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13 permits · verified 2026-10-07

What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in Brown County Wi?

In short

No permit applies to every contractor or trade in Brown County Wi, WI. All 13 depend on your premises, the work you do or how you are set up. Brown County Clerk charges $15 nonrefundable application fee; renewal $15 (County Code §30.03(3)(a)3. and (6)(b)) for the alarm business license. 6 of the 13 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-07 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.

Permits particular to a contractor or trade in Brown County Wi

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
County Trunk Highway Use of Right-of-Way / Utility Permitonly if it applies to youBrown County Highway Department$150–$1,500 per permit (2026 Adopted Budget; same figures on the Highway Permits page): Use of Right-of-Way permit $150; pavement open cut $1,000; utility permits — less than 1/4 mile $150, 1/4 to 1 mile $300, more than 1 mile $1,500; work without a permit 3 times the fee plus restorationper permit, per project2026-10-07
Alarm Business Licenseonly if it applies to youBrown County Clerk$15 nonrefundable application fee; renewal $15 (County Code §30.03(3)(a)3. and (6)(b))expires December 31 of the year issued; renewal $15 (County Code §30.03(6)(a)–(b))2026-10-07
Dwelling Contractor Certificationonly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Division of Industry Services$25 credential fee, initial and annual renewal alike; a first application adds a $15 application feerenews on the date of issuance2026-09-03
General Contractor Licensing — Wisconsin Trades Credential Listonly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Division of Industry ServicesNo feenot applicable2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

Local permits that apply to every type of business in Brown County Wi

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Emergency Alarm User Permit (burglar and hold-up alarms)only if it applies to youBrown County ClerkVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pageone year; renew by January 1 each year (County Code §30.03(3)(b))2026-10-07
County Trunk Highway Access (Driveway) Permitonly if it applies to youBrown County Highway DepartmentVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pageone-time, per access point2026-10-07
Sanitary Permit — Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System (areas without public sewer)only if it applies to youBrown County Planning and Land Services Department, ZoningVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pagevalid two years from the date of issue, renewable (County Code §11.07(1)(c))2026-10-07
Shoreland Permit — Commercial, Industrial or Manufacturing Structure (unincorporated shorelands and Bellevue)only if it applies to youBrown County Planning and Land Services Department, ZoningVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pageone-time, per project2026-10-07
County Trunk Highway Building Setback Permit (towns)only if it applies to youBrown County Highway DepartmentVaries — formula on the Brown County Wi pageper project; work must be completed within one year2026-10-07

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

WI registrations that apply to every type of business

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services$100 one-time filing, on paper or onlineperpetual, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
General Business License — Wisconsin positiononly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer ServicesNo feenot applicable2026-09-03
Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services$130 one-time online filing plus a $1 portal fee; $170 on paperperpetual, but an annual report is due each year2026-09-03
Annual Reportonly if it applies to youWisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services$25 a year online; $40 on paper, which is the $25 plus a $15 paper surchargeannual — due at the end of the calendar quarter containing the anniversary of formation2026-09-03

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

How much does it actually cost to permit a contractor or trade in Brown County Wi?

There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 13 records listed for a contractor or trade in Brown County Wi, WI, 0 apply to every business of this type and 13 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.

6 of the 13 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:

County Trunk Highway Use of Right-of-Way / Utility Permit: $150–$1,500 per permit (2026 Adopted Budget; same figures on the Highway Permits page): Use of Right-of-Way permit $150; pavement open cut $1,000; utility permits — less than 1/4 mile $150, 1/4 to 1 mile $300, more than 1 mile $1,500; work without a permit 3 times the fee plus restoration

The other 5 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Brown County Wi permits page and the WI state page.

Which offices issue these permits in Brown County Wi?

Permits for a contractor or trade in Brown County Wi, WI come from 5 separate offices: Brown County Clerk, Brown County Highway Department, Brown County Planning and Land Services Department, Zoning, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Corporate and Consumer Services, Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services, Division of Industry Services. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.

What does a contractor or trade need in Brown County Wi that other businesses do not?

4 of the 4 permits particular to a contractor or trade here apply to no other business type we cover in Brown County Wi: County Trunk Highway Use of Right-of-Way / Utility Permit, Alarm Business License, Dwelling Contractor Certification and General Contractor Licensing — Wisconsin Trades Credential List.

County Trunk Highway Use of Right-of-Way / Utility Permit

A contractor or other business doing private work or utility work in County Trunk Highway right-of-way in Brown County needs a permit from the Brown County Highway Department. The department's Permits page says the right-of-way permit is the permit to construct, operate and maintain utilities within highway right-of-way and "is also used for any type of private work within County Trunk Highway right-of-way"; an open cut of the road also requires signing the department's five-year warranty agreement, and work that impedes traffic needs a traffic control plan. Per the Rates and Fees appendix of the 2026 Adopted Budget (adopted October 29, 2025), the Use of Right-of-Way permit fee is $150, a pavement open cut permit $1,000, and utility permits $150, $300 or $1,500 by length; work without a permit costs three times the fee plus restoration. The Permits page shows the same figures under a table headed 2025 rates and fees, and the 2027 Proposed Budget lists the same amounts. The page states that municipalities that have signed the five-year warranty agreement are exempt from these fees for their utility work. Submit permits to Highway.Engineering@browncountywi.gov or call 920-492-4925.

Alarm Business License

County Code §30.03(2)(a) defines an alarm business as any business operated for profit that alters, installs, leases, maintains, monitors, replaces, sells, services or responds to a burglar or hold-up alarm system, including answering services and central stations. Under §30.03(3)(a), anyone engaged in an alarm business in the county applies to the County Clerk's Office for a license; the application carries a nonrefundable $15 fee. Under §30.03(6) every alarm business license expires on December 31 of the year issued and is renewed on payment of $15. The fee is set in the ordinance text itself (chapter updated 6/22/23). Section 30.03(3)(a)5. exempts an alarm business that already holds an alarm business license from another jurisdiction within Brown County whose provisions are substantially similar. A licensed alarm business that protects its own premises with an alarm also needs a user permit for that system. Contact the County Clerk, P.O. Box 23600, Green Bay, WI 54305-3600.

Dwelling Contractor Certification

Two credentials that interlock rather than substitute. The dwelling contractor certification is the business's — it is what lets a firm contract for work on one- and two-family dwellings and pull building permits — and the business must additionally hold, or employ someone who holds, the individual dwelling contractor qualifier credential, which renews at $30 and requires a twelve-hour approved course within the year before applying. The money that matters is not the fee: the business must show financial responsibility of at least $25,000 by bond or insurance, plus liability cover of at least $250,000 per occurrence. The department's credential fee table sets the initial fee for the business certification at $25 plus a $15 application fee, and for the qualifier credential at $30 plus a $15 application fee. Reinstatement is $200. Note this reaches residential work only; the department's trades fee table lists no general or commercial building contractor credential.

General Contractor Licensing — Wisconsin Trades Credential List

No fee is recorded. The Department of Safety and Professional Services' published table of trades credential fees lists every contractor credential the department issues — automatic fire sprinkler contractor and its maintenance variant, dwelling contractor and dwelling contractor restricted, electrical, elevator, HVAC and utility contractor — and that table lists no general or commercial building contractor credential. On that schedule, state-level contractor credentialing reaches residential work on one- and two-family dwellings, through the dwelling contractor scheme, and the specific trades. A commercial project still needs plan review and permits, and any electrical, plumbing, HVAC, fire sprinkler or elevator work must be done by the relevant licensed trade. Municipalities may register contractors separately.

The other 5 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Brown County Wi, WI; what each one involves is set out on the Brown County Wi permits page. The 4 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across WI and are covered on the WI state page.

How does a contractor or trade compare with other businesses in Brown County Wi?

The closest match is a auto repair shop, which shares 0 of these permits. A contractor or trade also needs County Trunk Highway Use of Right-of-Way / Utility Permit, Alarm Business License, Dwelling Contractor Certification and General Contractor Licensing — Wisconsin Trades Credential List. A auto repair shop needs Automotive Repair Shops — Wisconsin Conduct Rules (ATCP 132), which a contractor or trade does not.

Permits particular to each business type in Brown County Wi, WI, compared with a contractor or trade
BusinessIts own permitsShared with a contractor or tradeOnly a contractor or trade needsOnly it needs
Auto repair shops1041
Childcare centres1041
Coffee shops6046
Fitness studios2042
Food trucks6046
Restaurants5045
Retail stores3043
Salons and barbers3043
Veterinary clinics1041

Sources

Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Brown County Wi permits page and the WI state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.

  1. Brown County 2026 Adopted Budget, Rates and Fees AppendixBrown County, Wisconsin · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
  2. Brown County Highway Permits — permit types and rates and fees tableBrown County Highway Department · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  3. Brown County 2027 Proposed Budget — Appendices, "Rates and Fees" (published October 1, 2026; proposed only)Brown County Executive · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  4. Brown County Code ch. 30 — Private alarm systems (§30.03), updated 6/22/23Brown County · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  5. Emergency Alarm Permit — Annual Fee $40 per Permit; municipalities that apply with Brown CountyBrown County Clerk · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
  6. Wisconsin DSPS — credential fees and renewal dates (business and health credentials)Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-08
  7. Wisconsin DSPS form 3096 — dwelling contractor certification, with the financial responsibility requirementsWisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-03

Related

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