Wisconsin has a state rule on reroofing, and each city adds its own. The result is three cities with three different answers. This guide lines up what Janesville, Beloit and Lake Geneva say on their own websites, then explains how the state rule fits in, with a link to every source. We read these pages on October 26, 2026.
Where a city’s pages don’t say, we say that instead of guessing, and link the city’s page as a reference.
The three cities side by side
| City | Roofing | Siding | Fee on the city's own page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janesville City Building Division | The city’s Home Improvements brochure says a permit is required for reroofing only when the roof’s structural members will be altered, and only 2 layers of roofing are allowed. Homes in the historic district need a permit and Historic Commission review for a reroof. If your job needs a permit, we pull it. (Home Improvements brochure, residential permits) | Same rule: a permit is required for siding replacement only when the wall’s structural members will be altered, or in the historic district. If your job needs one, we pull it. (Home Improvements brochure) | Minimum permit fee $110 (city fee schedule) |
| Beloit Planning & Building Services | Most reroofs need a permit. The city requires one before construction, alteration, repair or improvement of any building, and lists a minor work exception: its page says permits are not required for minor repairs, maintenance or alterations whose value does not exceed $1,000 and does not change occupancy, area, structural strength, fire protection, exits, light or ventilation. Roofing isn’t named. (city page) | Not named separately. The same rule applies. We confirm how your job is classed. | Residential building permit alterations: $50 plus $5 per $1,000 of project cost over $1,999, per the city’s fee schedule. We confirm how your job is figured. (fee schedule) |
| Lake Geneva Building & Zoning Department | Replacing shingles (up to three layers), overlays and tear offs need a building permit and no zoning approval. New rafters and decking need a permit and zoning approval. (permit information sheet) | New or replacement siding needs a building permit and no zoning approval. (permit information sheet) | Roofing and siding: $65 for residential work, per the fee schedule updated January 12, 2026. (fee schedule) |
A permit fee covers the town’s paperwork and inspections. It isn’t the price of the job.
What the state says about reroofing
- The state building code skips repairs. Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code says its provisions don’t apply to repairs or maintenance to dwellings. (SPS 320.05)
- Reroofing counts as a repair. The state Department of Safety and Professional Services says a repair includes reroofing and residing. Its examples of what is not a repair include adding a third layer of shingles and altering the roof structure, and it calls changing a venting system, such as going from pot vents to ridge venting, an alteration. (DSPS bulletin, January 16, 2018)
- Cities can still ask for a permit. The same bulletin says a municipality may require a building permit for a repair by its own ordinance. So the state exemption is from the state code, not from a city’s permit. Lake Geneva’s sheet below, for one, lists a building permit for roofing. (DSPS bulletin)
Janesville
- What the city lists: a building permit for new buildings, additions, structural alterations and alterations that change a floor plan, plus accessory structures larger than 80 square feet, pools, decks and fences. Reroofing isn’t named on those two pages, but the brochure below covers it. (FAQ, residential permits)
- Reroofing and siding: the city’s Home Improvements brochure says a permit is required for reroofing and siding replacement only when the structural members of the roof or walls will be altered. It also notes that state code allows only 2 layers of roofing on a house. (Home Improvements brochure)
- Historic Overlay District: any construction, alteration or demolition affecting the outside of a building in the district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission before a building permit is issued. If the work wouldn’t otherwise need a permit, the city issues a no cost permit for its records. (residential permits)
- Who pulls it: we do, when your job needs one. The city’s page says contractors need the state-issued credentials required by state law. (residential permits)
- Our advice: a new roof changes the outside of the house. If your home is in the Historic Overlay District, we handle that review before we schedule anything.
Beloit
- The rule: a permit is required before beginning construction, alteration, repair, improvement, demolition or moving any building or structure. (Planning & Building Services page)
- The exception: most reroofs need a permit, and the city lists a minor work exception. Its page says permits are not required for minor repairs, maintenance or alterations whose value does not exceed $1,000 and does not change occupancy, area, structural strength, fire protection, exits, light or ventilation. (same page)
- Applications: the city takes permit applications by email, at the address on its page. (city page)
- Fee line: the schedule lists a residential building permit for alterations at $50 plus $5 per $1,000 of project cost over $1,999. The schedule is current through a December 15, 2025 resolution, though this line carries a 2018 effective date. (fee schedule)
Lake Geneva
- Roofing: the city’s permit information sheet lists replacing shingles (maximum of three layers), overlays and tear offs as a building permit with no zoning approval. New rafters and decking need both. (permit information sheet)
- Siding: new or replacement siding is a building permit, with no zoning approval. (permit information sheet)
- Fee: the schedule lists roofing and siding at $65 for residential work, and $65 as the minimum residential building permit fee. (fee schedule)
- How to apply: the city takes applications and plans electronically, as one complete package, and says not to schedule work until the permit is issued. Its existing one and two family application lists Reroof and Siding as project types and asks for the contractor’s license and qualifier numbers. (Building & Zoning page, application)
- Inspections: the city’s sheet says inspection calls come in before 4 p.m. and that same day inspections are only for emergencies. We schedule them. (permit information sheet)
Where the three cities differ most
- How specific the city is. Lake Geneva names roofing and siding and says what each needs. Beloit uses one broad permit rule. Janesville requires a permit for reroofing or siding only when structural members change, or in its historic district.
- Zoning. Lake Geneva says a shingle replacement needs no zoning approval, but new rafters and decking do. Janesville adds a historic review on top for homes in its overlay district.
- Fees. Lake Geneva lists a flat $65 for residential roofing or siding. Beloit scales its fee with project cost. Janesville’s fee list has no reroofing line, and its minimum fee for any permit is $110.
Where Martin Exteriors fits in
On the Wisconsin jobs we install, Martin Exteriors pulls the permits and handles the paperwork, and we’re registered as a Wisconsin dwelling contractor. Not sure how your city handles it? We check with the city for your address at your free inspection.
Questions about Wisconsin roof permits
Does a roof replacement need a permit in Janesville, Beloit and Lake Geneva?
Lake Geneva's permit information sheet says shingle replacement, overlays and tear offs need a building permit. Most reroofs in Beloit need a permit, and the city lists a minor work exception for work whose value does not exceed $1,000. Janesville's Home Improvements brochure says a reroof needs a permit only when the roof's structural members will be altered, or when the home is in the historic district.
If the state says reroofing is a repair, why would a city still want a permit?
The state's exemption is from the Uniform Dwelling Code. The state agency says a city may require a building permit for a repair by its own ordinance, so the city's rule is what counts for your permit.
What is Janesville's Historic Overlay District rule?
Any construction, alteration or demolition affecting the outside of a building in the district needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission before a building permit is issued.
Does Lake Geneva need zoning approval for a new roof?
Its permit information sheet says replacing shingles, overlays and tear offs need a building permit and no zoning approval. New rafters and decking need zoning approval as well.
How current is this comparison?
We read each city's pages on October 26, 2026. Cities update rules and fees on their own schedules, and we confirm the current fees when we pull your permit.
Planning a roof or siding job?
Storm damage, an aging roof or siding that’s had it? Schedule a free inspection or call (815) 624-6278. Martin Exteriors has been family owned since 2006.
