Roofing in Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Required

Required

THE CITY WRITES ITS OWN BUILDING CHAPTER AND PUBLISHES IT WHOLE, WHICH IS UNUSUAL AND USEFUL. Municipal Code Chapter 30, the Building Code, is a single 28-page document the City hosts itself, with ten sections: general provisions, definitions, building inspector and permits, accessory structures, inspections required, swimming pools, regulations for moving or razing buildings, building numbering, plumbing service and penalties. Section 30.01(1) sets its relationship to state law: "The provisions of this code supplement the laws of the State of Wisconsin pertaining to construction and use and the Zoning Code of the City." For a one- or two-family dwelling the construction standards are therefore the statewide Wisconsin uniform dwelling code, chs. SPS 320 to 325 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, with Chapter 30 supplying the local permit, inspection and existing-building rules on top. Two clauses tell you how conflicts resolve. Section 30.01(3)(b) provides that the chapter shall not be construed to prevent enforcement of other city or state regulations prescribing different standards, and that "In case of conflicts among such regulations, the most restrictive standard shall apply." Section 30.01(3)(c) provides that "If any part of this ordinance is explicitly prohibited by federal or state statute, that part shall not be enforced" - which is Chapter 30 acknowledging the state preemption described elsewhere on this record. THERE IS NO INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE EDITION TO CHASE HERE. Wisconsin does not adopt the IRC for houses; the state dwelling code is a Wisconsin-written code. 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.

Applications go in on the City residential building permit application or through its online permitting portal, and the City reviews first come, first served, with the time depending on completeness and project type. Section 30.03(5) sets out what an application must state and what must accompany it, and Section 30.03(4)(c) adds a condition that catches people out: before any permit may be issued "the applicant and/or property owner must be current on all personal property taxes within the city." Fees are set by the most recently adopted Common Council fee schedule for the Community Development Department rather than in the ordinance. Inspections are requested from the Building Inspector after each phase; under Section 30.05(1) work on subsequent phases may not proceed until the inspection is approved, but "Construction may proceed on a one- or a two-family dwelling if an inspection has not been performed within two business days after proper notification has been given," and occupancy may occur five business days after a final is requested if it has not been performed. WATCH THE EXPIRY, BECAUSE ROOFING HAS THE SHORT ONE. Section 30.03(9)(f) provides that "Permits for residential roofing, siding, decks, accessory structures and other similar projects will expire after six months," against two years for a new dwelling, and Section 30.03(9)(a) adds that any permit goes void if work does not start within four months or is suspended for 60 days after starting, subject to waiver at the discretion of the Chief Building Official. The section also halves the clock on each renewal: "The expiration time for each subsequent permit or renewal for the same project will be half of the prior time limit." Section 30.05(2) puts the onus squarely on the permit holder - it is not the inspector responsibility to track when the next inspection is due "nor to notify the permit applicant that the permit has expired."