City of Rice Lake

Barron County, Wisconsin

Last verified September 17, 2026

City of Rice Lake is a jurisdiction in Barron 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: 715-296-8866
Email: bldginsp@ricelakegov.org
Department Site: City of Rice Lake Building Inspection Department (opens in a new tab)

Source: ci.rice-lake.wi.us (opens in a new tab)

Permit Search

InspectWiz Online Permit Portal (opens in a new tab)

Certificate Holder Mailing Address

Bill (William) Koepp, City Contracted Building Inspector
City of Rice Lake
30 E. Eau Claire St.
Rice Lake, WI 54868

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

Additional Notes

Confirmed via the City of Rice Lake's own official website (ci.rice-lake.wi.us). Permits valid 2 years from issuance; processing allow 4-5 business days. Cross-validated by the Wisconsin DSPS delegated-authority list (dsps.wi.gov, Aug 19, 2026, row 144, DOA 03276, Delegated), which independently names the same inspector -- 'William Koepp' -- though with a different phone/email pair (715-790-3688, billkoepp@gmail.com vs. the city site's 715-296-8866, bldginsp@ricelakegov.org); both are likely valid (direct/cell vs. city office line) and the city's own published contact is used as primary here. DSPS PDF also lists city clerk/administrator SJ Johnson (sjohnson@ricelakegov.org) with a phone shown as '705-234-3454' -- Wisconsin has no 705 area code, so this appears to be a transcription error in the source PDF for what is likely 715-234-3454; flagged as a hedge, not used in structured fields. DISAMBIGUATION: this is the CITY, a separate government from the surrounding Town of Rice Lake (see separate record).

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 Rice Lake'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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