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Roofing in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Hail belt

Yes — a permit is required to replace a roof in South Milwaukee, WI, issued by City of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Inspection Department. A reroof is filed on the City own Siding and Roofing Permit Application rather than on the general building permit. The form asks for the project address and tax key, the total project cost estimate, whether the property is commercial or one and two family, owner and contractor details, and - on the contractor line - the Dwelling Contractor number and the Dwelling Qualifier number. Signing it commits the applicant to do the work "in compliance with the ordinances of the City of South Milwaukee and the laws of the State of Wisconsin relating to such work," and the form states in capitals that "FINAL INSPECTIONS ARE MANDATORY. PLEASE HAVE PERMIT NUMBER AND ADDRESS WHEN REQUESTING INSPECTIONS. GIVE AT LEAST 48 HOURS NOTICE." Inspections are requested from the Inspection Department on 414-768-8054. The permit page advises that permits may require a two-week review period and that plans, specifications and a plat of survey may be required. Section 16.03C sets an outside completion date: every structure for which a permit issues must be completed within a reasonable time "but in no case later than one year after the issuance of the permit" unless the Building Inspector certifies a longer period, which may not exceed 24 months. ONE THING TO CHECK ON THE SIDING HALF OF THE SAME FORM, BECAUSE IT CATCHES OUT CONTRACTORS DOING A ROOF AND SIDE TOGETHER: the form carries a list of allowed exterior facade materials and requires that all sides of the primary structure be finished "with similar materials that carry the building architectural style around every side of the building," marked "THIS IS REQUIRED." Vinyl siding is permitted for single and two-family dwellings only. South Milwaukee, Wisconsin sits in one of the country's most hail-prone regions. This hub aggregates South Milwaukee'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 South Milwaukee

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in South Milwaukee are set locally by City of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Inspection Department. 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
Required
Contractor registration
Required
Adopted building code
THE CITY ADOPTS TWO CODES, NOT ONE, AND THE SECOND IS UNUSUAL. Municipal Code Section 16.01, "Codes adopted; Building Inspector," provides at A that "The Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, SPS 320 through 325, is hereby adopted by reference and made a part of this chapter as though fully set forth herein." At B it adds a second instrument: "The Wisconsin Uniform Building Code prepared by the Building Inspectors Association of Southeastern Wisconsin with all amendments and revisions thereto is adopted by reference and made a part of this chapter as though fully set forth herein. This code shall apply to existing buildings and to additions, alterations and repairs of existing buildings and to all construction, demolition or moving or existing buildings." Section 16.01C then stacks the City requirements on top of the state ones, and Section 16.01D makes both adoptions floating: "Amendments to the above codes adopted herein by reference shall become amendments to this code on and after their adoption by the respective administrative body." So for a house there is no local edition year to check on the state side; the currently published text of chs. SPS 320 to 325 governs. THE SECOND CODE IS WORTH A QUESTION AT THE COUNTER RATHER THAN AN ASSUMPTION. The regional association document Section 16.01B adopts is not published on the City website and is not part of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, and it is written to reach existing buildings and repairs - the area the state dwelling code leaves open. Ask the Inspection Department for the current text before assuming what it does or does not require on a reroof. 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.
  • city_level: South Milwaukee enforces the state scheme and issues no roofing credential of its own, and its roofing permit form is where the state credential gets checked: the contractor block asks for the contractor name, the "Dwelling Contractors #" and the "Dwelling Qualifier #" side by side, so both state certifications are recorded at the point of application. Municipal Code Chapter 16, the Building Code, was read in full and contains no contractor registration, no contractor licence and no roofing licence. Municipal Code Chapter 20, "Trades and Occupations," was also read in full - all of Sections 20.01 through 20.13 - and the trades it licenses are amusement devices and arcades, bowling alleys and pool rooms, junk dealers, transient merchants, ice cream vendors, circuses, auctioneers, transient photographers, Christmas tree sellers, massage therapists and bodyworkers, and secondhand dealers. There is no roofing, building or general contractor licence among them. NOTE THE TRADES THAT ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY, IN CASE A ROOF JOB REACHES THEM: the City has separate Electrical and Plumbing chapters, and the Inspection Department publishes the rule that "No plumbing work shall be performed in the City of South Milwaukee unless a permit for such work has been issued to a licensed master plumber, or to a property owner for work to be done by him/her in a single family building owned and occupied by him/her," with a comparable rule requiring a licensed HVAC contractor. A property owner may personally install electrical wiring in a single-family residence they have legally owned and occupied for at least thirty days.
Permit process
A reroof is filed on the City own Siding and Roofing Permit Application rather than on the general building permit. The form asks for the project address and tax key, the total project cost estimate, whether the property is commercial or one and two family, owner and contractor details, and - on the contractor line - the Dwelling Contractor number and the Dwelling Qualifier number. Signing it commits the applicant to do the work "in compliance with the ordinances of the City of South Milwaukee and the laws of the State of Wisconsin relating to such work," and the form states in capitals that "FINAL INSPECTIONS ARE MANDATORY. PLEASE HAVE PERMIT NUMBER AND ADDRESS WHEN REQUESTING INSPECTIONS. GIVE AT LEAST 48 HOURS NOTICE." Inspections are requested from the Inspection Department on 414-768-8054. The permit page advises that permits may require a two-week review period and that plans, specifications and a plat of survey may be required. Section 16.03C sets an outside completion date: every structure for which a permit issues must be completed within a reasonable time "but in no case later than one year after the issuance of the permit" unless the Building Inspector certifies a longer period, which may not exceed 24 months. ONE THING TO CHECK ON THE SIDING HALF OF THE SAME FORM, BECAUSE IT CATCHES OUT CONTRACTORS DOING A ROOF AND SIDE TOGETHER: the form carries a list of allowed exterior facade materials and requires that all sides of the primary structure be finished "with similar materials that carry the building architectural style around every side of the building," marked "THIS IS REQUIRED." Vinyl siding is permitted for single and two-family dwellings only.

View the full South Milwaukee permitting authority record →

Impact-resistant roofing materials for South Milwaukee hail

South Milwaukee, 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

City of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Inspection Departmentcity

Roofing guides

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

Sources