Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Green Bay, Appleton & the Fox Valley

Barndominium Builders in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

A barndominium in Fond du Lac starts at one of two counters. Inside the city, the Building Inspection Division of the City of Fond du Lac furnishes the state uniform building permit for a new house and runs its inspections. Just outside, the Town of Fond du Lac is its own government with its own building and zoning inspector, and Fond du Lac County adds a shoreland permit on lots near Lake Winnebago or a navigable stream. We build for both sides of that line: turnkey homes, barndominium kits for owners who want to take on some of the work, post-frame pole barn homes, and steel metal building homes. Many buyers near Fond du Lac want a shouse, with the shop and the living space sharing one roof and one slab. Barndominium contractors who already know the city's plan submittal routine and the town's new-home application keep the schedule from stalling at review. If you have a lot in mind, or you are still choosing between a city lot and acreage in the towns, start the survey and tell us about your land.

Fond du Lac at a glance

Principal county: Fond du Lac County
Building permit: City or village building inspection
Local facts on this page: 5, each linked to its source

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Before you build in Fond du Lac

The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.

City or village permitWho issues the permit

City of Fond du Lac Building Inspection Division (Inspection Services, 160 South Macy Street)

The City of Fond du Lac has adopted the State building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing codes. Plans go to the Building Inspection Division by email with the city's SBD-118 form, reviews are done as time permits, and the city may refer a plan to the State. Parcels in the Town of Fond du Lac apply to the town's own inspector instead.

Source: Building Inspections - Inspection Services - City of Fond du Lac (fdl.wi.gov)

Plan submittal: All plan reviews at the City of Fond du Lac require a completed SBD-118 form with the plans, which the Building Inspection Division accepts electronically by email or as a downloadable file. The city asks applicants to call ahead to check lead time, and reserves the right to refer a plan review to the State.
Inspection sequence: The City of Fond du Lac lists its required inspections: water and sewer laterals, footings, foundation, drain tile, under-floor plumbing and vapor barrier, electric service, rough framing, electrical, HVAC and plumbing, insulation, and finals for occupancy that include engineering final grade.
City building code: The City of Fond du Lac building code says no one may build a one- or two-family dwelling without first obtaining a state uniform building permit, furnished by the City. Applications need dimensioned plans at not less than 1/8 inch per foot, showing footings, foundation walls, each floor, elevations and a structural section, plus a plot plan.
Town of Fond du Lac: The Town of Fond du Lac, a separate government from the city, has its own Building and Zoning Inspector through Final Look Inspections, a building permit application for new homes only, and its own erosion control, site and grading plan, driveway and rural address applications.
County shoreland permits: Fond du Lac County's shoreland ordinance, Chapter 44, adopted in 1971, requires land use permits for building, filling, grading and shoreline vegetation removal within 1,000 feet of a lake, pond or flowage, 300 feet of a navigable river, stream or creek, and the landward side of the 100-year floodplain.

Building on land near Fond du Lac

With Lake Winnebago so close, the first check on any lot is its distance from the lake and from navigable streams, which decides whether a county shoreland permit comes into play. Inside the city, laterals connect the house to municipal water and sewer and the city inspects them. Outside it, parcels fall in the Town of Fond du Lac or one of the other towns, each with its own zoning ordinance and permit issuer, and a rural lot usually brings a septic system and a well. The countywide picture, including the Kettle Moraine, is on the [Fond du Lac County page](/areas/fond-du-lac-county-wi/).

Where we build in this part of Wisconsin

Green Bay, Appleton & the Fox Valley

What we build in Fond du Lac

Kits, custom plans and pole barn homes. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we price against your land rather than a rate card.

Barndominium Kits

Barndominium kits for Wisconsin land: steel or post-frame shell packages sized for your snow zone and frost depth, with a set ready for plan review.

Custom Plans

Custom barndominium floor plans for your Wisconsin parcel: drawn around the lake setback, the septic site, the slope and the plan review ahead.

Pole Barn Homes

Pole barn homes in Wisconsin built as real houses: post-frame posts below frost, trusses sized for your snow zone, and walls built for heating season.

See every service

Have land in or near Fond du Lac? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

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Building in Fond du Lac: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium near Fond du Lac?

We price from a plan and a parcel rather than a rule of thumb: size, finishes, foundation and how far the site is from utilities change the total more than anything else. Our barndominium cost guide walks through every cost category with third-party sources. For a city lot, include the water and sewer lateral work the city inspects.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Fond du Lac?

Yes. In the City of Fond du Lac, the Building Inspection Division furnishes the state uniform building permit after plan review, then inspects from the laterals and footings through to the occupancy finals. In the Town of Fond du Lac, apply to the town's building and zoning inspector on its new-home application. Whichever office it is, a State-credentialed dwelling contractor on the job files the application unless you are an owner-occupant pulling your own.

Is the Town of Fond du Lac part of the City of Fond du Lac?

No. The town has its own town hall, board, sanitary districts and building and zoning inspector, and its permits are separate from the city's. Confirm which one your parcel falls in with the county GIS map before you draw up a site plan.

Can I build a barndominium close to Lake Winnebago near Fond du Lac?

It can be done, but expect a county land use permit if the lot is inside the shoreland distances, on top of the city or town building permit. The county requires that permit for buildings, decks, patios, filling and grading, and for removing shoreline vegetation. Settle the site plan first, then pick from our floor plans.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Fond du Lac allows.

Barndominium Cost Guide

Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.

Read it

Can You Live in a Pole Barn in Wisconsin?

Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.

Read it

How Long Does It Take?

From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.

Read it

Sources for this page

The published pages behind the Fond du Lac facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominium builders near Fond du Lac

Nearby places we also build in. Across a city limit, a town line or a county line the permit office, zoning and septic rules can change, so each has its own page.

Fond du Lac County

Wisconsin county

Oshkosh

Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Sheboygan

Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

Winnebago County

Wisconsin county

Building in Fond du Lac?

Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.

Start the survey