Do I need a plumbing permit in Madison, WI? All plumbing work, the owner exemption, fees and 10,392 permits

This is the City of Madison. Fitchburg, Middleton, Monona, Sun Prairie, Verona, the other towns and villages and Dane County issue their own permits.

The rule

The Development Services Center's Permits page (read 24 October 2026) lists these as permit work, all handled by Building Inspection (608-266-4551):

The City's Permit Applications page adds: "For general repairs over $500, contact Building Inspection 608-266-4551."

Who can pull it

The City's plumbing data sheet has fields for the owner and the plumbing contractor, and says nothing about who must sign. State law sets the license rule: Wisconsin's plumbing license requirement does not apply to "Plumbing work done by a property owner in a one-family building owned and occupied by him or her" as a home or farm building, "except where such license is required by local ordinance" (Wis. Stat. § 145.06(4)(a), read 24 October 2026). That exemption does not cover a duplex, a rental or a house you don't live in. Because a local ordinance can override it, ask Building Inspection before you file as an owner.

What it costs

These are from the Plumbing Data Sheet and the City's Building Inspection Fees page. A bathroom with three new fixtures pays the $25 minimum; a basement bath with a toilet, sink, shower, laundry tub and floor drain is $40.

How to apply

1. Projects that don't need plan review: fill out the Plumbing Data Sheet ("This application is for projects that do not require plan review") or use Plumbing Upgrades and Replacements in the City's Accela Citizen Access site.
2. Choose one fee option on the sheet and describe the work, the building type and the contractor.
3. Building Inspection is at 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 017, open by appointment, Monday to Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
4. The City warns of a reported scam in which people pose as City officials asking for permit payments.

What 10,392 Madison plumbing permits show

From Madison plumbing permits, permits filed October 2024 to September 2026:

Plumbing permits are flat year over year at about 5,200. January is the peak and September the low. ZIP 53704 holds nearly one in five. The page also lists the contractors named on the most permits, which is volume, not quality. Year, month and ZIP counts are on Madison permit statistics and the rows on browse Madison permits.

Before you hire

Look up the address's past permits in Accela with the Madison building permit search guide; Wisconsin plumbing licenses are issued by the Department of Safety and Professional Services. Rules elsewhere: plumbing repairs and a water heater. Costs: plumbing labor cost and water heater replacement cost.

What this does not tell you

The City's reports have no status or final inspection date, so we can't say which permits passed final; plumbing permits carry no job value, so no costs. Plumbing permits are dated by the day they were filed. Counts include new commercial buildings (418) as well as homes.