After the August 2025 flood: is your garage door safe to use?
In August 2025, about 12 inches of rain fell on Menomonee Falls, and the Menomonee River reached a record 8.52 feet, beating its 1997 mark. Local reporting counted more than 100 properties in the village with major damage.
Water in a garage doesn't just ruin what's stored there. It can soak the bottom section and its seal, rust the bottom brackets and the cable ends, and short out the opener's motor, logic board and safety sensors if water reached them.
If your garage took on water, check these signs: a door that now sits crooked, cables with rust or broken strands, sensors with dark or blinking lights, or an opener that clicks but won't run. Don't try to fix cables or brackets yourself, since they hold spring tension. A damaged bottom section can sometimes be replaced on its own; see garage door panel replacement.
A 1958 annexation and a wave of 1960s garages
In 1958 the village annexed the surrounding Town of Menomonee and grew from about 2 square miles to more than 30. Its population went from about 2,500 in 1950 to 18,276 in 1960 and 31,697 in 1970. Today it has about 38,500 residents.
A village housing study found that about a quarter of homes standing in 2000 were built in the 1960s, and about a third before that. In 2000, about three-quarters of the village's housing units were single-family homes. Newer subdivisions since the 1990s added larger homes with two- and three-car garages.
On a 60-year-old house, the garage door is rarely the original, but the replacement may itself be 30 years old. Expect worn springs, tired openers and doors that are uninsulated next to a heated house.
Springs, cold snaps and Waukesha County winters
Menomonee Falls is inland, in Waukesha County, so it's farther from Lake Michigan's moderating effect than shoreline suburbs. Clear, still winter nights get very cold, and those are the mornings when an old spring is most likely to snap.
If you hear a bang and the door won't lift, or lifts a few inches and stops, look for a gap in the spring above the door. Stop using the opener and call for broken spring repair. Don't try to wind or unbolt a torsion spring yourself.
To get a sense of when your springs might be due, our post on how long garage door springs last explains cycle ratings in plain terms.
Detached garage limits in the village
Some lots in Menomonee Falls have a detached garage, and the village sets limits on them. A detached garage can't be larger than 60% of the main building's floor area or 10% of the lot, whichever is less, and it can be up to 15 feet tall. Footings must go at least 48 inches below grade to get under the frost line.
The village also draws a clear line between a shed and a garage: sheds have regular doors, not overhead doors. If you want to add an overhead door to an outbuilding, that changes what it is, so talk to the village first.
Lots on well and septic need Waukesha County approval for new structures as well. If you're building, sort out the permits before ordering a door.
Commercial doors in a village with a big business base
Menomonee Falls is home to the Kohl's headquarters and has large employers in healthcare and manufacturing, along with business parks along its main corridors. Plants and warehouses here run dock doors, sectional overhead doors and rolling steel doors that cycle through every season.
Common repairs are worn springs, damaged sections from forklift or truck contact and failing operators. We do commercial door work in all of our markets; see commercial garage door repair.
For homes, if your door is beyond repair, see new garage doors for the Milwaukee area. Menomonee Falls is part of the Milwaukee area we serve, next to Germantown, Brookfield and Butler.
