family dwellings constructed prior to the effective date of the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code." And section 30.03(3)(d) provides that "Whenever more than twenty-five (25) percent of the roof covering of a building is replaced in any twelve month period, all roof covering shall be in conformity with applicable sections of THIS CODE." Chapter 92 of the Municipal Code was read in full, all ten sections, and it adds no roof-assembly requirement of its own. Commercial, industrial and three-family and larger buildings run on a different code set, the Wisconsin Commercial Building Code at chs. SPS 361 to 366, which section 92-2A adopts separately; the City states that it is a fully delegated municipality able to conduct commercial building, HVAC and plumbing plan review for commercial buildings of unlimited size, and it has taken Certified Municipality status under SPS 361.60. That commercial track is not the subject of the residential fields recorded here.

Not required — No drip edge is required by code on a Franklin roof, at either level of government. The statewide Wisconsin uniform dwelling code, unlike the International Residential Code, carries no drip edge requirement: SPS 321.28, "Weather protection for roofs," covers general drainage and fasteners, underlayment for shingles, asphalt shingles, ice dam protection, other roof coverings, reroofing and every flashing paragraph, and no provision of it requires a drip edge at an eave or a rake. On the City side, Chapter 92 of the Municipal Code was read in full, all ten sections, and it contains no roofing provision of any kind; the regional Municipal Building Code the City adopts by reference was read for the same terms and the phrase does not appear in it either. Franklin could not add a differing requirement for a one- or two-family dwelling in any event, because Wisconsin bars a municipality from making or enforcing a dwelling ordinance that does not conform to the state dwelling code. Practical point for a bid: drip edge may still be required as a matter of the shingle manufacturer's installation instructions, which SPS 321.28(3)(a) makes binding by requiring shingles to be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, so read the wrapper before leaving it off. And do not be misled by the word elsewhere in the City code - the only drip references in it are a Drip Line definition in the zoning ordinance, which is a tree root zone, and a chimney cap rule in the state code. About drip edge

Required — STATE-SET AND SLOPE-CONDITIONED - read the trigger carefully, because it is narrower than the International Residential Code rule used in most other states. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.28(4)(a) requires that shingled or shake roofs that extend over a heated area of a dwelling or attached garage and that have a slope of 4:12 or less be provided with ice dam protection "in the form of sheet metal or a product labeled as meeting the requirements of ASTM D 1970." SPS 321.28(4)(b) sets the extent: it "shall extend at least 30 inches up the roof slope from the roof edge and at least 12 inches up the roof slope beyond the inner face of the exterior wall." The trigger is the roof slope, not the climate zone, so a steeper Franklin roof is not covered by the requirement at all - although the shingle manufacturer's own instructions may still call for it, and SPS 321.28(3)(a) requires shingles to be installed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. Note also that Wisconsin measures from the roof edge rather than from the exterior wall line the way the IRC does, so do not substitute IRC ice-barrier language on a Franklin job. Franklin adds nothing to this: Chapter 92 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no ice barrier or ice dam provision, and the regional Municipal Building Code the City adopts contains no ice dam provision either. The Wisconsin uniform dwelling code sets these roofing rules statewide, but does not reach every house. It does not apply to a one- or two-family dwelling whose construction began before June 1, 1980, or to additions or alterations to one, unless the municipality has adopted chs. SPS 320 to 325 for that purpose — ask the building inspector before assuming it governs an older home. The code also states that it does not apply to repairs or maintenance, and it defines a repair to include replacing existing equipment with the equivalent, while a separate section regulates reroofing by name. Wisconsin has not resolved which of those two provisions governs a like-for-like tear-off, so confirm with the authority issuing the permit. On the vintage half of that, Franklin has acted, through the regional Municipal Building Code it adopts rather than in its own building chapter: section 30.025 of that code applies the Uniform Dwelling Code "to alterations and additions to all one and two family dwellings constructed prior to the effective date of the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code," and its Chapter VII is written for alterations and remodelling of dwellings built before June 1, 1980. So an older Franklin house is not outside the state code. About ice & water barrier

Not required — No mid-roof, tear-off or roof-deck inspection stage is published in Franklin, and the sequence the City works to puts the roof BEFORE the first stage that would look at it. The regional Municipal Building Code the City adopts sets the inspection sequence for alterations and remodelling of pre-1980 one- and two-family dwellings at section 30.55(6), and its rough inspection is "to be made after the roof, all framing, fire-blocking and bracing is in place and all chimneys and vents are complete." The stages it lists are footing and foundation, rough inspection in five categories - general construction including framing, rough electrical, rough plumbing, rough heating and ventilating and air conditioning, and basement drain tiles - insulation, and final. No roofing stage appears among them. The only detailed list of inspection stages the City itself publishes is its Commercial, Industrial, Institutional inspection checklist, which runs to sixteen inspection types and names no roofing inspection; its single roof reference sits inside the structural framing inspection, for steel floor and roof deck on commercial work. Chapter 92 of the Municipal Code was read in full and names no inspection stage for roofing either. What that means in practice is that a Franklin reroof is inspected at the end rather than at an interim point, unless the permit itself directs otherwise. Inspections are booked by telephone on 414-425-0084 with at least 24 hours' notice, and the adopted code provides that no work may go beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without the Building Inspector's written approval - so where deck or framing work does pull a structural scope, ask which stages that permit will carry rather than assuming the roof is looked at only once.

Not required — No impact-resistance or hail-rating mandate applies in Franklin. The statewide Wisconsin uniform dwelling code contains no UL 2218 requirement, no Class 4 or Class IV impact rating and no FM 4473 reference anywhere in the chapters that govern one- and two-family dwellings, including its roof coverings section; that section's catch-all sends the installer of a covering it does not otherwise address to the manufacturer's instructions or a national standard recognised by the department, which sets no impact class. On the City side, Chapter 92 of the Municipal Code was read in full and the whole codified City code was searched, and no UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 requirement appears anywhere in it; the word hail appears nowhere in the City code at all. The regional Municipal Building Code the City adopts by reference carries none of those terms either. Impact-resistant shingles are an insurer-driven upgrade in this market, not a code obligation. One caution for reading paperwork on a Franklin job: a Class A, B or C designation, or a reference to ASTM E108 or UL 790, is a FIRE rating and says nothing about hail, and ASTM D3161 or D7158 is a WIND rating. Only UL 2218 or FM 4473 answers impact.

THERE IS NO DOLLAR THRESHOLD AND NO SQUARE-FOOTAGE THRESHOLD - a replacement roof needs a permit in Franklin whatever it costs and however small it is. The City states it plainly on its Permits Issued by Inspection Services page, under the heading Reroofing: "Building permits are required for the installation of replacement roofs." Its Frequently Asked Questions page says the same from the other direction, that permits are required for, but not limited to, accessory buildings, residing, reroofing, fences, decks, swimming pools and HVAC. The Municipal Building Code the City adopts lists "Reroofing and residing" at section 30.05(1)(g) among the permits that must be obtained before a building is built, enlarged, altered or demolished, and it contains no exemption for small roof work. Municipal Code section 92-2C is to the same effect: no owner or contractor may commence construction of any building or mechanical system prior to obtaining a valid permit from the Department of Inspection Services. What the permit costs: the codified Schedule of Permit Fees charges 60 dollars for a residential reroofing or residing permit at item 23a, but item 1 of the same schedule sets a 95 dollar minimum permit fee for all permits and item 34 adds a 10 dollar technology fee, and Inspection Services publishes the residential figure accordingly as a minimum of 95 dollars plus a 10 dollar technology fee. Multi-family, commercial, industrial and institutional reroofing is charged at 14 dollars per 1,000 dollars of value up to a 325 dollar maximum, plus the technology fee. Starting work first is expensive: the schedule sets TRIPLE fees on a first offence and QUADRUPLE fees on later ones, and the reroofing item repeats the triple-fee rule on its own line. Two further points a large job runs into. The regional Municipal Building Code provides at section 30.03(3)(d) that whenever more than 25 percent of the roof covering of a building is replaced in any twelve-month period, all roof covering must conform to that code - so a partial repair that crosses a quarter of the roof pulls the whole roof up to current standards. And replacing sheathing or framing is structural work, which the City separately says needs a permit for repairs or modifications that involve structural components. Confirm scope with Inspection Services at 414-425-0084 before treating any part of a roof job as outside the permit.

STATE-SET, AND EXPRESSED AS A PRESSURE RATHER THAN A DESIGN WIND SPEED IN MILES PER HOUR. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.02(1)(c) provides that dwellings "shall be designed and constructed to withstand either a horizontal and uplift pressure of 20 pounds per square foot acting over the surface area or the wind loads determined in accordance with ASCE 7-05, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures," with a published note that ASCE 7-05 allows for substantial reduction from the 20 pounds per square foot figure. Fastening is governed by SPS 321.02(3)(h), under which "All building components shall be fastened to withstand the dead load, live load, snow load, and wind load," to the fastener schedule at Table 321.02-2. Snow is the one input that varies geographically: SPS 321.02(1)(b)2. provides that roofs shall be designed and constructed to support the "minimum snow loads listed on the zone map," which is Figure 321.02, a statewide zone map, so a Franklin ground snow figure is read off that map rather than stated as a single statewide number. IMPORTANT for anyone used to International Residential Code jurisdictions: because Wisconsin works in pounds per square foot and a zone map, there is no ultimate design wind speed in miles per hour for Franklin, and the 20 pounds per square foot figure must not be converted into one. Franklin adds nothing of its own - Chapter 92 of the Municipal Code was read in full and states no wind design criterion for a building, and the regional Municipal Building Code the City adopts states none either. Do not mistake the one wind figure that IS in Chapter 92 for a roof criterion: section 92-5F(1) requires a ground-mounted satellite antenna to withstand a minimum wind load of 80 miles per hour, which is a rule about antennas.

TWO LAYERS IS THE CAP, AND THE CITY SAYS SO ITSELF. Under the heading Reroofing on its Permits Issued by Inspection Services page, Franklin states: "State Code allows a maximum of two layers of shingles." The state rule behind that is Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.28(6), which bars installing a new roof covering over the existing covering in three situations: where the existing roof or roof covering is water-soaked or has deteriorated such that it is inadequate as a base for additional roofing; where the existing roof is wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile; or where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of permanent roof covering. So at most two total layers, and less than that where the deck or covering is wet or deteriorated or the existing roof is one of the listed materials - a roofer who reads only the City's one-line summary will miss those two extra conditions. A complete tear-off to the deck is not restricted by this rule at any layer count, and the City's own building permit application recognises the distinction, offering Complete Tear Off and Over One Layer as the two reroofing choices. Franklin adds no layer rule of its own in either direction: Chapter 92 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no roofing provision, and the regional Municipal Building Code the City adopts contains no layer, shingle or sheathing provision anywhere in its 73 pages. The Wisconsin uniform dwelling code sets these roofing rules statewide, but does not reach every house. It does not apply to a one- or two-family dwelling whose construction began before June 1, 1980, or to additions or alterations to one, unless the municipality has adopted chs. SPS 320 to 325 for that purpose — ask the building inspector before assuming it governs an older home. The code also states that it does not apply to repairs or maintenance, and it defines a repair to include replacing existing equipment with the equivalent, while a separate section regulates reroofing by name. Wisconsin has not resolved which of those two provisions governs a like-for-like tear-off, so confirm with the authority issuing the permit. On the vintage half of that, Franklin has acted, which sets it apart from most Wisconsin municipalities - and it did so through the regional Municipal Building Code rather than in its own building chapter. Section 30.025 of that code provides that, except as provided in section 30.55(1.), "this code shall also apply to alterations and additions to all one and two family dwellings constructed prior to the effective date of the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code," and its Chapter VII, section 30.55, is written for alterations and remodelling of dwellings built before June 1, 1980 and provides that the Uniform Dwelling Code "is incorporated by reference and shall apply to all construction except as modified by this chapter." So the age of the house does not put a Franklin job outside the state code. The repair question is not resolved either way: section 30.55(2)(d) says those provisions "shall not apply to any building repair as defined herein," and the definition of a building repair in that same section includes "the replacement of existing fixtures, systems or equipment with the equivalent fixture, system or equipment," which mirrors the state definition rather than settling it.

STATE-SET. Franklin adds nothing of its own to the roof deck - Chapter 92 of the Municipal Code was read in full, all ten sections, and contains no roof sheathing, decking or nailing provision, and the regional Municipal Building Code the City adopts contains no sheathing provision anywhere in it. So Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.27(9) governs, in three parts. For structural sheathing, "The allowable loads and spans for structural sheathing shall be in accordance with the grade stamp on the panel." For roof boards, where the rafter spacing is 24 inches on center or less, "roof boards may be used that have a minimum thickness of 5/8-inch for solid sheathing and 3/4-inch for spaced sheathing," and where the rafter spacing is greater than 24 inches on center, "roof boards shall be tongue and groove, at least 1.5 inches thick." For roof planks, they "shall be tongue and groove or splined and at least 2 inches, nominal, in thickness," shall "terminate over beams unless the joints are end matched," shall be "laid so that no continuous line of joints will occur except at points of support," and shall "be nailed or fastened to each beam." Note that Wisconsin expresses this as a panel grade-stamp and board-thickness rule keyed to rafter spacing rather than the International Residential Code formulation used in IRC states, so do not carry an IRC sheathing specification onto a Franklin job. One thing to know if you go looking in the City code yourself: Chapter 92 carries five attachment tables at the end, and Table 4 is an old nailing schedule that gives figures for roof sheathing, plank roof decking and asphalt and wood shingles. Those tables are printed with a 2005 date and are keyed to an earlier edition of the regional building code by section numbers that no longer exist in it, and the current text of Chapter 92 cross-references only Table 1, the schedule of permit fees. Their shingle-fastening figure is not the same as the state code's, so ask Inspection Services which schedule the inspector will apply before pricing fasteners off the attachment. Replacing deck is structural work and needs its own permit scope.

5.9% on materials - the Wisconsin state sales and use tax of 5% plus Milwaukee County's 0.90% county sales and use tax, which took effect January 1, 2024 and replaced the 0.50% the county had levied since April 1991. THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE RATE DOES NOT REACH FRANKLIN. Milwaukee is the only municipality in Wisconsin that imposes a city sales and use tax - 2%, effective January 1, 2024 - and the Department of Revenue says so in terms on its own rate page. Franklin is a separate city inside the same county, so the city tax does not apply here and a Franklin job is 5.9%, not the 7.9% that applies at a city of Milwaukee address. Read a rate chart carefully on this point: the Department of Revenue repeats a city of Milwaukee row under more than one county heading, with a footnote that the city of Milwaukee is located in multiple counties, and that row has nothing to do with Franklin. No premier resort area tax applies here, and the baseball stadium district tax ended in 2020. How the tax actually falls on a roofing job matters more than the rate. Wisconsin treats a roof as real property - the Department of Revenue contractor guidance answers it by name, listing roofs as real property for residential installation, residential repair, commercial installation and commercial repair alike - so the roofing contractor is the consumer of what it installs. The contractor pays sales or use tax when buying shingles, underlayment and other materials, and "is not permitted to collect sales tax from its customers on its sales price from sales of real property construction activities," meaning neither labour nor materials are taxed on the reroofing contract itself. The exception runs the other way: "Selling lumber, roofing materials or other tangible personal property, without installation" is a retail sale and is taxable. So the rate is a cost input on the material purchase rather than a line on the homeowner's invoice.