One of the most common questions early in a project: how long will permitting take? The honest answer depends entirely on which municipality your property is in. We’ve permitted ADUs across Dane County, and the range is significant — from 6 weeks to 6 months for essentially the same project, depending on location.
Madison: Thorough and Structured
Madison has a two-phase permit process — site plan approval followed by building permit review. Both phases involve interdepartmental review (zoning, engineering, urban forestry, parks, utilities). Realistic timeline for a straightforward Madison ADU: site plan approval 5–9 weeks from submission (assuming one correction round); building permit 4–7 weeks from submission. Total: 10–16 weeks on a well-prepared project. Five to six months is not unusual when there are correction cycles. The Madison process rewards preparation — a complete, accurate, pre-reviewed plan set moves faster than one with gaps.
Fitchburg: Faster, Single-Step
Fitchburg operates a single-step permit process for most ADUs — no separate site plan phase. Realistic timeline: 3–6 weeks from submission for a well-prepared plan set. Projects with significant site complexity take longer, but the process is generally more streamlined than Madison.
Middleton: Predictable
Middleton runs planning and building review concurrently. On recent projects, combined review has taken 3–5 weeks on a standard ADU. Staff is responsive to questions during review, which reduces correction rounds.
Verona: Variable
Verona’s timeline has ranged from 4 weeks to 10+ weeks on recent projects depending on workload and project complexity. Verona’s building department is small — when they’re handling multiple large projects, ADU reviews queue.
What Actually Controls Timeline
Beyond the municipality, the biggest variables are plan completeness (a set missing required details restarts the clock), correction rounds (each typically adds 2–4 weeks minimum), and municipality workload (winter submissions often move faster than summer). We manage permitting across all Dane County municipalities. If you’re trying to understand what your specific project timeline looks like, a feasibility check is the starting point.