Fitchburg, WI Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)

Section 37-107 lists ten numbered security standards a residential dwelling unit must meet before an owner or operator may let it for occupancy. Item (1) requires a solid core wood or metal main entrance door. Item (2) requires an approved door viewer centered five feet up, with a second viewer at four feet in handicap-accessible units. Item (3) requires door hinges arranged inside the unit, or approved locking pin or concealed hinges, so hinge pins cannot be removed from outside. Item (4) is the deadbolt requirement: a keyed deadbolt lock with a minimum one-inch throw, keyed on the exterior and knob-operated on the interior, with the strike plate held by at least two screws 2½ inches long.

Section 37-108 limits the solid-core door mandate to new construction and to repair or replacement of existing doors, and lets the city building inspector approve, in writing, an alternative security device that resists illegal entry equally well. Section 37-109 splits responsibility: the landlord must install and maintain the required devices, while no tenant may remove, damage, or disable them, and each tenant must keep them clean and operable. Section 37-110 separately requires landlords to post and distribute the names and phone numbers of at least two people available for emergency repair work, revised as needed to stay current.