City of Madison

Dane County, Wisconsin

Last verified September 17, 2026

City of Madison is a jurisdiction in Dane 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: 608-266-4551
Email: binspection@cityofmadison.com
Department Site: Building Inspection Division, Development Services Center (opens in a new tab)

Source: cityofmadison.com (opens in a new tab)

Permit Search

City of Madison Licenses & Permits Portal (Accela Citizen Access) (opens in a new tab)

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

City of Madison Building Inspection Division
Madison Municipal Building
215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 017
Madison, WI 53703

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 Madison's actual Building Inspection Division (large office), confirmed distinct from the small Town of Madison entry below. Plan Review/Zoning counters at 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 017, Madison, WI 53703 are by appointment only. No single named building official was identified on the public contact page (multiple inspectors staff the division); general department email/phone used instead.

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 Madison'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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