4 published records
Business licenses and permits in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, seat Milwaukee, is in the words of the county's About Us page "one of the few fully-incorporated counties in the United States and includes 19 municipalities". The Wisconsin Department of Administration's Final Estimates for Minor Civil Divisions (1/1/2026) list them as 10 cities (Cudahy, Franklin, Glendale, Greenfield, Milwaukee, Oak Creek, St. Francis, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa and West Allis) and 9 villages (Bayside, Brown Deer, Fox Point, Greendale, Hales Corners, River Hills, Shorewood, West Milwaukee and Whitefish Bay), with no town. Under Wis. Stat. §59.69(5)(c) a county zoning ordinance "shall not be effective in any town until it has been approved by the town board"; with every parcel inside a city or village, zoning and building permits come from the municipality. Under Wis. Stat. §251.02(2)(a), in a county of 750,000 or more each city or village provides its own local health services, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services directory lists 10 local health departments serving the county's 19 municipalities (the Southwest Suburban Health Department serves West Allis, Greenfield and West Milwaukee; the North Shore Health Department serves Bayside, Brown Deer, Fox Point, Glendale, River Hills, Shorewood and Whitefish Bay); food, pool and similar health licenses are issued by those departments. Retail alcohol licenses are issued by the municipal governing body under Wis. Stat. §§125.26(1) and 125.51(1)(a), and §125.02(11) defines a municipality as a city, village or town. Weights and measures enforcement is a duty of each city or village of more than 5,000 people under Wis. Stat. §98.04(1) and §98.01(3). Child care centres are licensed by the State under Wis. Stat. §48.65(1), and §48.651(2) assigns certification of child care providers in a county of 750,000 or more to the State department. The county's own business-facing records are the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation Public Way Permit for county trunk highways, the Milwaukee County Parks Vendor Permit and the Milwaukee County Parks Right-of-Entry Permit for projects on park property. Each of the 19 cities and villages runs its own business licensing, health licensing, alcohol licensing, zoning and building permits, all of which stack on the county records here. The population figure of 924740 is the U.S. Census Bureau's 2024 estimate.
What are you opening in Milwaukee County?
- 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 Milwaukee County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County Parks permit to cut a parkway curb or build a private driveway across a parkway borderonly if it applies to you | Milwaukee County Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture | MCGO §47.20 requires the written permission of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture and does not set a fee; chapter 47 states no amount for this permit. Contact Milwaukee County Parks for any charge that applies to a given driveway or curb cut. | per project; MCGO §47.20 sets no fixed term, and under §47.22 the permittee's guarding and lighting duties run from the start of the work until it is completed and the materials are removed | 2026-10-09 |
| Milwaukee County DOT Public Way Permit (excavation, driveway/access, occupancy and encroachment on county trunk highways)only if it applies to you | Milwaukee County Department of Transportation, Transportation Services Division | Set by the director of public works under MCGO §67.02(1) and (6) and published by MCDOT as its 2026 Permit Fee Rates, effective January 1, 2026: a processing fee charged on every permit, plus engineering and inspection fees on the permit types the MCDOT Permit Manual names. The fee schedule is linked from the county's Permits page; contact MCDOT Transportation Services at 414-257-5910 or permits@milwaukeecountywi.gov for the amount that applies to a given permit. Under MCGO §67.02(3) the fee is doubled when work starts or the public way is occupied before a permit is issued, and §67.02(7) provides for a restoration deposit estimated by the director. | per permit; valid for the period stated on the permit (MCGO §67.01(3)(b)), and the permit lapses if work is not started before it expires (MCGO §67.02(4)) | 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.
What do these permits involve in Milwaukee County?
Milwaukee County Parks permit to cut a parkway curb or build a private driveway across a parkway border
Under Milwaukee County Code of General Ordinances §47.20(1), "No curb, whether stone, concrete or grass, shall be cut for the purpose of constructing a private driveway across any parkway border nor for any other purpose without written permission of the department of parks, recreation and culture." Section 47.20(2) adds that the location, width, grade and construction of all paths, driveways and roadways across any sidewalk border along a county parkway are subject to the department's approval and may be built only after its written permission is obtained. So a business whose premises take driveway access across a Milwaukee County parkway border, and the contractor building that driveway, need the Parks Department's written permission first, in whichever of the county's 19 cities and villages the site lies. Under §47.22 the permittee must guard the work while it is open and, from sunset to sunrise, fence it and mark it with a red light, and §47.28 makes the permittee liable for damage caused by its negligence. Section 47.29(1) sets a forfeiture of $10 to $200 for each violation of chapter 47. The ordinance, as codified on Municode through Ordinance No. 26-7 (adopted June 25, 2026), does not set a fee and does not name an application form; the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture issues the permission. This is separate from the MCDOT Public Way Permit, which covers driveways onto county trunk highways, and from any driveway or curb-cut permit of the city or village where the site lies.
Milwaukee County DOT Public Way Permit (excavation, driveway/access, occupancy and encroachment on county trunk highways)
MCGO chapter 67 requires a permit from the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) for work in a county public way, which §67.01(1) defines as a county arterial highway designated under §68.01 (the county trunk highways). The county's Permits page lists the triggers, including construction of a driveway or street entrance, closing or revising an existing driveway, and a "change in land use, additions to an existing development, changes in traffic pattern, volumes of an existing driveway or street entrance intersecting a public way" (§67.01(17)), as well as excavation, temporary occupancy, encroachments, storm sewer connections and oversize loads. So a contractor working in a county trunk highway right-of-way needs it, and so does any business that builds, closes or changes a driveway onto a county trunk highway or changes the use of a property served by one, in any of the county's 19 cities and villages. Per the Permits page, only property owners, public and private facility owners or their contractors performing the work may apply. The fees are set by the director of public works under §67.02(1) and (6) and are published as the MCDOT 2026 Permit Fee Rates sheet, linked from the Permits page under the heading "2026 Permit Fee Rates — Effective January 1, 2026". Under §67.02(5) a refund of an unused permit carries a 20% charge with a $20 minimum. Contact MCDOT Transportation Services at 414-257-5910 or permits@milwaukeecountywi.gov.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Milwaukee County Code of General Ordinances §47.20 — Cutting of parkway curbs for private drives; permit required (with §§47.22, 47.28 and 47.29)Milwaukee County (published by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
- Permits — When Is a Permit Required?; 2026 Permit Fee Rates, Effective January 1, 2026Milwaukee County Department of Transportation · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
- Milwaukee County Code of General Ordinances chapter 67 — Public Way PermitsMilwaukee County (published by Municode) · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-07
Who issues business permits in Milwaukee County?
Permitting in Milwaukee County 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.
Milwaukee County issuing agencies
- Milwaukee County Department of Parks, Recreation and CultureGives the written permission that Milwaukee County Code of General Ordinances §47.20 requires to cut a parkway curb or to build a private driveway, path or roadway across a parkway sidewalk border, and that §47.21 requires to open a trench in, dig into or take up any part of a county park or parkway; under §47.28 every chapter 47 permit is issued in writing by a duly authorized employee of the department1 permit
- Milwaukee County Department of Transportation, Transportation Services DivisionIssues public way permits under Milwaukee County Code of General Ordinances chapter 67 for excavation, driveways and street entrances, temporary and revocable occupancy, encroachments, storm sewer connections, gateway signs, overhead banners, detours, special events and oversize or overweight loads on county trunk highways1 permit
- Milwaukee County Parks (Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture), Planning, Development & Engagement SectionTakes applications for Right-of-Entry Permits from outside parties seeking to access or impact Milwaukee County park property for a project, signed by the Parks Director or designee1 permit
- Milwaukee County Parks (Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture), Special Events OfficeIssues vendor permits for food and beverage, retail, recreational and other service-oriented concessions on Milwaukee County Parks property (Milwaukee County Code of General Ordinances §47.04(1))1 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.