8 published records
Business licenses and permits in Madison, Wisconsin
The City's Opening a Business in Madison page states that the City does not have a generic business license; licensing is activity-specific, like Milwaukee's. Public Health Madison & Dane County, a joint city-county agency, runs food-service permitting. The sign permit's per-square-foot fee is published on the City's own Zoning Fees page: $1.75/sq ft for most new and ground signs, $2.50/sq ft for advertising signs, $50 minimum.
What are you opening in Madison?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Madison
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business License — City of Madison Positiononly if it applies to you | City of Madison Clerk's Office | No fee | not applicable | 2026-09-06 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | City of Madison Development Services Center, Building Inspection Division | $10 for the first certificate; $150 for each additional certificate | issued once per qualifying occupancy | 2026-09-06 |
| Commercial Building Permit | City of Madison Development Services Center, Building Inspection Division | Plan review — commercial alterations/remodeling: $0.04/sq ft, minimum $100 (HVAC alterations: $0.03/sq ft, same minimum); new construction uses the same $0.04/sq ft rate. Structural review of building elements: $50 per element. Inspection fee for existing-building alterations/repairs: $11 per $1,000 of value (or fraction), minimum $25. New buildings/additions are billed by occupancy group instead — e.g., assembly/office/retail is $0.51/sq ft, minimum $25. Trade fees: plumbing fixtures $8 each (min $25); electric service replacement $50/panel; electrical openings $25 for the first ten, $1 each additional. | one-time, per project | 2026-09-06 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Madison?
General Business License — City of Madison Position
The City Clerk's Opening a Business in Madison page states: 'The City of Madison does not have a generic business license.' Per that page, there is no general license fee payable to the City; licensing is entirely activity-specific — the Clerk's own fee schedule covers roughly 30 categories (alcohol, amusement devices, auto salvage, body art, food, hotel/motel, secondhand dealer, and more), plus separate Fire Department and PHMDC categories.
Certificate of Occupancy
Per the City's Building Inspection Fees page, the first Certificate of Occupancy is $10 and each additional certificate is $150 (Madison General Ordinances section 29.09(3)). A Zoning Certificate (a change of use without a building permit) is separately $75, per Madison General Ordinances sections 29.07(3)(e) and 28.206.
Commercial Building Permit
Per the City's Building Inspection Fees page, plan review for commercial alterations is $0.04 per square foot (minimum $100) and the inspection fee for alterations to an existing building is $11 per $1,000 of value (minimum $25). A commercial-only Early Start Permit is $50 plus $0.01/sq ft; revisions to previously-examined plans are $100.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Madison — Opening a Business in MadisonCity of Madison Clerk's Office · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
- City of Madison — Building Inspection FeesCity of Madison Development Services Center · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
- City of Madison — Zoning FeesCity of Madison Development Services Center · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
Who issues business permits in Madison?
Permitting in Madison is split across 4 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Madison issuing agencies
- Public Health Madison & Dane County, Environmental Health DivisionLicenses and inspects retail food establishments (serving meals and not serving meals), mobile retail food establishments, service bases and transient food establishments throughout Dane County as the agent of the State of Wisconsin (2025 RES-366; Ord. 46.33-46.34); applications and fees are processed by the City of Madison Clerk's Office · Licenses public pools and water attractions, and tattoo and body-piercing establishments, throughout Dane County as the State's agent (Ord. 46.33-46.34; Ord. ch. 48) · Issues sanitary permits for private onsite wastewater treatment systems (Ord. ch. 46) and well location permits (Ord. ch. 45) throughout Dane County10 permits
- City of Madison Development Services Center, Building Inspection DivisionCertificate of Occupancy · Commercial building permits · Sign contractor licensing4 permits
- City of Madison Clerk's OfficeActivity-specific business licenses2 permits
- Madison Fire DepartmentFire occupancy licenses1 permit
Other Wisconsin jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.