Bill to clarify rules to prevent need to file both paper, electronic building permits

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A new bill would clean up an existing law that, amid confusion, has led some local governments to require contractors to file both paper and electronic copies of building-permit applications.

Assembly Bill 117 would clarify the intent of a previous measure, passed in 2015, that established a sometimes muddy standard for the filing of one- and two-family housing permits. 2015 Act 211 required the state Department of Safety and Professional Services to devise not only boilerplate application forms but also an online system for submitting and organizing them — a step meant to expedite the permit process.

But after the bill passed, some municipalities interpreted the law as requiring contractors to file both paper and electronic forms of the same building permit. The result has been delays and frustration for home builders, said David Belman, president of Belman Homes. Some municipalities in Waukesha County now require companies to file permit applications in both paper and electronic permit forms, while others call for only either one or the other.

The confusion has sometimes led to week-long delays in permit filing, which only adds to the stress involved in finishing projects on time during Wisconsin’s short building season.

“There definitely has been confusion at the local level,” Belman said. “I think any way to clean this up is a good step.”

The latest bill, introduced in late March, would bar municipalities from requiring contractors to submit both paper and electronic copies of the same permit applications. Local governments, however, would still be able to require a paper copy of a permit application, but only as long as they agree to accept a printed version of the municipality’s own application, or the standard print or electronic form made public by the Department of Safety and Professional Services.

The proposal has support from various lobbying groups, including the Wisconsin Realtors Association and the Alliance for Regulatory Coordination. Brad Boycks, executive director of the Wisconsin Builders Association, said some of his members have encountered conflicting requirements from some local governments. Clearing up the rules, he said, is a common-sense step forward.

“The bill tries to get rid of that duplication,” he said. “The whole goal is to make it more efficient.”

The bill has bipartisan support, and Boycks said it’s unlikely to draw significant opposition.

Sen. Devin LeMahieu, a Republican from Oostburg and Assistant Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewely, a Democrat from Mason, are listed authors of the proposal in the Senate, and Rep. Amanda Stuck, a Democrat from Appleton and Rep. John Jagler, a Republican from Watertown, are authors in the Assembly. The proposal is scheduled to go before the Assembly Committee on Housing and Real Estate on Thursday.

“Eliminating these unnecessary requirements will streamline the building permit application process for one- and two-family dwellings,” LeMahieu said. Follow @natebeck9