City of River Falls

Pierce County, Wisconsin

Last verified September 17, 2026

City of River Falls is a jurisdiction in Pierce 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: 715-426-3427
Email: abond@rfcity.org
Department Site: Building and Inspections Division (opens in a new tab)

Source: rfcity.org (opens in a new tab)

Permit Search

Wisconsin ESLA Customer Portal (state new one/two-family home & commercial electrical permits) (opens in a new tab)

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

Christopher McDonough, Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer
City of River Falls Building and Inspections Division
222 Lewis Street
River Falls, WI 54022

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

Additional Notes

City Hall / Building and Inspections Division: 222 Lewis Street, River Falls, WI 54022; main line 715-425-0900. Staff: Christopher McDonough, Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer (715-426-3426, cmcdonough@rfcity.org); Angie Bond, Building Permit Technician (715-426-3427, abond@rfcity.org) — permits are issued by appointment, call Angie to schedule. New one/two-family home permits and commercial electrical permits are filed through the State of Wisconsin's ESLA portal rather than a city-run database. The Wisconsin DSPS UDC delegated-agent list records this city as 'In Multiple Counties' with no municipal contact or inspector listed in that table. This is the City of River Falls (this batch's target) — DISTINCT from the Town of River Falls, also in Pierce County, which is a separate government researched in a different batch; its info is not attributed here.

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 River Falls'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.

See something out of date? Submit a correction →