PublicProof AcademyWorking document

Reviewed Sep 9, 2026

Local Requirements Call Sheet

After you review your state-level requirements. This is how you finish the last layer, the one only your own city can answer.

Nobody can look up your city's rules for you and be certain they are current. Rules change, and small municipalities often do not publish anything at all. One phone call, written down, beats an hour of searching. This page is how you make that call.

Before you dial

Fill this in first so you are not working it out while someone waits on the line.

Your city, town, or village	[]
Your county	[]
The business you are starting	[]
Where the work happens	[at the customer, at my home, at a rented space, mobile]
Will you have employees	[yes / no / not yet]
Will customers come to you	[yes / no]

Who to call

Ask for the role, not a person. Start with the clerk. They will route you.

Role	What they answer	Number
City or village clerk	Whether a local business license or registration exists at all. Start here every time.	[]
Zoning or planning	Whether you may run this business at your address, and whether working from home changes the answer.	[]
Building inspector	What work needs a permit, at what dollar value, and what it costs.	[]
Health department	Anything involving food, animals, water, or the public coming to your space.	[]
Public works	Waste, disposal, wash water, snow, and anything you put in a drain or push into a street.	[]

What to say when they pick up

Read this out. It is short on purpose.

"Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME]. I am starting a [TYPE OF BUSINESS] here in [CITY], and I want to make sure I do it in the right order. Can I ask you four quick questions?"

The five questions

Ask them in this order. Write the answer down as they say it, not afterwards.

Question	Answer	Ordinance or code	Fee
Does the city require a general business license or registration for a business like mine?	[]	[]	[]
Is there any zoning approval I need for the address I will operate from?	[]	[]	[]
Is there a permit for the specific work I described, and what triggers it?	[]	[]	[]
Is there anything about waste, water, noise, parking, or signage I should know?	[]	[]	[]
Is there anything else people in my situation usually miss?	[]	[]	[]

That last question is the most valuable one on this page. Clerks and inspectors watch people get this wrong all day. Asking it directly is often how you find the requirement nobody publishes.

Close the call properly

"That is really helpful, thank you. Two last things. Can I get your name so I know who I spoke with? And is there a page or a document you can point me to, so I have it in writing?"

If they say there is nothing in writing: "No problem. Would you mind if I sent a short email confirming what you told me, just so I have a record?"

Almost nobody refuses that. An email you sent, describing what you were told, with a date on it, is a real record. It is not a guarantee, but it shows you asked, and that matters if anything is ever questioned.

Write it down here

Date	Office	Who I spoke with	What they told me
[]	[]	[]	[]
[]	[]	[]	[]
[]	[]	[]	[]
[]	[]	[]	[]
[]	[]	[]	[]

Then add it to your own ledger

Every requirement you confirm needs the same four things the state-level ones in your pathway already have. Copy them across:

Requirement	Which office	Ordinance or form	Fee	Date confirmed
[]	[]	[]	[]	[]
[]	[]	[]	[]	[]
[]	[]	[]	[]	[]
[]	[]	[]	[]	[]

Two things worth knowing

"There is no license" is a real answer. Plenty of Wisconsin municipalities require nothing at all for a service business. Write that down with the date and the name of who told you. It is as valuable as a permit number.

Call again if you move or change what you do. The answers above are tied to one address and one description of the work. Change either and the answers can change with them.

Before you use this: This is a working starting point, not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Read every line, replace every bracketed field, delete what does not apply to you, and have anything you are unsure about reviewed by a qualified professional in your state before you sign it or send it to a customer.