Dane County
Dane County Department of Planning & Development, Zoning Division
In short
Dane County Department of Planning & Development, Zoning Division issues 3 permits we publish for Dane County, last verified 2026-10-07. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Zoning Permit – Commercial Construction, Additions and Alterations (county-zoned towns)only if it applies to you | Dane County Department of Planning & Development, Zoning Division | $250.00 plus $2.00 for each $1,000 of construction cost or fraction thereof, rounded to the nearest dollar; doubled where work begins before the permit is obtained. Construction cost includes mechanical equipment but excludes manufacturing or processing equipment, site preparation, sewage disposal systems, utility lines and landscaping (Ord. 12.03(3), (4), (6)). | one-time, per project | 2026-10-07 |
| Conditional Use Permit, Rezone, Variance and Appeal (county-zoned towns)only if it applies to you | Dane County Department of Planning & Development, Zoning Division | $350–$500 conditional use permit: $450 application fee (Ord. 12.05(3)(a)) plus a $45 digital mapping maintenance fee, $495 as charged on the county's application form; rezone petition $500 for commercial, manufacturing and industrial districts or $350 for other districts, plus $45 where the zoning map changes (12.05(1), (1)(a)); variance $500 (12.05(4)); appeal $500 (12.05(5)); fees double where work or a change in use begins first | one-time, per application | 2026-10-07 |
| County Sign Permit (county-zoned towns)only if it applies to you | Dane County Department of Planning & Development, Zoning Division | $50–$500 per sign (Ord. 12.08(2)): on-premise wall sign $100; ground sign $200; pylon sign $200; electronic message sign $300; billboard $500 per face; directional, subdivision or projecting sign $100; home occupation or limited family business sign $50 | one-time, per sign | 2026-10-07 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
County Zoning Permit – Commercial Construction, Additions and Alterations (county-zoned towns)
In an unincorporated town whose town board adopted Dane County zoning (Ord. 10.003(1)(a), under Wis. Stat. 59.69(5)), building, adding to or altering a commercial structure needs a county zoning permit from the Planning & Development Zoning Division. Under Ord. 12.03(3) the fee is $250.00 plus $2.00 for each $1,000 of construction cost or fraction thereof, doubled where work begins before the permit; 12.03(4) rounds the fee to the nearest dollar, and 12.03(6) counts mechanical equipment in the construction cost but not manufacturing or processing equipment, site preparation, sewage systems, utility lines or landscaping. Subsection (3) was last amended by 2018 OA-23 and is in the codified Ch. 12 (rev. 09/30/21). A change to these fees is proposed in 2026 OA-022, which was referred to committee on September 25, 2026 and would take effect January 1, 2027 if adopted. In cities, villages and towns outside county zoning, the municipality issues zoning approvals under its own code.
Conditional Use Permit, Rezone, Variance and Appeal (county-zoned towns)
In a town under Dane County zoning, a business whose use is listed as a conditional use in its zoning district needs a conditional use permit, decided with the Zoning & Land Regulation Committee. Ord. 12.05(3)(a) sets a $450.00 application fee and 12.05(3)(d) adds a $45.00 digital mapping maintenance fee; the county's CUP application form, as filed with CUP 02727 in September 2026, prints "Application Fees — General: $495" and states "PERMIT FEES DOUBLE FOR VIOLATIONS OR WHEN WORK HAS STARTED PRIOR TO ISSUANCE OF PERMIT". A petition to rezone land into a commercial, manufacturing or industrial district is $500 ($350 for other districts) plus $45 when the zoning map changes (12.05(1), (1)(a)); a variance is $500 (12.05(4)) and an appeal $500 (12.05(5)). 2026 OA-022 does not change section 12.05. In cities, villages and towns outside county zoning, the municipality decides these applications under its own code.
County Sign Permit (county-zoned towns)
In a town under Dane County zoning, Ord. 12.08(1) requires a zoning permit "for the installation, erection, replacement, or reconstruction of a sign". The fees in 12.08(2) are $100 for an on-premise wall sign, $200 for a ground or pylon sign, $300 for an electronic message sign, $500 per face for a billboard, $100 for a directional, subdivision or projecting sign and $50 for a home occupation or limited family business sign; 12.08(3) says signs not listed are exempt from any fee and permit requirements. Section 12.08 was last amended by Sub. 1 to 2020 OA-34 (published February 25, 2021). A shop, restaurant, salon, garage or clinic putting up a sign in a county-zoned town applies to the Planning & Development Zoning Division; in cities, villages and towns outside county zoning, the municipality's sign rules apply instead.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Dane County
- Phone
- 608-266-4266
- Website
- plandev.danecounty.gov/
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- 2026 OA-022 — proposed amendment of zoning fees (in committee)Dane County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- 2026 OA-022 (matter 33281) legislative history — referred September 25, 2026Dane County Board of Supervisors · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- Conditional Use Permit application form as filed with CUP 02727 (application dated 09/11/2026) — application feesDane County Department of Planning & Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- Dane County Code of Ordinances ch. 10, Zoning (rev. 04/30/25) — s. 10.003(1)(a) applicabilityDane County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- Dane County Code of Ordinances ch. 12, Zoning Fees (rev. 09/30/21) — ss. 12.03, 12.05, 12.08Dane County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
Other offices serving Dane County
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
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