Building Permits in Madison, Wisconsin
Part of Dane County.
We checked Madison's own official pages for 15 types of projects (shed, fence, deck, roof, pool, patio, garage, solar panels, hvac, electrical, plumbing, driveway, home addition, demolition, water heater). Permits are issued by City of Madison. Every rule below links to the page it was taken from, so you can confirm it before you start work. Last verified September 29, 2026.
Verified permit information is available for 15 project types in Madison.
Verified Permit Categories
- Shed Permit Depends
- Fence Permit No
- Deck Permit Yes
- Roof Permit Yes
- Pool Permit Yes
- Patio Permit No
- Garage Permit Yes
- Solar Panels Permit Yes
- HVAC Permit Yes
- Electrical Permit Yes
- Plumbing Permit Yes
- Driveway Permit Yes
- Home Addition Permit Yes
- Demolition Permit Yes
- Water Heater Permit Yes
Madison rules in detail
Shed
- Conditions
- The total footprint of accessory buildings, including sheds and detached garages, may not exceed 1,000 square feet. source: cityofmadison.com
- Permit required
- Depends source: cityofmadison.com
- Size limit (sq ft)
- 150 source: cityofmadison.com
- Exempt from a permit
- Sheds that are 150 square feet or less, unheated, and ten feet or more from dwelling units on the property do not require a permit. source: cityofmadison.com
- Height limit (ft)
- 15 source: cityofmadison.com
- Setback (ft)
- three feet from house and other structures; three feet from rear or side lot lines source: cityofmadison.com
Fence
- Permit required
- No source: cityofmadison.com
Deck
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Roof
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Pool
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Patio
- Permit required
- No source: cityofmadison.com
Garage
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Solar Panels
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
HVAC
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Electrical
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Plumbing
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Driveway
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Home Addition
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Demolition
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Water Heater
- Permit required
- Yes source: cityofmadison.com
Not yet verified
These permit categories do not yet have enough verified information to publish a linked permit page.
- Pergola
- Carport
- Tree Removal
- ADU
- Windows
Where to apply
City of Madison · official website