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Roofing in Howard, Wisconsin

Hail belt

No — Howard, WI does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (Village of Howard, Wisconsin - Building Inspection). 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. Howard, Wisconsin sits in one of the country's most hail-prone regions. This hub aggregates Howard's roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements and impact-resistant material options — every fact linked to its sourced directory record.

Roofing permits & building code in Howard

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in Howard are set locally by Village of Howard, Wisconsin - Building Inspection. Wisconsin requires a state credential before a residential building permit can be issued — under Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.31 the permit applicant must hold a Department of Safety and Professional Services Dwelling Contractor or Dwelling Contractor-Restricted certification — and the state Uniform Dwelling Code governs one- and two-family construction statewide, so a city sets its own permit administration rather than its own roofing-code provisions — always confirm the current requirements with the authority before starting work.

Roofing permit
Not required
Adopted building code
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.
Registration details
  • state_level: STATE-SET AND IT IS A REAL GATE ON THE PERMIT, NOT A FORMALITY. Wis. Stat. 101.654(1)(a) provides that "no person may obtain a building permit unless the person annually obtains from the department a certificate of financial responsibility showing that the person is in compliance with sub. (2), completes the continuing education requirements described under sub. (1m), and furnishes to the issuer of the permit proof of completion of those continuing education requirements." Wis. Stat. 101.65(1m) puts the duty on the municipality from the other side: a city, village, town or county "may not issue a building permit to a person who is required to be certified under s. 101.654" without that certificate or other satisfactory evidence. The financial-responsibility test in 101.654(2)(a) is a surety bond of at least $5,000 conditioned on complying with the dwelling code, or a general liability policy of at least $250,000 per occurrence. The continuing education is 12 hours every two years under 101.654(1m)(b)1., of which at least 4 hours must be on construction laws and codes and on contracts, liability and risk management. THE HOMEOWNER EXEMPTION IS NARROW: 101.654(1)(b) exempts only "an owner of a dwelling who resides or will reside in the dwelling and who applies for a building permit to perform work on that dwelling." THERE IS NO SEPARATE ROOFING LICENCE IN WISCONSIN - a roofer holds the same dwelling contractor credential a framer or a siding contractor holds. AND THE CREDENTIAL REACHES OLD HOUSES EVEN WHERE THE CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS DO NOT: Wis. Stat. 101.615(3) applies 101.65(1m) and 101.654 to a building permit application "to perform work on a dwelling the initial construction of which was commenced before, on or after December 1, 1978," so the vintage carve-out that limits the code does not limit the licence. One further statutory duty falls on the owner rather than the roofer: under 101.65(1r) the municipality must have an owner applying for a permit sign a statement warning that hiring a contractor who is not bonded or insured as 101.654(2)(a) requires can leave the owner personally liable for injury or property damage arising out of the work. The administrative rule carrying the same requirement is Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.31, "Dwelling contractor," which opens "Pursuant to s. 101.654 (1) (a), Stats., no person may obtain a building permit for a one- or 2-family dwelling unless the person" holds a dwelling contractor certification or a dwelling contractor restricted certification and holds or employs a certified dwelling contractor qualifier; SPS 305.315 covers the qualifier, whose stated purpose is "to provide proof of fulfilling the continuing education obligations to the issuers of building permits." The certification is valid for no longer than one year and is renewed annually. Howard adopts ch. SPS 305 by reference at Village Code Section 40-64(2), so the state credentialing rules are Village rules here as well. ONE POINT THAT MATTERS MORE IN HOWARD THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THIS DIRECTORY, AND IT IS WHY THIS RECORD PUBLISHES NO YES-OR-NO ANSWER ON THE CREDENTIAL. Both the statute and the rule are written as conditions on OBTAINING A BUILDING PERMIT, and a reroof on a one- or two-family dwelling in Howard needs no building permit. So on that job the credential requirement is not triggered by these provisions, while on a roof that does need a permit - three or more units, or a commercial building - it plainly is. Do not read this as advice that an uncertified contractor may work here: it is a statement that the Wisconsin requirement hangs on the permit, that Howard has removed the permit for one class of roofing work, and that the position on that class has not been resolved by anything published. Confirm with the Department of Code Administration before relying on it either way.
  • village_level: Howard issues no roofing credential of its own. Village Code Chapter 40, "Buildings and Building Regulations," was read in full and contains no building or roofing contractor registration; its only two licensing provisions are trade-specific and follow state law. Section 40-344, "Contractor qualifications," restricts electrical work to persons licensed or registered under Wis. Stat. 101.862, and Section 40-366 provides that "No person shall engage in any plumbing work in the village unless licensed to do so in accordance with Wis. Stats. 145.06." Neither reaches roofing. The Village building permit application asks, under Section 40-152(3), for the name, mailing address and phone number of the engineer, architect, designer, contractor or owner agent responsible for the work.
Permit process
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.

View the full Howard permitting authority record →

Impact-resistant roofing materials for Howard hail

Howard, Wisconsin sits in one of the country's most hail-prone regions. For hail exposure, the highest impact rating a roof covering can earn is UL 2218 Class 4. These cataloged material categories reach Class 4:

Class 4 impact-resistant materials

Class 4 Impact-Resistant Shingle Corrugated Metal Panel Metal Shingle Rubber (Polymer) Shingle Standing-Seam Metal Roof Stone-Coated Steel Synthetic Shake Synthetic Slate Synthetic Tile

Browse every option on the Class 4 impact-resistant materials hub, and read the Class 4 impact-resistant shingles buyer's guide. Many insurers offer premium credits for a documented Class 4 roof — confirm terms with your carrier.

Local permitting authority

Village of Howard, Wisconsin - Building Inspectioncity

Roofing guides

Class 4 Impact-Resistant ShinglesGuide Asphalt vs. Metal vs. TileGuide Wind & Fire RatingsGuide

Sources