Remodel Permits in Cross Plains, WI: What Needs One

Do You Need a Permit in Cross Plains?

Yes permit neededNo no permitDepends depends on the workAsk not published, call the office

Project	Permit	What the rule says
Kitchen remodel	Yes	The Village lists kitchen remodeling as needing a building permit, and its code requires a permit for any project affecting the inside of a house except new flooring and painting. Apply through Johnson Inspection's online portal (JI Portal), with separate electrical, plumbing and HVAC work covered there. Remodels cost $13 per $1,000 of estimated cost plus mechanicals ($150 minimum). Permits: building, electrical, plumbing.(source)
Bathroom remodel	Yes	A bathroom remodel needs a building permit through the JI Portal, plus plumbing and electrical for that work. Swapping fixtures in place is unclear: the Village's flow chart says replacing fixtures needs no permit, but the 2026 fee schedule lists a $20 Village-review fee for replacing fixtures with no plumbing or electrical changes. Ask the Village office before a like-for-like swap. Permits: building, plumbing, electrical.(source)
Finish a basement	Yes	Finishing an unfinished basement needs a building permit through the JI Portal, plus electrical, plumbing and HVAC for that work. Permits: building, electrical, plumbing, HVAC.(source)
Remove or move a wall	Yes	Moving or removing walls needs a building permit through the JI Portal. The Village doesn't split load-bearing from non-load-bearing walls; its code covers any project affecting the inside of a house. Permits: building.(source)
Build or replace a deck	Yes	A new deck, or changing a deck, needs a building permit through the JI Portal plus Village zoning approval: send plans to both the Village and Johnson Inspection. Setbacks are measured from the deck posts, and a deck attached to the house must meet the house setbacks (in SR-4, for example, 10 ft side and 25 ft rear). No size or height exemption or local frost depth is published; the state Uniform Dwelling Code sets construction rules. Permits: building, zoning.(source)
Replace deck boards or railings	Depends	Not named. The Village code requires a permit for all projects affecting a structure's exterior (only flooring and painting are exempt), and the flow chart sends any 'change deck' work to the JI Portal. Replacing boards or railings in kind may fall under the $20 Village-review fee for maintenance or replacement with no structural change; ask the Village office which applies. Permits: building.(source)
Replace windows, same size	Yes	Same-size replacement windows need a Village-review building permit ($20, no inspection). Fill out the Village Review application and email it to the Village office. Windows of a different size go through the JI Portal. Permits: building.(source)
New or larger window (egress)	Yes	A new or enlarged window opening, such as a basement egress window, needs a building permit through the JI Portal plus Village zoning approval; send plans to both. Permits: building, zoning.(source)
Replace exterior doors	Yes	The 2026 Village fee schedule charges $20 for replacing doors with no structural changes, which implies a Village-review permit, though the Village Review application form lists only windows, siding, roofs, water softeners and concrete pads. New or enlarged openings go through the JI Portal. Ask the Village office which form to use. Permits: building.(source)
Re-roof	Yes	Re-roofing needs a Village-review building permit ($20, no inspection); email the Village Review application to the Village office. Tear-off vs. overlay and sheathing replacement aren't addressed separately. Permits: building.(source)
Replace siding	Yes	Re-siding needs a Village-review building permit ($20, no inspection); email the Village Review application to the Village office. Permits: building.(source)
New flooring	No	No permit for new flooring. The Village code exempts flooring and painting from the building permit rule, and the flow chart says the same.(source)
Replace a water heater	Yes	Replacing a water heater needs a permit; the flow chart sends it to the JI Portal (Johnson Inspection). Water softener replacement is the simpler Village-review form. The Building Permits page marks water heaters with the Village-review asterisk, but the Village Review application doesn't list them, so apply through the JI Portal or ask. Permits: plumbing.(source)
Build a fence	Yes	Fences 36 inches and taller need a fence permit approved by the Zoning Administrator: use the Fence/Shed application with a site plan and photos of the style and materials, and mark lot corners with iron pipes. In residential districts the limit is 4 ft in the front yard (no more than 50% solid, no chain link or wire mesh) and 6 ft in side, rear and street-side yards. Keep fences 3 ft from the street right-of-way, put posts and supports on your side, and meet corner vision rules. Temporary snow and construction fences need no permit. The Village charges $20; Johnson Inspection's 2023 rate sheet also lists fences at $100. Permits: zoning.(source)
Build a shed	Yes	Sheds need a permit and zoning approval: use the Village's Fence/Shed application with a site plan showing setbacks. A shed with electrical, plumbing or HVAC goes through the JI Portal instead. In the single-family districts detached accessory buildings sit 10 ft from side and rear lot lines, 5 ft from the house (unless fire-rated), out of the front yard, and no taller than 15 ft or the house. Two detached accessory structures are allowed by right, and all accessory buildings together can't exceed 10% of the lot area. Johnson Inspection's rate sheet lists accessory structures at $0.15/sq ft ($100 minimum) plus a $50 zoning permit. Permits: zoning, building.(source)
Install a pool	Yes	A pool deeper than 24 inches needs a building permit (plans to the building inspector; $300 on Johnson Inspection's rate sheet) plus electrical work. Pools go in the side or rear yard, at least 6 ft from lot lines and buildings, with a fence at least 4 ft high and 4 ft from the pool edge, openings no larger than 4 inches, and self-closing, self-latching gates. Storable wading pools are exempt. Don't drain a pool into the sanitary sewer. Permits: building, electrical.(source)
Add a hot tub	Yes	The Village lists hot tub and whirlpool installation as needing a building permit through the JI Portal (plus electrical). A spa or hot tub with a lockable cover, kept fastened when not in use, is exempt from the zoning code's pool fence and setback standards. Permits: building, electrical.(source)
Build a pergola or gazebo	Depends	Not named. The Village code requires a building permit for detached accessory structures and for any project affecting a structure's exterior, so a freestanding or attached pergola likely needs one. A pergola can sit in the 5-ft separation between the house and a detached accessory building. Ask the Village office. Permits: building, zoning.(source)
Backyard fire pit	Depends	A portable or manufactured fire pit or bowl needs no permit, but a fireplace or pit built permanently into a patio needs a Village building permit. Use pits at least 15 ft from buildings and lot lines, on a stable surface (never a combustible deck, porch or patio), with a screen or spark arrestor, burning only clean dry wood, supervised by an adult with an extinguisher or hose at hand, and not when DNR air quality is worse than moderate. Other open burning needs a $10 burning permit. Permits: building.(source)
Build a patio	Yes	Patios need Village zoning approval, and the Village Review building permit application covers concrete pads ($20). In the residential districts, paving stays 5 ft from side lot lines and 10 ft from the street right-of-way and rear line, and each district has a minimum landscape surface ratio (35% in SR-4). A new or replaced driveway apron needs a separate right-of-way permit ($200 to $400). Permits: zoning, building.(source)

Checked October 2026 against the Village of Cross Plains sources listed below.

Who to Call

Village of Cross Plains Building Permits
Phone: 608-798-3241
Permit office website

Inspection is contracted to Johnson Inspection (608-444-0372). Remodels, basements, decks, egress windows, pools, hot tubs, water heaters and electrical, plumbing and HVAC work are applied for and paid on Johnson Inspection's JI Portal. Same-size windows, re-roofing, re-siding and concrete pads use the village's $20 Village Review application, and fences and sheds the Fence/Shed application; email it to the village office or drop it at Village Hall, 2417 Brewery Road. Decks, egress windows, patios, sheds and fences also need village zoning approval, so send plans to the village too. This is the Village of Cross Plains; the Town of Cross Plains is a separate municipality.

Permit Fees

Johnson Inspection, LLC Rate Sheet 2023 (still the schedule linked from the Village's Licensing and Permits page in October 2026), one- and two-family: new structures and additions $0.15/sq ft ($250 minimum) plus electrical, plumbing and HVAC at $0.07/sq ft each, state seal $40, erosion control $100; remodels $13 per $1,000 of estimated cost plus mechanicals ($150 minimum); accessory structures $0.15/sq ft ($100 minimum); temporary occupancy $125; swimming pools $300; miscellaneous replacements $125; electrical service upgrade $125; outside sewer and water laterals $125; fences $100; zoning permits $150 new home, $100 residential addition, $50 accessory structure; re-inspections $80 each; early start $175. Village 2026 fee schedule (https://www.cross-plains.wi.us/DocumentCenter/View/2316): $20 for maintenance or replacement not requiring an inspection (fence, roof, siding, windows and doors with no structural change, fixture replacement with no plumbing or electrical change); failure to pull a permit costs 2x the permit fee; conditional use $250; land use permit $100; variance $150; rezoning or text amendment $150; right-of-way permits $200 to replace a driveway, $300 new driveway, $400 with culvert; erosion control permit $50 plus actual cost (no fee when part of a building permit); short-term rental license $500 initial, $250 renewal.(fee schedule)

Worth Knowing in Cross Plains

Starting work without a permit costs double the permit fee.(source)
The building inspector has 72 hours to review a building permit application.(source)
Required inspections include erosion control, sewer and water laterals, footings and foundation before the pour, framing with rough electrical, plumbing and heating, insulation, landscaping and final.(source)
Asbestos: when a renovation disturbs more than 160 sq ft of regulated asbestos-containing material, an asbestos notification form goes in with the building permit application; a missing form can draw a forfeiture up to $500. The code also has a lead-safe renovation section for homes built before 1978.(source)
Construction noise is allowed 7 am to 8 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 6 pm on weekends and holidays.(source)
Replacing a driveway, adding one or doing utility work in the street right-of-way needs a Village right-of-way permit with a site plan; inspections must be scheduled 48 hours ahead.(source)
An erosion control and stormwater permit applies to land disturbance over 4,000 sq ft or excavation or fill over 400 cubic yards, among other triggers.(source)
Cross Plains has its own floodplain zoning (Chapter 85, recreated March 10, 2025) and shoreland zoning (Chapter 86). In a floodplain, repair, modification or addition to an existing structure needs a land use permit from the zoning administrator first; principal buildings in the shoreland area sit at least 50 ft back from the ordinary high-water mark.(source)
Homes in the Main Street Mixed Use (MSMU) district fall under Downtown Design Overlay review for exterior changes. Check the Village zoning map.(source)
Many subdivisions have their own design or architectural review committee or HOA; for new homes the Village wants that approval before it issues zoning approval.(source)

Other Towns

Sources

Permit rules and fees change. We checked each answer against the town's own website, code or fee schedule in October 2026 and linked the source. Confirm with the permit office before you start. This is a guide, not legal advice.

Remodel Permits in Cross Plains, WI