St. Croix County, Wisconsin Hudson, River Falls & the St. Croix Valley

Barndominium Builders in Hudson, Wisconsin

Hudson draws buyers who work in the Twin Cities metro but want acreage, a shop and a quieter address on the St. Croix side of the river. We build steel-framed and post-frame barndominiums for them across the valley, from finished turnkey homes to barndominium kits for owners who want to take on part of the build. The layouts we are asked for most near Hudson are a shouse with a heated garage for vehicles and toys, pole barn homes on a few rural acres, and metal building homes with a clean, low-maintenance exterior. The first thing to settle is which government your lot answers to. Inside the city, the City of Hudson Building Inspector handles a new house under a single combination permit, after the application goes through the state's online portal. Just outside, the Town of Hudson, the Town of Troy, the Town of St. Joseph and the Village of North Hudson each have their own inspector, and land close to the river falls under the county's riverway overlay, with setbacks and colour rules of its own. Barndominium contractors who read those rules before drawing the house avoid a redesign. Start the survey and tell us about your land; we will explain how the build would run on that site.

Hudson at a glance

Principal county: St. Croix 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 Hudson

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 Hudson Building Inspector (Hudson City Hall)

Inside the city limits, a new one- or two-family house is applied for through the state's online eSLA portal, which forwards it to the City of Hudson Building Inspector; the city then issues one combination permit covering every trade. Lots in the Town of Hudson, the Town of Troy, the Town of St. Joseph or the Village of North Hudson go to that municipality's own inspector.

Source: Building Inspector, City of Hudson (hudsonwi.gov)

New-house application: The City of Hudson says every new one- or two-family residence is applied for through the state's online eSLA portal, which forwards it to the city's Building Inspector. The applicant also submits a house plan, a site plan, a RES check and an erosion control worksheet to the city.
One combination permit: The City of Hudson issues one permit per project covering building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical and structural work. Processing is typically 2 to 3 days, and the applicant signs and pays for the permit at city hall, by cash or check only, before any work starts.
Neighbouring inspectors: The City of Hudson's building inspector covers projects within the city limits only; the city points owners in the Town of Hudson, Town of Troy, Town of St. Joseph and Village of North Hudson to those municipalities' own inspectors.
Town zoning: St. Croix County's general zoning code applies in its towns except Forest, Hudson, St. Joseph and Troy, but the county's shoreland, floodplain, land division, Lower St. Croix Riverway and sanitary rules apply in every town. Cities and villages enforce their own zoning codes.
Riverway overlay: St. Croix County's Lower St. Croix Riverway Overlay District (Chapter 17, effective March 3, 2026) requires new structures on town land in the riverway to be earth tone, 200 feet from the river's ordinary high-water mark and 100 or 200 feet from the bluffline by zone. Each lot needs a net project area of at least one acre, with room for a house and two septic systems where there is no sewer.

Building on land near Hudson

Look at where a parcel sits relative to the river before anything else. Bluff-top and river-view lots on town land inside the Lower St. Croix riverway carry a deep setback from the water and from the bluffline, a one-acre minimum project area, and an earth-tone requirement that matters for a steel-sided barndominium. Further inland, the county's general zoning code does not reach the Town of Hudson or the Town of Troy, so ask the town clerk which zoning rules apply; county shoreland, floodplain and septic rules still do. Inside the City of Hudson, lots are smaller and served by city utilities. For the rest of the county, see the [St. Croix County page](/areas/st-croix-county-wi/).

Where we build in this part of Wisconsin

Hudson, River Falls & the St. Croix Valley

What we build in Hudson

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 Hudson? 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 Hudson: questions

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How much does it cost to build a barndominium near Hudson?

Size, finish level, foundation and site conditions drive it, so we give a number only after seeing the plan and the parcel. The barndominium cost guide sets out each budget line with independent sources. On river bluffs, allow for the extra site planning the riverway setbacks can bring.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Hudson?

Yes. Inside the city, a new house is applied for through the state's eSLA portal and then permitted by the City of Hudson Building Inspector, with a house plan, site plan, energy calculation and erosion control worksheet. In the Town of Hudson or another neighbouring town or village, you apply to that municipality's inspector instead.

Can a metal barndominium be built on a St. Croix River bluff near Hudson?

On town land within the riverway overlay, St. Croix County requires earth-tone exteriors and deep setbacks from the water and from the bluffline, so a bright colour will not pass. Earth-tone steel panels or wood-look siding keep the design inside the rule. Our custom plans service can fit a floor plan to those setbacks.

Who handles zoning for a barndominium in the Town of Hudson?

The Town of Hudson is one of four St. Croix County towns where the county's general zoning code does not apply, so ask the Town of Hudson which zoning rules it applies to your parcel. County shoreland, floodplain, riverway and sanitary rules still apply there, so the county Community Development Department is still part of the process.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Hudson 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 Hudson facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominium builders near Hudson

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.

St. Croix County

Wisconsin county

River Falls

Pierce County, Wisconsin

Eau Claire

Eau Claire County, Wisconsin

Building in Hudson?

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