City of West Bend, Wisconsin - Division of Building Inspection

City of West Bend, Wisconsin

city

1115 S. Main Street (West Bend City Hall), West Bend, WI 53095

Required

Required

Building Inspection is at City Hall, 1115 S. Main Street, on 262-335-5140, and takes permit applications in person, by mail or in the drop box, with review and permit fees payable online subject to a card or electronic-cheque service fee. A reroof is filed on the City alteration and replacement permit application, the form the City indexes for remodeling and miscellaneous permits and describes with the examples "Deck, Roofing, Siding, Electrical Service, Furnace, Water Heater." The form asks for the total cost of the project and the cost without mechanicals, and it has fields for the building contractor's Dwelling Contractor number and Dwelling Qualifier number. The City warns that review fees must be collected before any review or conditional approval is granted. On inspections generally, Municipal Code section 14.10(1) provides that inspections are made on notification from the permit holder or their agent, and the City's own one- and two-family inspection sheet states that "Inspections of all phases of construction shall be called for and the work cannot be covered until approved," that the State code allows 48 hours to make an inspection after the agreed time and that construction may continue if it is not made in that window, and that a 75 dollar reinspection fee applies beyond a stated number of inspections. Fire alarm and fire sprinkler permits go to the Fire Department on 262-335-5055 rather than to Building Inspection. Permit fees are set by the Common Council under section 14.15 with the schedule kept on file in the Building Inspector's office, and section 14.15(2) provides that fees are not refunded unless the Building Inspector determines they were not owed.

STATE CODE, ADOPTED BY THE CITY, WITH ONE EXPRESS OVERRIDE. One- and two-family dwellings in West Bend 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 14.03(2), as amended by Ordinance No. 2910 on January 14, 2023, provides that "Wisconsin Adm. Code Chs. SPS 320 to 325 and 327, inclusive, are hereby made a part of this chapter by reference. Despite the provisions of SPS 320.05(4), SPS 320 to 325 shall apply to all accessory buildings in the City." Section 14.03(3) does the same for ch. SPS 305, the credentials chapter, and section 14.03(4) makes every one of those adoptions a floating one: "The adoption of codes by reference in this section shall include any amendments to such codes as may be made from time to time." Commercial buildings run on chs. SPS 360-366 under section 14.03(1) and are a separate track from the residential fields recorded here. Two further points of practice. Section 14.01(1) states the reach of the City chapter itself: "The provisions of this chapter shall govern the design, construction, alteration, demolition and moving of all buildings and structures." And section 14.25 puts variances out of the City's hands altogether: "The Wisconsin Department of Safety & Professional Services has exclusive jurisdiction to grant variances as provided in sec. SPS 320.19, 361.22 & 316.005 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code," so a request to depart from a roofing rule goes to the State, not to the City. Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code, sections 14.01 through 14.27, was read in full and adds no roof-assembly requirement of its own.

Not required — No drip edge is required by code on a West Bend 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 City side, 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 roof-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. West Bend adds nothing to this: 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. West Bend has NOT been shown to have taken that step for dwellings, and the way its ordinance is written makes that worth stating carefully rather than guessing. Municipal Code section 14.03(2) adopts chs. SPS 320 to 325 and then overrides one exemption in the state code by name: "Despite the provisions of SPS 320.05(4), SPS 320 to 325 shall apply to all accessory buildings in the City." Subsection (4) of that state section is the accessory-buildings exemption. The City says nothing about subsection (1), the pre-June-1980 dwellings exemption, or subsection (3), the repairs exemption. Chapter 14 was read in full, all of sections 14.01 to 14.27, and it contains no reference to June 1, 1980 and no other extension of the state code to existing dwellings. So on an older West Bend house, ask the Building Inspector on 262-335-5140 rather than assuming either way. About ice & water barrier

Not required — No mid-roof or roof-covering inspection stage is published for a reroof. The City one- and two-family inspection sheet lists the stages in order - footing before pouring, foundation and erosion control, building drain, basement floor, stack test, rough carpentry, electrical and heating, insulation, electrical service, sewer and water lateral, and occupancy or final - and none of them is a tear-off, roof-deck or roof-covering stage. Municipal Code section 14.10(1) lists the same stages in ordinance form. But read 14.10(1)(c) before covering new framing: it requires "Inspection of the following when in place, but before such work is covered, enclosed or concealed by other construction: 1. All wall, floor and roof framing; 2. Fire stopping and bracing," so a job that replaces roof framing must be seen before it is sheathed over. The City states the general rule the same way: inspections of all phases of construction shall be called for and the work cannot be covered until approved. On a straightforward reroof that leaves the final inspection as the operative one. Ring Building Inspection on 262-335-5140 rather than covering framing on an assumption.

Not required — No impact-resistance or hail-rating mandate applies in West Bend. 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 City side, Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code was read in full and contains no UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 requirement, and the City permit paperwork sets no shingle rating.

A ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR DISCRETIONARY CARVE-OUT, AND AN EMERGENCY RULE WORTH KNOWING. Municipal Code section 14.06(1) requires a permit before any building or structure or any part of one is "built, enlarged, altered, demolished, moved into, or moved," and then adds the exception: "The Building Inspector may authorize minor repairs or alterations valued at less than $1,000 which do not change occupancy area, structural strength, fire protection, exits, light or ventilation and room arrangement of the building without requiring a building permit." Note the verb - the Inspector MAY authorise it, so the carve-out is a discretion to be asked for rather than an exemption to be assumed, and it is capped at a project value under 1,000 dollars. Reroofing above that line is a priced permit category: the City permit fee schedule lists "Pools, Spas, Reroofs, Siding & Remodels $ 13.00/$1,000.00" against "Minimum Permit Fees $ 60.00," and the City alteration and replacement permit application prints the same line as "All Trades: Remodeling-Pools-Roofing-Siding $13./$1,000" with a stated minimum of 60 dollars. A separate maximum applies to commercial work only, at 250 dollars. Two more provisions bear on a storm job. Section 14.16(2) allows emergency work to begin before a permit is applied for where it "is necessary to start the work prior to issuance of a permit to protect property or human health or safety," the work conforms to the chapter, and "A sufficient application for all necessary permits for the work is submitted as soon as possible and not later than the next business day." Section 14.16(3) adds a penalty fee where work starts before a permit issues outside that emergency route, and states that a late permit "shall not relieve the person performing the work or the owner or person in control of property from liability for penalties for commencing the work without a 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. West Bend sets no wind figure for a dwelling roof, and there is a figure in its code that must not be mistaken for one. Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code was read in full; it uses the word wind twice, at section 14.18 on satellite earth stations and section 14.19 on alternative energy installations, each requiring that "All installations shall meet a minimum wind load design velocity of 80 m.p.h." That 80 mile-per-hour figure governs the mounting of a dish or a small wind or solar installation. It is not a roof design wind speed and it must not be applied to a roof assembly.

STATE-SET. West Bend writes no reroofing rule of its own - Chapter 14 of the Municipal Code, sections 14.01 through 14.27, was read in full and contains no layer limit, no recover rule and no roof-covering provision - 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 West Bend. 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. West Bend has NOT been shown to have taken that step for dwellings, and the way its ordinance is written makes that worth stating carefully rather than guessing. Municipal Code section 14.03(2) adopts chs. SPS 320 to 325 and then overrides one exemption in the state code by name: "Despite the provisions of SPS 320.05(4), SPS 320 to 325 shall apply to all accessory buildings in the City." Subsection (4) of that state section is the accessory-buildings exemption. The City says nothing about subsection (1), the pre-June-1980 dwellings exemption, or subsection (3), the repairs exemption. Chapter 14 was read in full, all of sections 14.01 to 14.27, and it contains no reference to June 1, 1980 and no other extension of the state code to existing dwellings. So on an older West Bend house, ask the Building Inspector on 262-335-5140 rather than assuming either way.

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. West Bend adds nothing of its own: 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 brings section 14.10(1)(c) into play, which requires inspection of all wall, floor and roof framing when in place but before it is covered, enclosed or concealed.

5.5% on materials - the Wisconsin state sales and use tax of 5% plus Washington County's 0.5% county sales and use tax, which the Department of Revenue rate chart lists for county code 66 with an effective date of 1/99. Unlike two of its neighbours to the south, Washington County has levied the county tax for a long time, so there is no recent change to watch here - but note that Waukesha County, immediately south, levies none at all, so materials bought there are taxed at 5%. 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 West Bend. 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.