Roofing in Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Required

Required

STATE CODE, ADOPTED BY THE CITY, WITH A SECOND LOCAL BUILDING CODE ALONGSIDE IT. One- and two-family dwellings in Manitowoc 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 16.010(2) adopts it: "Wis. Admin. Code SPS 320 through 325 of the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code, as prepared by the State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services Division of Industry Services, and future amendments thereto, are hereby adopted by reference." The words "future amendments thereto" make the adoption a floating one, so the City enforces the state code as it stands rather than a frozen edition. Manitowoc also adopts a second instrument most Wisconsin cities do not, at section 16.010(1): "The Wisconsin Uniform Building Code, prepared by the Building Inspectors' Association of Southeastern Wisconsin, as amended from time to time, including future amendments, is hereby adopted by reference," with a copy kept on file in the office of the Director of Building Inspection. Section 16.010(2) settles which wins: "In the event there is any conflict between the applicability of the Wisconsin Uniform Building Code and the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code, the provisions of the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code shall apply." So on a house the state dwelling code governs. Section 16.010(3) adopts ch. SPS 327 for camping units, and section 16.010(4)(a)2.A. records that the City has adopted Appointed Agent Municipality status under Wis. Admin. Code SPS 361.60 and 382, which is the commercial track and is not the subject of the residential fields recorded here. Title 16 of the Municipal Code was read in full - all eighteen sections - and it adds no roof-assembly requirement of its own; the only roofing text in it is a maintenance standard at section 16.150, "Roofs and Drainage," requiring that "The roof and flashing shall be sound, tight and not have defects that might admit rain."

Manitowoc runs permitting through the MyGov portal and requires a local registration before a contractor can apply. The City states that "The City of Manitowoc provides online permitting services to contractors via MyGov. All Contractors and Tradespeople working in the City of Manitowoc shall create a MyGov User Account AND complete a MyGov Contractor Registration. There is no charge for Local Contractor Registration." A property owner who is not going through the portal may instead submit the paper application to the Building Inspection department at 900 Quay Street or by email. The account name matters on a roofing permit: "For Wisconsin state credential/license holders, the User (Collaborator) account's First and Last Name must match those of the credential/license holder, as this name will appear on the permit," and applicants "must choose a Manitowoc Registered Contractor when a State Credentialed or Licensed person is required." On inspections, the City asks for at least 24 hours notice counted in business days, and warns that "Work shall not be concealed until approved by an inspector." On closing the job out, the City is explicit about the cost of forgetting: "If a final inspection is not requested for a project and the permit has expired, the project will be archived as 'incomplete' and the work deemed 'unapproved'," and the fee schedule carries a 50 dollar charge for failure to call for a final inspection plus 75 dollars a reinspection. Permits expire if the work is not commenced within six calendar months of the permit date or 12 months from the start date of issue, and a subsequent permit then costs half the original fee subject to the minimum. Building Inspection is at City Hall, 900 Quay Street, on 920-686-6940.