Village of Howard, Wisconsin - Building Inspection

Village of Howard, Wisconsin

city

2456 Glendale Avenue, Howard, WI 54313

Not required

Because a one- or two-family reroof is exempt work under Village Code Section 40-149(2), there is normally no application, no fee and no inspection for it. What follows applies where a permit IS needed - a roof on a building with three or more units or on a commercial property, or associated electrical, plumbing or HVAC work. Applications go in on the Village building permit application, and Section 40-152 requires the street address and legal description, the owner details, "The name, mailing address and phone number of the engineer, architect, designer, contractor or owner agent responsible for the work," a general description and location of the proposed work, and the proposed use and occupancy. Fees for alterations, repairs and remodeling of an existing building are 1.0 percent of the building construction cost for the building permit and 2.0 percent of the relevant construction cost for electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits, with a $50 minimum building permit fee and a $25 minimum for the others; construction costs include labour and materials, and a delinquent permit is charged at double fee. Section 40-192 gives the contractor a timing backstop: work may not proceed until a required inspection is approved, "except that construction may proceed if an inspection has not been performed within two business days after proper notification has been given." Section 40-159 sets the clock on an issued permit: it lapses six months from issuance if construction has not commenced, and no permit is valid longer than 24 months from issuance unless a renewal is approved and further fees are paid. The Department of Code Administration is on 920-434-4640; Village Hall is open Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.

THE VILLAGE ADOPTS THE STATE CODES BY REFERENCE, THE ADOPTION IS FLOATING, AND THE LIST IS LONGER THAN MOST. Village Code Section 40-64 provides that "The following state codes and subsequent amendments and recodifications thereto are hereby adopted by reference and incorporated in this chapter as if fully set forth," and lists: the electrical code, SPS 316; inspection and certification, ch. SPS 305; the Uniform Dwelling Code, chs. SPS 320 to 325, with three named exceptions; manufactured homes, ch. SPS 326; smoke detectors, ch. SPS 328; the building and HVAC code, chs. SPS 361 to 365; barrier-free design under the ANSI A117.1 handbook; the historic building code; and the existing building code, chs. SPS 366 and 375 to 379. Because the adoption runs to subsequent amendments, the currently published text of chs. SPS 320 to 325 governs a house and there is no local edition year to check. Chapter 40 was comprehensively re-enacted by Ordinance No. 2024-07 on August 12, 2024 - almost every section in it carries that history line - and the Village Code is codified through Ordinance No. 2026-02, adopted January 26, 2026. THE THREE NAMED EXCEPTIONS ARE THE POINT OF THIS SECTION AND ARE SET OUT UNDER THE LAYER LIMIT ON THIS RECORD. A NOTE ON WHERE LOCAL AUTHORITY STOPS, BECAUSE WISCONSIN DRAWS THAT LINE HARDER THAN MOST STATES. Wis. Stat. 101.65(1) lets cities, villages, towns and counties exercise jurisdiction over the construction and inspection of new dwellings by ordinance, but 101.65(1c) provides that they "may not make or enforce an ordinance under sub. (1) that is applied to a dwelling and that does not conform to this subchapter and the uniform dwelling code." It then goes a step further than a plain preemption clause: if a contract between the municipality and an owner requires the owner to comply with a non-conforming ordinance, "the owner may waive the provision, and the provision, if waived, is void and unenforceable." So a local roofing rule that departs from the state dwelling code is not merely unenforceable against the municipality - the owner can strike it out of a contract.

Not required — No drip edge is required by code here, and the reason is that Wisconsin never adopted the International Residential Code rule that most other states rely on for it. SPS 321.28, "Weather protection for roofs," was read in full - general drainage and fasteners, underlayment for shingles, asphalt shingles, ice dam protection, other roof coverings, reroofing, and every flashing paragraph - and no provision requires a drip edge at an eave or a rake. The only drip-edge language anywhere in the Wisconsin dwelling construction chapter is a masonry chimney cap rule, which is not a roof-edge requirement. PRACTICAL POINT FOR A BID: drip edge may still be required as a matter of the shingle manufacturer's printed instructions, and SPS 321.28(3)(a)3. makes those instructions binding for asphalt shingles, so read the wrapper before leaving it off. On the Village side, Chapter 40 of the Village Code was read in full and the words drip edge do not appear in it, and neither does any other roof-edge or roof-flashing requirement. 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 shall 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: the protection "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 or a design temperature, so a roof steeper than 4:12 is not covered by the requirement at all - although the shingle manufacturer's instructions may still call for it, and SPS 321.28(3)(a)3. makes those instructions binding for asphalt shingles. Howard adds nothing to the requirement - Chapter 40 of the Village Code was read in full and contains no ice barrier or ice dam provision - but it does more than most Wisconsin municipalities to make sure the state requirement reaches the job. AND THE SCOPE QUESTION THAT HANGS OVER MOST WISCONSIN REROOFS IS CLOSED HERE, BY NUMBER, IN THE ADOPTING SECTION ITSELF. Statewide, SPS 320.05(1) takes dwellings begun before the code took effect on June 1, 1980, and additions or alterations to them, outside the uniform dwelling code, and SPS 320.05(3) takes "repairs or maintenance" outside it as well - which matters because SPS 320.07(61) defines a repair to include "the replacement of existing fixtures, systems or equipment with the equivalent fixture, system or equipment." Howard has excepted those carve-outs by number and even annotated them. Village Code Section 40-64, "State codes adopted," adopts at item (3) the "Uniform Dwelling Code, Wis. Admin. Code chs. SPS 320-325, with the exception of: a. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320.05(1), additions and alterations to existing buildings built prior to June 1, 1980. b. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320.05(3), repairs or maintenance to dwellings. c. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320.05(4), accessory buildings with the exception of the braced wall line requirements of Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.25(8) and (9) and the energy conservation requirements of Wis. Admin. Code SPS 322." So neither the age of the house nor the argument that a like-for-like tear-off is a repair takes a job here outside the dwelling code. That is unusual - most Wisconsin municipalities adopt the code without touching those two exemptions, and the roofer is left to ask the inspector which side of the line the job falls on. So the slope test governs on a Howard house of any vintage, on a job that needs no permit and will not be inspected. Green Bay area snow loads make the 4:12 line worth measuring rather than eyeballing. About ice & water barrier

Not required — THERE IS NO MID-ROOF INSPECTION IN HOWARD, AND ON A ONE- OR TWO-FAMILY REROOF THERE IS NO VILLAGE INSPECTION AT ALL. Village Code Section 40-149(2) exempts "Siding and roofing repair or replacement on one-family and two-family dwellings" from the building permit, and Section 40-192 attaches inspection requests to a permit applicant, so an exempt job generates no inspection sequence. WHERE A PERMIT IS REQUIRED - a roof on a building of three or more units, or on a commercial property, or trade work alongside the roof - the stages are enumerated and none of them is a roof-covering stage. Section 40-193, "Inspection types," states that "The following inspections shall be completed for all projects whenever applicable" and lists, in full: erosion control, building sewer and water service, drain tile, footing and foundation, rough (general building construction plus electrical, plumbing and HVAC after all rough work is finished but before it is covered or concealed), insulation and energy, and final. ONE GENERAL RULE STILL BITES ON PERMITTED WORK: Section 40-191 provides that "in no case shall any electrical, plumbing or heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) installation be enclosed or any structural portion of any building or structure be covered or concealed prior to completion of required inspections and approval by the village building inspector."

Not required — No impact-resistance or hail-rating mandate applies here. The statewide Wisconsin uniform dwelling code carries none: ch. SPS 321, which holds the construction standards for one- and two-family dwellings, contains no occurrence of UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 anywhere, roof coverings included, and SPS 321.28(5) sends any covering the section does not otherwise address to "the manufacturer's instructions or a national standard recognized by the department," which sets no impact class. Impact-resistant shingles are an insurer-driven upgrade in this market, not a code obligation. ONE CAUTION FOR READING PAPERWORK ON A WISCONSIN 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. On the Village side, Chapter 40 of the Village Code was read in full and contains no UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 requirement, and the Village permit fee schedule and building permit application set no shingle rating.

NO BUILDING PERMIT IS REQUIRED FOR A REROOF ON A ONE- OR TWO-FAMILY DWELLING IN HOWARD, AND THE ORDINANCE SAYS SO IN ITS OWN WORDS RATHER THAN LEAVING IT TO A THRESHOLD. Village Code Section 40-148 states the general rule - no person shall "erect or construct any building or structure whatever or add to, enlarge, move, improve, alter, extend, convert, repair, remove or demolish any building or structure ... without first obtaining a permit therefor from the village building inspector" - but it opens with the words "Except as provided in section 40-149." Section 40-149, "Exempt work," then lists eight categories, and item (2) is, in its entirety: "Siding and roofing repair or replacement on one-family and two-family dwellings." THERE IS NO DOLLAR CAP AND NO SQUARE-FOOT CAP ON THAT ITEM. It sits beside, and is separate from, item (1), the general maintenance exemption for alterations and repairs that do not exceed a labor and materials cost of $2,000, do not involve a change of building use, do not affect structural strength, fire hazards, exits or natural lighting, and do not involve replacing major equipment. A roof job does not have to fit inside the $2,000 line, because it has an exemption of its own. THE LIMITS ON THE EXEMPTION, WHICH MATTER MORE THAN THE EXEMPTION. It reaches ONE- AND TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS only, so a roof on a three-unit building, an apartment block or a commercial property is ordinary permit work. It is an exemption from the BUILDING permit, and Section 40-148 separately requires permits for electrical, plumbing, mechanical and HVAC work, so a job that moves a vent or a service still needs the relevant trade permit. And Section 40-149 opens by saying so directly: "Notwithstanding permit requirements, however, such work shall comply with all other applicable rules, standards and zoning regulations set forth in this Code." THE EXEMPTION REMOVES THE INSPECTION, NOT THE REQUIREMENT - the statewide roofing standards described elsewhere on this record still govern how the roof must be built, and nobody from the Village will be checking. Where a permit IS required, the fee for alterations, repairs and remodeling of existing buildings is 1.0 percent of the building construction cost, with a $50 minimum building permit fee, and a delinquent permit is charged at double fee.

STATE-SET, AND WISCONSIN STATES IT AS A PRESSURE RATHER THAN AS A WIND SPEED - do not go looking for a mph figure, because the uniform dwelling code does not publish one. 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," and the code adds its own note that ASCE 7-05 "allows for substantial reduction from 20 psf as applied to the surface area." The roof-specific figures are in SPS 321.27(3), "UPLIFT AND SUCTION FORCES": roofs "shall withstand a pressure of at least 20 pounds per square foot acting upward normal to the roof surface," and "Roof overhangs, eaves, canopies and cornices shall withstand an upward wind pressure of at least 20 pounds per square foot applied to the entire exposed area." SPS 321.27(3)(b) adds the anchorage rule that roof framing members spanning more than 6 feet from the outermost edge of the roof "shall be permanently fastened to the top plate of load bearing walls using engineered clips, straps or hangers." For the shingles themselves the code sets a fastening count rather than a wind class: SPS 321.28(3)(a)4. requires at least 4 fasteners per strip shingle or 2 per interlocking shingle unless the manufacturer specifies otherwise, and SPS 321.28(3)(a)1. requires a self-sealing adhesive strip with an average bond strength of at least 1.5 pounds per 3.75 inches of shingle width at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Howard publishes no local wind figure and Chapter 40 of the Village Code contains none.

STATE-SET, AND IT APPLIES HERE EVEN THOUGH NO PERMIT DOES. The statewide rule is SPS 321.28(6), "REROOFING," which provides that new roof coverings may not be installed over existing roof coverings where any of three conditions exist: the existing roof or roof covering "is water-soaked or has deteriorated such that it is inadequate as a base for additional roofing"; the existing roof "is wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile"; or the existing roof "has 2 or more applications of any type of permanent roof covering." So the ceiling is two total layers, and fewer than that where the deck is wet or deteriorated or the existing covering is one of the listed materials. A complete tear-off to the deck is not restricted by that rule at any layer count. Howard writes no layer rule of its own: Village Code Chapter 40, "Buildings and Building Regulations," was read in full - all seven articles and every numbered section from 40-1 through 40-367 - and it contains no layer limit, no recover rule and no shingle provision. So a roof already carrying two applications is a tear-off in Howard, and the fact that the job needs no permit does not change that. AND THE SCOPE QUESTION THAT HANGS OVER MOST WISCONSIN REROOFS IS CLOSED HERE, BY NUMBER, IN THE ADOPTING SECTION ITSELF. Statewide, SPS 320.05(1) takes dwellings begun before the code took effect on June 1, 1980, and additions or alterations to them, outside the uniform dwelling code, and SPS 320.05(3) takes "repairs or maintenance" outside it as well - which matters because SPS 320.07(61) defines a repair to include "the replacement of existing fixtures, systems or equipment with the equivalent fixture, system or equipment." Howard has excepted those carve-outs by number and even annotated them. Village Code Section 40-64, "State codes adopted," adopts at item (3) the "Uniform Dwelling Code, Wis. Admin. Code chs. SPS 320-325, with the exception of: a. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320.05(1), additions and alterations to existing buildings built prior to June 1, 1980. b. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320.05(3), repairs or maintenance to dwellings. c. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320.05(4), accessory buildings with the exception of the braced wall line requirements of Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.25(8) and (9) and the energy conservation requirements of Wis. Admin. Code SPS 322." So neither the age of the house nor the argument that a like-for-like tear-off is a repair takes a job here outside the dwelling code. That is unusual - most Wisconsin municipalities adopt the code without touching those two exemptions, and the roofer is left to ask the inspector which side of the line the job falls on. The combination is what makes Howard unusual: the state standards reach the job more completely than in most Wisconsin municipalities, and the Village will not be inspecting it. Village Code Section 40-149 says as much - exempt work "shall comply with all other applicable rules, standards and zoning regulations set forth in this Code."

STATE-SET. The statewide rule is Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.27(9), "ROOF SHEATHING, BOARDS AND PLANKING," read in full. For structural panels, SPS 321.27(9)(a) provides that "The allowable loads and spans for structural sheathing shall be in accordance with the grade stamp on the panel" - Wisconsin sets no minimum panel thickness of its own and defers to the stamp, so a roofer replacing decking should match the stamp to the rafter spacing rather than to a table. For board decking, SPS 321.27(9)(b) allows roof boards at least 5/8 inch thick for solid sheathing and 3/4 inch for spaced sheathing where rafters are 24 inches on centre or closer, and requires tongue-and-groove boards at least 1.5 inches thick where rafter spacing is greater than 24 inches on centre. SPS 321.27(9)(c) covers roof planks, which must be tongue-and-groove or splined and at least 2 inches nominal. Nothing in the section states a trigger for replacing sound decking on a reroof; what forces sheathing off is the separate reroofing rule, SPS 321.28(6)(a), which bars covering a deck that is water-soaked or deteriorated. Howard adds no sheathing or decking specification of its own - Chapter 40 of the Village Code was read in full and contains none - and note that a reroof on a one- or two-family dwelling here is exempt from the building permit, so no Village inspector will see the deck. The standard still governs the work.

5.5% on materials. Wisconsin state sales and use tax is 5%, and Brown County levies the half-point county tax on top of it, at 0.50% with an effective date of January 2018 - county code 5 on the chart. The figures are from the Department of Revenue sales tax rate chart, Guidance Document Number 100047, dated January 16, 2026. No municipal sales tax applies here - the Department states that "The city of Milwaukee is the only municipality that imposes a city sales and use tax" - and no premier resort area tax applies, because this municipality is not among the ten the Department lists as having adopted one. Howard lies mostly within Brown County and shares a boundary with Outagamie County, which levies the same half-point rate, so the figure does not change across that line. HOW THE TAX FALLS ON A ROOFING JOB MATTERS MORE THAN THE RATE. Wisconsin treats a roof as real property: the Department of Revenue contractor guidance, Publication 207, answers it by name in its item chart, listing "Roofs" as real estate for residential installation, residential repair, commercial installation and commercial repair alike. The roofing contractor is therefore the consumer of what it installs. It pays sales or use tax when buying shingles, underlayment and other materials, and the same publication states that a contractor performing a real property construction activity "is not permitted to collect sales tax from its customers on its sales price from sales of real property construction activities," so neither labour nor materials are taxed on the reroofing contract itself. The exception runs the other way: Publication 207 lists "Selling lumber, roofing materials or other tangible personal property, without installation" as an example of the contractor acting as a retailer, which is a taxable retail sale. So the rate is a cost input on the material purchase rather than a line on the homeowner invoice.