Middleton is home for Badger Remodel. We've built and remodeled homes in the Madison area since 1974, and Middleton jobs are the ones closest to home: kitchens, bathrooms, basements, additions, decks, floors, windows and doors.
Middleton also changed how it handles residential inspections in September 2026. Here's what that and the rest of the city's rules mean for a remodel.
The houses we work on in Middleton
| Median year built | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Built before 1960 | 13% |
| Built before 1980 | 40% |
| Built 2000 or later | 33% |
| Owner-occupied | 46% |
| Single-family detached | 37% |
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, tables B25034, B25035, B25003 and B25024 (data).
Middleton is a mix: about 4 in 10 homes were built before 1980, and a third since 2000, with the 2010s the busiest decade. A 1960s house and a 2015 house need different things. The older one usually means opening walls, updating wiring and dealing with lead-safe rules if it was built before 1978. The newer one is more often a basement finish, a kitchen update or a deck on a house whose bones are already sound.
Permits in Middleton
- Small jobs only. Middleton's code requires a permit for any alteration unless it's a non-structural repair under $1,000 total. Same-size window replacement is exempt only under that same $1,000 limit (code).
- Plans by level. Decks are Level 1 projects: site plan, footing sizes, ledger, guard and stair details, plus a zoning permit. A basement finish is Level 2 and needs floor plans, framing and energy compliance (source).
- Licensed trades. The city issues electrical permits only on proof the work will be done by a state-licensed electrician, and plumbing needs a state plumbing license.
- Fees for alterations are a $50 minimum plus $5 per $1,000 of cost. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits each start at $50 (fee schedule).
- Six months. A permit expires if work doesn't start within six months of issue.
What changed in September 2026
- Inspections are requested through the city's iWorQ portal by 2:00 PM for next-day service.
- An owner, contractor or adult representative has to be home for inspections in an occupied house, and the approved plans have to be on site in a weatherproof container.
- A failed inspection costs a $50 reinspection fee.
- Like-for-like roof, window and door jobs need a notarized workmanship affidavit filed within a week of completion.
We book the inspections, keep the plans on site and file the affidavits. You only need to know when someone has to be home. (source)
Lake Mendota lots and neighborhood review
On most Middleton lakeshore lots the house stays 30 ft from the ordinary high-water mark, but land annexed after May 7, 1982 falls under the Shoreland Overlay's 75 ft, and lots in the Environmental Corridor Overlay keep development 50 ft back. Non-elevated decks and patios can come within 8 ft of the water. The lakeshore rules were rewritten in June 2025. See the Middleton lakefront rules.
Some Middleton neighborhoods also have an architectural review committee or HOA whose approval is separate from the city's. If yours does, we work their review into the schedule.
Adding a unit
Middleton allows accessory dwelling units by right on single- and two-family lots, attached, in the basement or in a detached building. The owner has to live in the house or the unit at least ten months a year under a recorded agreement, the unit can't be bigger than the house, and no parking is required.
What we do in Middleton
- Kitchen remodels: layout changes, cabinets, counters, tile, lighting
- Bathroom remodels: tubs and tiled showers, vanities, tile floors, fans
- Basement finishing: framing, egress windows, bathrooms, ceilings
- Additions and whole-house renovation
- Deck repair and new decks, docks and patios
- Hardwood, laminate and tile floors
- Window replacement and door repair
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work is done by licensed trades we schedule and supervise, and permitted where the City of Middleton requires it.
How a job in Middleton starts
- You send the quote form with a few lines about what you want done. Photos help.
- We come out for a walkthrough, measure, and look at what's behind the work: the framing, the plumbing, the panel, any water in the basement.
- You get a written quote with the scope, the permits it needs, and a schedule.
- We pull the permits, order materials, and book the inspections the City of Middleton requires.
Get a quote for your Middleton project
Questions we hear in Middleton
Do I need a permit to replace windows in Middleton?
Only if the job totals $1,000 or more, which most window jobs do. Like-for-like window and door replacements also need a notarized workmanship affidavit within a week of completion, and we file it.
Do I have to be home for inspections?
Since September 15, 2026, an owner, contractor or adult representative has to be present for inspections in an occupied home. On our jobs that's usually us.
How long is a Middleton permit good for?
It expires if work doesn't start within six months of issue.
We checked the permit, fee and zoning details on this page against the City of Middleton's own website, code and fee schedule in October 2026, and linked each source. Rules and fees change, so we confirm with the permit office when we quote.