Complete civil packages for utility solar across Wisconsin: clearing, mass grading, access roads, collection trenching, SWPPP, fencing, and substation civil.
Backwell is a civil site work general contractor serving utility solar EPCs building in Wisconsin. We contract complete civil packages: clearing, mass grading, access roads, trenching and underground utilities, erosion control and SWPPP, fencing, and substation civil, all under one contract with Backwell field leadership on site.
Wisconsin has moved a large volume of utility scale solar through the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, and the 2026 to 2028 period is when much of it becomes field construction. Vista Sands Solar in Portage County, approved under docket 9820-CE-100 at about 1,315.6 MWac plus 300 MW of storage, is by itself the largest solar build in state history and runs to an estimated completion in December 2028. Other approved or in construction projects in that window include High Noon Solar and the Good Oak and Gristmill facilities in Columbia County, Koshkonong Solar Energy Center in Dane County, Emerald Bluffs Solar Park in Juneau County, Whitewater Solar in Jefferson and Walworth counties, Akron Solar in Adams and Wood counties, Muddy Creek Solar in Dunn County, and Fox Solar in Oconto County. Most of these are paired with battery energy storage and are acquired by We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, and Madison Gas and Electric, or sold into the wholesale market, so the buyers of civil scope are the EPC contractors working for Invenergy, NextEra Energy Resources, Doral Renewables, EDP Renewables, D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments, OneEnergy Renewables, and similar developers. Site conditions vary widely across the state, from central Wisconsin sand plain in Portage, Juneau, and Adams counties to heavier agricultural soils and drain tile in the south and west, which makes erosion control, tile repair, and access road design a real part of the scope rather than a boilerplate line item.
Solar EPCs and developers usually search by the county or the nearest town to the site. These are the Wisconsin markets we cover:
We price the package as one scope under one contract, so the EPC has a single point of responsibility for the civil critical path instead of managing separate clearing, earthwork, and utility subcontracts.
Backwell superintendents, project managers, and lead operators run every site. We mobilize company equipment for the core scope and scale each project with leased production fleets, qualified regional subcontractors, and agency-placed field staff, all under Backwell supervision and a single contract.
Contractor licensing. Wisconsin does not issue a statewide general contractor or commercial building contractor license. Commercial civil sitework is not licensed at the state level: it is controlled through local building and site permits, Department of Safety and Professional Services plan review for buildings and structures, and Department of Natural Resources permits for stormwater and any wetland or waterway work. State credentials from DSPS apply to one and two family dwelling contractors, through the Dwelling Contractor Certification and the Dwelling Contractor Qualifier, and to the separately licensed trades such as electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. For a solar civil package, the practical prequalification gates are insurance, experience modification rate, bonding capacity, and EPC prequalification rather than a state contractor license number. Confirm town, village, and county requirements site by site, since some municipalities require contractor registration or road use and haul route agreements.
Construction stormwater. Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) Construction Site Storm Water Runoff General Permit, storm water associated with land disturbing construction activity, General Permit No. WI-S067831-6, issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources under Chapter NR 216, Subchapter III of the Wisconsin Administrative Code. Coverage is required for most construction projects disturbing one or more acres, and the applicant submits a Notice of Intent along with an erosion control plan and a post construction storm water management plan. Backwell carries the SWPPP scope, installs and maintains the controls, keeps the inspection log, and closes the permit out with final stabilization.
Prevailing wage. Wisconsin repealed its own state prevailing wage law. The requirement was eliminated for local government public works projects effective January 1, 2017, and for state and state highway projects effective in 2017, so there is no state prevailing wage schedule applying to private utility scale solar construction in Wisconsin. Federal Davis-Bacon wage determinations still apply through the Inflation Reduction Act prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements for projects of 1 MW alternating current and above that claim the increased investment or production tax credit, and virtually every project in this list is far above that threshold. In practice that means certified payroll, Davis-Bacon classification, and registered apprenticeship participation are contract conditions flowed down by the EPC even though no state law compels them. Project labor agreements or owner specific labor commitments can add union scale requirements on top, so confirm the labor terms in each EPC's subcontract rather than assuming the absence of a state law means open shop. For projects claiming the full ITC or PTC, Backwell produces Davis-Bacon certified payroll, pays the applicable wage determination, and supports apprenticeship labor-hour compliance.
Send plans, a scope of work, and the schedule through the form below or call (315) 400-2654. We review the civil package, walk the site if it is at that stage, and return a scoped proposal with a schedule of values, stated fill allowances, and unit rates for overages. A one-page capability statement is available for prequalification files.
Plans, scope, and schedule reviewed and answered promptly.
Reply in hours, not days.