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Waukesha County

Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use, Planning and Zoning Division

In short

Waukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use, Planning and Zoning Division issues 3 permits we publish for Waukesha 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

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Zoning Permit (county zoning jurisdiction only)only if it applies to youWaukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use, Planning and Zoning Division$75–$270 per permit (2026 fees): new industrial and commercial buildings $270; remodeling and/or addition to a principal structure $215; decks, patios, signs, pools and other impervious surfaces $110; minor change $75; floodplain development in the C-1 district $210; after-the-fact permits are charged doubleone-time, per project2026-10-07
Site Plan / Plan of Operation Approval (county zoning jurisdiction only)only if it applies to youWaukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use, Planning and Zoning Division$155–$310 per approval (2026 fees): Site Plan/Plan of Operation $310; minor change $155one-time, per approval2026-10-07
Conditional Use Permit, Board of Adjustment and Zoning Amendment Petitions (county zoning jurisdiction only)only if it applies to youWaukesha County Department of Parks and Land Use, Planning and Zoning Division$600–$750 per petition (2026 fees): conditional use with plan of operation $650; conditional use without plan of operation $600; zoning amendment $645; Board of Adjustment $750one-time, per petition2026-10-07

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 (county zoning jurisdiction only)

This permit applies only inside the county zoning jurisdiction. The county's Planning and Zoning FAQ says that area "includes all of the Village of Lac La Belle and the Town of Ottawa, and includes Town of Oconomowoc (islands), as well as the Shoreland and/or Floodland areas" of the Towns of Brookfield, Delafield, Eagle, Genesee, Merton and Mukwonago; the Zoning Code page says the code applies to the Town of Ottawa and the Village of Lac La Belle. Elsewhere, the city, village or town zones. Zoning Code §3.03(1) requires zoning and occupancy use permits before construction and "before any change is made in the type of use". The amounts are from the Planning and Zoning Division's page headed "Planning and Zoning Permit Fees - 2026"; under Zoning Code §22.02(5) the fees are "established by the annual Waukesha County budget adopted by the Waukesha County Board". The page also lists a $425 floodplain annual utility permit. The 2027 Executive Budget states no zoning rate change.

Site Plan / Plan of Operation Approval (county zoning jurisdiction only)

A business establishing or changing a commercial use inside the county zoning jurisdiction (the Town of Ottawa, the Village of Lac La Belle, the Town of Oconomowoc islands and the shoreland/floodland areas of the Towns of Brookfield, Delafield, Eagle, Genesee, Merton and Mukwonago, per the county Planning and Zoning FAQ) goes through site plan / plan of operation review by the Planning and Zoning Division. The fee is $310, or $155 for a minor change, as listed on the Division's page headed "Planning and Zoning Permit Fees - 2026"; Zoning Code §22.02(5) puts the fees in the annual county budget. Outside that area the city, village or town handles site plan review under its own code and fees.

Conditional Use Permit, Board of Adjustment and Zoning Amendment Petitions (county zoning jurisdiction only)

Inside the county zoning jurisdiction (the Town of Ottawa, the Village of Lac La Belle, the Town of Oconomowoc islands and the shoreland/floodland areas of six towns, per the county Planning and Zoning FAQ), a use that the zoning district allows only as a conditional use needs a conditional use permit, a request to depart from the code's standards goes to the Board of Adjustment, and a change of district needs a zoning amendment. The fees are listed on the Planning and Zoning Division's page headed "Planning and Zoning Permit Fees - 2026": $650 for a conditional use with a plan of operation, $600 without, $645 for a zoning amendment and $750 for a Board of Adjustment petition. Zoning Code §22.02(5) puts the fees in the annual county budget. Outside the county zoning area the municipality decides these petitions.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Waukesha County
Phone
Not verified — use the website

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.

  1. Planning and Zoning Division Fees — Planning and Zoning Permit Fees 2026Waukesha County Planning and Zoning Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  2. Planning and Zoning FAQ — county zoning jurisdictional areaWaukesha County Planning and Zoning Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  3. Waukesha County Zoning Code pageWaukesha County Planning and Zoning Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  4. Waukesha County Zoning Code through EO 179-49, effective 12-11-2024 (§3.03 permits, §22.02(5) fees)Waukesha County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07

Other offices serving Waukesha County

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Wisconsin jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.