Village of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin - Building Inspection

Village of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin

city

W156 N8480 Pilgrim Road, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051

Required

Required

The Village publishes a Reside/Re-Roof page of its own, and it carries operational rules a roofer needs before the truck is loaded. On paperwork, it lists as the requirements for the permit a completed Building Permit Application and the fee, with an online application and a PDF application both offered, and states that "A final inspection will be performed by the building inspector." Building permitting is reached through the Engineering and Development Department on 262-532-4400; inspections are scheduled on 262-532-4282; code and plan questions go to the same building mailbox. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On the work itself the page sets three site rules. Shingle loading: "It has become common practice to load bundles of roof shingles on the ridge of roofs. This practice violates Chapter 21.02 (3)e of the State of Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code and rules of the Wood Truss Council of America," and "Shingle bundles must be distributed evenly on roofs. Bundles stacked on the ridge shall be no more than two bundles high." The chapter number in that sentence is the Village's own wording and is the historic numbering of the state rule now published as SPS 321.02; it is reproduced here as printed. Dumpsters: "When possible, dumpsters used for the removal of debris should be placed on your private property," and where that is not possible a dumpster permit must be obtained from the Public Works Department. Debris: "All debris must be removed from the property in a timely manner." On duration, Municipal Code section 18-67(a)(1) provides that a building permit issued for a principal building is valid for 24 months.

STATE CODE, ADOPTED BY THE VILLAGE AND EXPRESSLY EXTENDED TO PRE-1980 HOUSES. One- and two-family dwellings in Menomonee Falls 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. Village Municipal Code section 18-97(a) adopts it, providing that "The following chapters of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, their referenced codes and standards, and subsequent revisions, are adopted for municipal enforcement by the building inspector, who shall be certified as a commercial building inspector by the State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services," and listing at (a)(4) "Chs. SPS 320-325, Uniform Dwelling Code" and at (a)(5) "Chs. SPS 361-366, Commercial Building Code." Note the words "and subsequent revisions": the adoption is a floating one, so the Village enforces the state code as it stands rather than a frozen edition. Section 18-100, headed "Scope of Uniform Dwelling Code expanded," then does the thing most Wisconsin municipalities never do - it provides that "the standards contained in the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code shall be expanded to apply as the standards for construction of the following: (a) Additions, alterations and major equipment replacements for one and two family dwellings built before June 1, 1980." That matters to a roofer more than it looks, because the state code by its own terms does not reach dwellings begun before June 1, 1980 or alterations to them unless the municipality adopts chs. SPS 320 to 325 for that purpose. Section 18-92 points the same way, applying the building article to "new buildings or structure and additions or alterations to existing buildings hereafter erected or undertaken in the village." Commercial and three-family and larger buildings run on the separate Wisconsin Commercial Building Code and are not the subject of the residential fields recorded here. Chapter 18 of the Municipal Code was read in full - Article I In General, Article II Administration and Enforcement, Article III Building Code, and the electrical, moving-of-structures, plumbing and swimming pool articles - and it adds no roof-assembly requirement of its own. The codification is current through Ordinance No. 947-O-26, enacted March 2, 2026, Supplement No. 44.

Not required — No drip edge is required by code on a Menomonee Falls 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," 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 chapter is a masonry chimney cap rule, which is not a roof edge requirement. On the Village side, Chapter 18 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no drip edge provision, and the Village Reside/Re-Roof page does not impose one either. Menomonee Falls could not add one for a one- or two-family dwelling in any event, because Wisconsin bars a municipality from enforcing a dwelling ordinance that does not conform to the state code. Practical point for a bid: drip edge may still be required as a matter of the shingle manufacturer installation instructions, which SPS 321.28(3)(a) makes binding for asphalt shingles, so read the wrapper before leaving it off. 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, so a steeper roof is not covered by the requirement at all - although the shingle manufacturer instructions may still call for it, and SPS 321.28(3)(a) makes those instructions binding for asphalt shingles. Menomonee Falls adds nothing to this: Chapter 18 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no ice barrier or ice dam provision, and the Village could not add one for a one- or two-family dwelling in any event, because Wisconsin bars a municipality from enforcing a dwelling ordinance that does not conform to the state code. 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, Menomonee Falls has acted: Municipal Code section 18-100 expands the Uniform Dwelling Code standards to additions, alterations and major equipment replacements on one- and two-family dwellings built before June 1, 1980, so an older Menomonee Falls house is not outside the state code. About ice & water barrier

Not required — No mid-roof or roof-deck inspection stage is published. The Village Reside/Re-Roof page names one inspection and only one: "A final inspection will be performed by the building inspector." Chapter 18 of the Municipal Code was read in full and adds no in-progress roofing stage; section 18-66 describes what happens at the final inspection for deposit purposes, and the building deposit is forfeited or deficiencies billed from that stage, which confirms the final is the operative inspection. Where a tear-off turns into deck replacement or framing repair the job stops being a plain re-roof, so ask Building Inspection on 262-532-4282 which stages that permit will carry rather than assuming the final is still the only one.

Not required — No impact-resistance or hail-rating mandate applies in Menomonee Falls. 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 the roof coverings section; its catch-all for coverings not otherwise addressed sends the installer to the manufacturer instructions or a national standard recognised 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 18 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 requirement, and the Village Reside/Re-Roof page sets no shingle rating at all.

NO DOLLAR OR SQUARE-FOOTAGE THRESHOLD IS PUBLISHED - the Village treats re-roofing as its own permit category and prices it as one. Municipal Code section 18-46, headed "Required," provides that "No development shall occur, nor any structure or building be enlarged, nor added to, moved, improved, altered, extended, demolished or removed, unless a permit therefor shall first be obtained by the owner or his agent from the village manager or designee," and adds that "Permits are also required for all uses prescribed in the permit fee schedule of this Code." The fee schedule then names the work: section 42-18(a)(1)(i) reads "Re-side or re-roof $60.00 Residential; All other $12.00 per $1,000.00 of value with a $100.00 minimum." So a residential re-roof carries a flat 60 dollar permit fee rather than a valuation-based one, and Chapter 18 was read in full without turning up a small-job carve-out anywhere in it. One provision that looks like an exemption is not one: section 18-66 lets the village manager or designee exempt minor alterations and residential accessory structures, but that section is headed "Cash deposit" and the exemption is from the deposit, not from the permit. Confirm scope with Building Inspection at 262-532-4282 before treating a repair as too small to 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 20 psf as applied to the surface area. SPS 321.02(1) requires a complete load path capable of transferring all loads from point of origin through the load-resisting elements, and SPS 321.02(3)(h) requires all building components to be fastened to withstand the dead load, live load, snow load and wind load. 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 local 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 here, and the 20 pounds per square foot figure must not be converted into one. Menomonee Falls adds nothing of its own - Chapter 18 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no wind provision.

TWO LAYERS, AND THE VILLAGE SAYS SO ITSELF. The Village Reside/Re-Roof page states, in its own words, "Only two layers of roofs is allowed." That matches the statewide rule rather than adding to it. The statewide Wisconsin uniform dwelling code bars installing a new roof covering over the existing covering in three situations: where the existing roof or covering is water-soaked or has deteriorated so 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 already has two or more applications of any type of permanent roof covering. So at most two total layers, and fewer than that where the deck is wet or deteriorated or the existing roof is one of the listed materials. A complete tear-off to the deck is not restricted by that rule at any layer count. Neither the Village page nor Chapter 18 of the Municipal Code, which was read in full, offers a route to a third layer by calculation or by permission, so a roof already carrying two applications is a tear-off in Menomonee Falls. 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 first of those two branches Menomonee Falls has acted, which sets it apart from most Wisconsin municipalities: Municipal Code section 18-100, headed "Scope of Uniform Dwelling Code expanded," applies the state standards to "Additions, alterations and major equipment replacements for one and two family dwellings built before June 1, 1980," so the age of the house does not put a Menomonee Falls job outside the state code.

STATE-SET. Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.27(9) sets the deck standard for one- and two-family dwellings 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," and shall be "laid so that no continuous line of joints will occur except at points of support." 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 Wisconsin job. Menomonee Falls adds nothing of its own: Chapter 18 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no roof sheathing, decking or roof-nailing provision. Replacing deck is structural work and changes what the permit covers, so tell Building Inspection if a tear-off exposes rotten sheathing.

5.0% on materials - the Wisconsin state sales and use tax of 5% and nothing else. WAUKESHA COUNTY IMPOSES NO COUNTY SALES AND USE TAX, which makes it one of only a handful of Wisconsin counties where the familiar 5.5% figure is wrong: the Department of Revenue rate chart lists Waukesha, county code 67, at a 5% state rate with the county tax column blank. The Department of Revenue sales tax rate chart, Guidance Document 100047 dated January 16, 2026, is the authority for those components. No municipal sales tax applies: the city of Milwaukee is the only municipality in Wisconsin that imposes one, and no premier resort area tax applies - the Department of Revenue list of the ten municipalities that impose it does not include Menomonee Falls. 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 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. 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 invoice.