Village of French Island
La Crosse County, Wisconsin
Last verified September 17, 2026
Village of French Island is a jurisdiction in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, with an online portal for searching and pulling active or historical building permits. Use the contact information below to reach the local building department, or the mailing address if the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Contact
- Phone
- 608-783-0050
- clerk@frenchislandwi.gov
- Department Site
- Village of French Island Clerk/Zoning Administrator (opens in a new tab)
Certificate Holder Mailing Address
Michelle Stahl, Clerk/Treasurer/Zoning AdministratorVillage of French Island
2219 Bainbridge St.
La Crosse, WI 54603
Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Additional Notes
Clerk/Treasurer/Zoning Administrator is Michelle Stahl. Building permits (building, plumbing, electrical, HVAC) are processed via General Engineering Company's online portal; a separate Zoning/Occupancy Permit Application is also required from the Village directly. Hedge: the Village's permits page lists a 'Residential Building Inspector' phone of 608-697-8007, which differs from Wisconsin DSPS's UDC delegation list entry naming Robert Alsens (General Engineering) at 608-742-2169 — both likely reach the same firm's staff; unconfirmed which is the more current direct line.
What You Need Before Applying for a Permit
Most building departments ask for the same core package before they'll issue a permit: a completed application naming the property owner and contractor, the contractor's state license number and proof of insurance (general liability, and workers' comp if employees are on the job), a notice of commencement or equivalent recorded filing for larger jobs where the state requires one, and scaled plans or a site plan for anything beyond minor repairs. Roofing, fence, pool, and solar permits typically have their own simplified checklists — Village of French Island's department (above) can confirm exactly what applies to your project.
Why this matters for insurance: permit history is one of the first things an underwriter or adjuster checks. Unpermitted work — a finished basement, an added bedroom, a rebuilt roof — can complicate a claim or even void coverage for that portion of the loss, and it routinely surfaces during a home inspection. Pulling the right permit up front, and keeping the closed-permit record on file, protects both the property's value and its insurability at resale.
More in La Crosse County
See La Crosse County property and court records →
Other building permit jurisdictions in La Crosse County: