ADU rules in Milwaukee County, WI — also called accessory dwelling unit regulations or granny flat ordinances — cover setbacks, owner-occupancy, parking, and permit requirements.
Milwaukee County does not have a countywide ADU ordinance. In Wisconsin, accessory dwelling units are a zoning matter regulated by each city, village, or town under its own zoning code and building permits, not by county government.
There is no Milwaukee County accessory-dwelling-unit ordinance. The county is fully covered by incorporated municipalities such as Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, West Allis, Oak Creek, and Franklin, and Wisconsin law delegates zoning to those cities and villages. Under Wis. Stat. 62.23(7) and the parallel village and town statutes, the municipality where your parcel sits decides whether an ADU is allowed and sets its size, setbacks, owner-occupancy, and parking. New dwelling construction also follows the Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code (chs. SPS 320 to 325), administered by local building inspectors under SPS 320.06. Contact your municipality's planning or building department; the county does not issue ADU approvals. Milwaukee County's own ordinances cover county parks and facilities, not private zoning.
Building or renting an ADU without the zoning approval and building permit your city or village requires can bring stop-work orders, forfeitures, and orders to remove the unit. Penalties are set by local code, not the county.
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