City of La Crosse

La Crosse County, Wisconsin

Last verified September 17, 2026

City of La Crosse 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.

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

David Reinhart
Chief Building Inspector
608-789-7564
reinhartd@cityoflacrosse.org

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 City of La Crosse's actual Building & Inspections / Building Safety Division (400 La Crosse St, City Hall) — not a generic county page. Chief Building Inspector David Reinhart is confirmed as the named contact on both of DSPS's August 19, 2026 delegated-municipalities lists (commercial and UDC/residential): 608-789-7564, reinhartd@cityoflacrosse.org. Permit applications can also be submitted electronically to the department's general email.

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 La Crosse'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.

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