Village of Rio

Columbia County, Wisconsin

Last verified September 17, 2026

Village of Rio is a jurisdiction in Columbia 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: 608-697-7775
Email: khenrikson@generalengineering.net
Department Site: General Engineering Company (contracted building inspection) / Village Hall (opens in a new tab)

Source: riowi.gov (opens in a new tab)

Permit Search

General Engineering Co. Online Building Permit Application (opens in a new tab)

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

Kenneth Fennewald / Kevin Henrikson
General Engineering Company
Portage, WI

Use this address when the jurisdiction needs to be listed as a certificate holder on a contractor's insurance documentation.

Additional Notes

Village Hall: 207 Lincoln Ave., Rio, WI 53960; general inquiries 920-992-5454. Building permits/inspections are contracted to General Engineering Company of Portage, WI: inspectors Kevin Henrikson (608-697-7775, khenrikson@generalengineering.net) and Kenneth Fennewald (608-697-8009, kfennewald@generalengineering.net). The Wisconsin DSPS UDC delegated-agent list names Amy Stone, Administrator Clerk/Treasurer (920-992-5454, astone@riowi.us) as municipal contact and Kenneth Fennewald as the delegated inspector, consistent with the village's own site.

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 Rio'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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