Administrative overview · FIPS 55009
Brown County permit authority
The first compliance decision is jurisdictional: identify the office with statutory authority over your parcel, then use its filing and inspection sequence to keep the project moving.
Jurisdictional status
Municipal Fallback
This profile identifies a handoff outside the county’s ordinary structural permitting lane.
Required jurisdiction check
Confirm the controlling local or state authority before filing.
The record is marked Municipal Fallback. That means the county profile should be treated as a routing brief: incorporated municipalities, a state building department, or a state fire marshal may control plan review, permits, and inspections. Contact the named agency below and verify the parcel’s jurisdiction before paying a fee or scheduling field work.
Responsible agency
City of Green Bay Department of Community and Economic Development, Building Inspection Division
For a project in or near Brown County, this office is the identified point of contact for permit intake, statutory code enforcement, plan review coordination, and inspection release conditions. Confirm the parcel’s boundary and project type before relying on the county lane.
Direct contact
920-448-3300; Brown County shoreland, floodplain, and private-sewage permits: 920-448-6480
Call before mobilizing if the project has a boundary, occupancy, fire, septic, or utility question.
Permit counter
City of Green Bay Department of Community and Economic Development, Room 608, 100 North Jefferson Street, Green Bay, WI 54301-5026
Operating hours
Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Review expectation
Approximately one week after all required application information is received.
Compliance workbench
Choose the next project decision.
Apply online
Open the verified digital gateway, application form, and review timeline.
Open guide →Fees & penalties
Understand fee schedules, enforcement exposure, and stop-work liabilities.
Open guide →Codes & exemptions
Read the code framework, minor-work exemptions, and inspection lane.
Open guide →Agency website
Visit the primary public source for current notices and contact changes.
Open guide →Source trail
Official sources for this profile
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Frequently asked questions for Brown County
Who handles permitting for this jurisdiction?
This record is marked Municipal Fallback. Confirm whether a city, state agency, or other local authority controls the parcel before filing.
How should I begin an application?
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact 920-448-3300; Brown County shoreland, floodplain, and private-sewage permits: 920-448-6480.
How long might review take?
Approximately one week after all required application information is received.
How are inspections scheduled?
Request an inspection at https://greenbaywi.gov/ScheduleInspection or call 920-448-3300 at least one business day in advance. Required stages depend on the project and can include footing, foundation, dampproofing or stone, framing and trade rough-ins, insulation, utility service, and finals. A final inspection is required for every project. Contact Brown County at 920-448-6480 separately for shoreland, floodplain, wetland, or private-sewage inspections outside the city's building program.
Which codes and exemptions should I review?
City of Green Bay Chapter 8 Buildings and Construction and Chapter 44 Zoning; Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code SPS 320-325; Wisconsin Commercial Building Code SPS 361-366; SPS 316 electrical code; and SPS 381-387 plumbing provisions, with Green Bay acting as an appointed agent under SPS 361.60 and SPS 382. General building permits are municipal rather than countywide. Brown County separately enforces Chapter 22 shorelands and Chapter 23 floodplains in unincorporated areas, and Chapter 11 private sewage where public sewer is unavailable. A building permit is generally not required for purely cosmetic painting or flooring, kitchen-cabinet replacement, insulating a detached garage, residential re-roofing without structural change, residential siding, an exact-size residential window replacement, a same-type water-heater replacement, a shed under 50 square feet, razing a building under 150 square feet, ordinary landscaping below the retaining-wall or berm threshold, residential tents, or small kiddie pools. Zoning, trade, egress, shoreland, floodplain, or sanitary rules can still apply. Owner-occupants may perform their own work; rental or other non-owner-occupied property requires appropriately licensed contractors.