City of Kenosha
Kenosha County, Wisconsin
Last verified September 17, 2026
City of Kenosha is a jurisdiction in Kenosha 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.
Certificate Holder Mailing Address
City of Kenosha Building Inspection Division
625 - 52nd Street, Room 100
Kenosha, WI 53140
Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.
Additional Notes
This is the actual City of Kenosha building inspection department (not a generic county or unrelated page). Completed applications may be submitted by email (bldgpermits@kenosha.org), mail, or in person; the City also offers MyGovernmentOnline (MGO) for online permit application/submission and a separate online building-permit-payment page. Note: the nearby Kenosha County (a separate government) runs its own eTRAKiT-based Planning & Development online portal for county-jurisdiction permits — do not confuse that with the City's own system. Office: 625 - 52nd Street, Room 100, Kenosha, WI 53140; hours 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. M-F. As of Nov. 1, 2025 the City adopted the 2021 IBC.
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 — City of Kenosha'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 Kenosha County
See Kenosha County property and court records →
Other building permit jurisdictions in Kenosha County: