Brown County handles zoning and sanitary permits for unincorporated areas, while incorporated cities and villages manage their own building permits and inspections. The county maintains oversight for shoreland, floodplain, and wetland zoning districts that apply across municipal boundaries.
Brown County enforces specific shoreland zoning ordinances that require additional permits for construction or land disturbance within 300 feet of a navigable river or 1,000 feet of a lake.
How this fits with the state
The state authority here is Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. The county file does not replace that — it adds the permit office, local overlays, and the actual filing path.
Source · City-by-city; Green Bay, De Pere, and other municipalities run independent permit portalsLast verified · 05 / 2026