Village of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin - Building Inspection

Village of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin

city

8811 Campus Drive, Mount Pleasant, WI 53406

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Mount Pleasant takes permit applications online. The Village states that it "accepts online applications for building permits and inspections, and several other services," through a system built by BS&A Software, and that an applicant "must have an account with BS&A in order to use the Village's current system," with a free account created on the vendor's site; the Village publishes a walkthrough for it. The Roof-Siding-Window paper form is marked "For reference only" and points applicants to the online portal. Building Inspection is at 8811 Campus Drive on 262-664-7824 or 262-664-7825. On timing, Municipal Code section 14-8(n) provides that all work must begin within 180 days from the date the permit is issued or as otherwise stated on the permit approval, that an extension must be applied for to carry on past the permit's time limit and carries its own fee, and that additions and alterations to a one- or two-family dwelling must be finished within two years of issue. Permit fees are set by the Village Board under Chapter 30 of the Code, must be paid before the permit issues, and are nonrefundable. The permit card must be posted at the front of the property, visible from the public roadway and protected from deterioration, and where there are no visible address numbers the applicant must put up temporary numbers at least three inches tall. A property owner pulling the permit personally must include the cautionary statement the Village publishes for owners. Inspections are arranged by calling or emailing Building Inspection.

STATE CODE, ADOPTED BY THE VILLAGE AND EXTENDED TO PRE-1980 HOUSES. One- and two-family dwellings in Mount Pleasant 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. Municipal Code section 14-5 provides that "The Village Board hereby adopts following Wisconsin Administrative Codes and all amendments thereto by reference," listing at (e) "Chapters SPS 320-325 Uniform Dwelling Code (UDC)" along with SPS 302 fees, SPS 305 credentials, SPS 316 electrical, SPS 318 elevators, SPS 326 manufactured homes, SPS 328 smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, the commercial building code at SPS 361-366, SPS 371 solar energy systems, SPS 375-379 for buildings constructed before 1914 and SPS 390 public swimming pools. The words "and all amendments thereto" make the adoption a floating one rather than a frozen edition, and the same section sets the tie-breaker: "The Wisconsin Administrative Code shall apply when any conflict between this code and the Wisconsin Administrative Code arises." Section 14-6 then applies the Mount Pleasant Building Code to "new construction, additions, or alterations" of, among other things, one- and two-family dwellings, with express exceptions only for children's play apparatus and landscaping features. Commercial and multifamily buildings run on the separate Wisconsin Commercial Building Code and are not the subject of the residential fields recorded here. Article I of Chapter 14, which is the whole of the Village building code content, sections 14-1 through 14-40, was read in full, and it adds no roof-assembly requirement of its own - no layer rule, no ice barrier rule, no drip edge and no fastening schedule. The chapter was recodified by Ordinance No. 25-2021 on November 8, 2021.

Not required — No drip edge is required by code on a Mount Pleasant 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, Article I of Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code was read in full and the words drip edge do not appear in it, and neither does any other roof-edge or flashing requirement. 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. Mount Pleasant adds nothing to this: Article I of Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no ice barrier or ice dam provision. 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. Mount Pleasant has closed the first of those two branches, and it is one of the few Wisconsin municipalities that names the date outright. Municipal Code section 14-9(a) provides that "The UDC shall apply to alterations and additions, where technically feasible, for one- and two-family dwellings built prior to June 1, 1980," and section 14-9(a)(1) adds that "When existing conditions prohibit alterations that comply with the UDC, the Building Inspector shall approve proposed alternatives." So an older Mount Pleasant house is inside the state code, subject to a technical-feasibility judgment the Building Inspector makes. Section 14-6 points the same way from the other end, applying the Mount Pleasant Building Code to "new construction, additions, or alterations" of one- and two-family dwellings with no vintage limit of its own. About ice & water barrier

Not required — No mid-roof or roof-covering inspection stage is published. Municipal Code section 14-12(a)(1) lists the inspections the Building Inspector performs, in full: erosion control; foundation footing; foundation walls; drain tile; concrete floor slabs; floating slabs; rough construction, which covers rough framing, electrical, plumbing and HVAC or mechanical "prior to concealment"; building insulation; final construction; fire inspections; decks; and swimming pools. None of those is a tear-off, roof-deck or roof-covering stage. On a straightforward reroof that leaves the final construction inspection as the operative one. Where a tear-off turns into framing replacement the rough construction stage applies, because it must be inspected before concealment, so ring Building Inspection on 262-664-7824 before sheathing over new framing.

Not required — No impact-resistance or hail-rating mandate applies in Mount Pleasant. 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, Article I of Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 requirement; its only use of the word impact is a stop-work clause about failure to pay impact, zoning or building fees. The Village Roof-Siding-Window permit application asks the applicant only to tick the covering type - asphalt, rubber, metal, torch down or other - and sets no rating.

NO PUBLISHED DOLLAR OR SQUARE-FOOTAGE THRESHOLD, AND A DISCRETIONARY WAIVER INSTEAD. Municipal Code section 14-8(a) reads: "Permit required. No person shall build, enlarge, alter, repair, demolish, move into, move within, or move out of a structure of any kind within the Village except as hereinafter provided without obtaining a permit from the Building Inspector. The Building Inspector shall reserve the right to waive the permit requirement for minor alterations or repairs." So the small-job question in Mount Pleasant is answered by the Building Inspector case by case rather than by a number, and there is no roofing figure anywhere in Article I of Chapter 14, which was read in full. Reroofing is a named permit category rather than an afterthought: section 14-8(c)(8) lists the application requirements for "Residing, reroofing and window replacement" as "A detailed scope of the proposed work and plans or specifications as applicable," and the Village publishes a Roof-Siding-Window Permit Application of its own. That form prints the price on its face: "ReRoofing ~ $20 per 1,000 SQ FT - Max Fee of $250.00 Per Building," against a "MINIMUM PERMIT FEE $60.00," with the applicant asked to state the estimated cost of the construction work. The form also warns that "If structural work is performed, provide plans or additional info as required" and that "Additional permit fees shall apply as applicable." It is stamped Effective Nov 2021. Ring Building Inspection on 262-664-7824 before treating a small repair as waived, because the waiver is the Inspector's to give and not the roofer's to assume.

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. Mount Pleasant sets no wind figure of its own for a dwelling. Article I of Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code was read in full; its one wind provision is section 14-9(b)(2), which requires gazebos, sheds and accessory buildings not anchored to a foundation to be anchored to the earth by a suitable method as required for the applicable wind load - an accessory-structure anchoring rule, not a roof design criterion.

STATE-SET. Mount Pleasant writes no reroofing rule of its own - Article I of Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code, sections 14-1 through 14-40, was read in full and contains no layer limit, no recover rule and no roof-covering provision at all - so the statewide rule governs unmodified. 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. There is no local route past two layers here of the kind some other Wisconsin municipalities publish, so a roof already carrying two applications is a tear-off in Mount Pleasant. 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. Mount Pleasant has closed the first of those two branches, and it is one of the few Wisconsin municipalities that names the date outright. Municipal Code section 14-9(a) provides that "The UDC shall apply to alterations and additions, where technically feasible, for one- and two-family dwellings built prior to June 1, 1980," and section 14-9(a)(1) adds that "When existing conditions prohibit alterations that comply with the UDC, the Building Inspector shall approve proposed alternatives." So an older Mount Pleasant house is inside the state code, subject to a technical-feasibility judgment the Building Inspector makes. Section 14-6 points the same way from the other end, applying the Mount Pleasant Building Code to "new construction, additions, or alterations" of one- and two-family dwellings with no vintage limit of its own.

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. Mount Pleasant adds nothing of its own: Article I of Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no roof sheathing, decking or roof-nailing provision. Note that opening the deck turns a reroof into structural work, which the Village Roof-Siding-Window permit application addresses directly: "If structural work is performed, provide plans or additional info as required," and it brings in the rough construction inspection under section 14-12, which covers rough framing before concealment.

5.5% on materials - the Wisconsin state sales and use tax of 5% plus Racine County's 0.5% county sales and use tax. THE COUNTY TAX IS NEW: the Department of Revenue rate chart lists Racine, county code 51, at 0.50% with an effective date of 4/25 and flags the row as New, so the county began levying it on April 1, 2025. Any price list, estimate template or tax note written before that date will show Racine County at no county tax and will be 0.5% short. 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 Mount Pleasant. 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.