Badger Remodel has built and remodeled homes around Madison since 1974. In Verona we take kitchens, bathrooms, basement finishes, additions, decks, floors, windows and doors.
Verona keeps its permits simple: one application per project, flat fees for common jobs, and a $500 line that decides whether you need one at all.
The houses we work on in Verona
| Median year built | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Built before 1960 | 5% |
| Built before 1980 | 18% |
| Built 2000 or later | 57% |
| Owner-occupied | 67% |
| Single-family detached | 54% |
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, tables B25034, B25035, B25003 and B25024 (data).
Verona has the newest housing of any town we serve. The median home was built in 2002, and more than half date from 2000 or later. Two-thirds are owner-occupied. That shapes the work: most Verona jobs are finishing a basement that came unfinished, adding a bathroom down there, updating a builder-grade kitchen, or replacing a first-generation deck. The structure is usually sound, so the money goes into the finish instead of fixing what's behind the walls.
Verona's older homes are different. About 18% of Verona's homes predate 1980, and work that disturbs paint in a pre-1978 house falls under Wisconsin's lead-safe rules (DHS 163), which the city's permit application calls out (application).
Permits in Verona
- The $500 rule. Verona's fee schedule requires a permit any time a project costs over $500, or is on its list: roofs, siding, windows and doors, water heaters, decks and fences (2026 fee schedule). Most remodels clear that line.
- One application. The city issues a single "Uniform Building and Trades" permit per project. Every contractor and subcontractor goes on it with license numbers, so the electrician and plumber we schedule are named on the same form as us.
- Flat fees. Windows or doors $75, even in the same openings. A deck is $300 plus $25 plan review. A remodel is $75 plus $0.10 per sq ft of project area, and each trade is $75 plus $0.06 per sq ft.
- Timing. A permit lapses if work doesn't start within six months or isn't done within a year, and starting before the permit is issued doubles the fee.
- Inspections are scheduled on the city's iWorQ portal: footings and foundation, framing with rough electrical, plumbing and heating, insulation, then final.
Basements in Verona
Basement finishing is its own category on Verona's permit application, with electrical, plumbing and HVAC on the same form. A basement bedroom needs an egress window: a net clear opening at least 20 by 24 inches, no more than 60 inches off the floor, with a window well at least 36 inches out from the wall (SPS 321). Newer Verona basements sometimes have a bathroom rough-in already in the slab, which saves breaking concrete. We check at the walkthrough. Radon is worth a test before you finish: about half of the Dane County homes tested recently came back high (source). More: basement finishing.
Roofs and the 25% rule
If more than 25% of a roof's covering is replaced within 12 months, the whole roof covering has to meet current code. Verona's roof permit is $75. It matters when you're patching storm damage in stages.
Adding a unit
Verona allows one accessory dwelling unit per lot in its RA and NR districts, attached, detached or in the basement, as long as the owner lives in the main house. It's capped at 900 sq ft or half the size of the house, whichever is less, but a basement unit can take the whole basement. It has to sit behind the house, share the driveway and have its own off-street parking.
What we do in Verona
- 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 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 Verona requires it.
How a job in Verona 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 Verona requires.
Get a quote for your Verona project
Questions we hear in Verona
Do I need a permit to replace windows in Verona?
Yes, even in the same openings. It's a $75 flat-rate permit.
Can I finish my own basement in Verona?
The permit application has "By Homeowner" options for the electrical, plumbing and heating sections, so an owner can do some of the work. If we do the job, all of it goes on one uniform permit with every contractor listed.
What does a deck permit cost in Verona?
$300 plus a $25 plan review on the 2026 fee schedule. There's no size or height exemption for decks.
We checked the permit, fee and zoning details on this page against the City of Verona'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.