Dane County, WI Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty
- Department must inspect any complained-of premises
- Record
- Written complaint record kept
- Anonymity
- Honored if requested
- Follow-up
- 30-day abatement notice if confirmed
- Enforcement
- Corporation counsel can seek injunction
Summary
To report an unsanitary or nuisance condition in unincorporated Dane County, you file with the health department under ch. 46.26: the department must inspect any premises complained of and keep a written record of the complaint, withholding your name from that record if you request anonymity when you report it.
46.26 COMPLAINTS. The department shall inspect any premises complained of and shall keep a written record of all such complaints except that the name of any complaining individual shall not be noted therein if such individual requests anonymity.
Full Breakdown
Ch. ' That duty to inspect feeds directly into the nuisance-abatement machinery in ch. 22: once an inspection confirms a nuisance condition, the department issues written notice giving the owner, occupant or user thirty days to abate it, or 48 hours if the sanitarian finds imminent danger to health. If the department needs to get onto a property to investigate a complaint and the owner or occupant refuses entry, ch. 13 lets it obtain a special inspection warrant under s. 122, Wis. Stats. The corporation counsel prosecutes chapter violations at the request of the department or the board of health under ch.
28, and may seek an injunction in addition to collecting a forfeiture. Because the complaint record is kept in writing, a resident who wants to track the status of a report can follow up with Public Health Madison and Dane County's environmental health division, which administers ch. 46 outside the health department's other municipal partners.
Violations & Fines
A confirmed complaint that isn't abated within the ch. 46.22 deadline carries the same ch. 46.27 forfeiture as any other chapter violation, $50 to $200 per day, and the corporation counsel can pursue an injunction under ch. 46.28 in addition to collecting that forfeiture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I report a problem anonymously in Dane County?
Is the county required to act on my complaint?
What if the county needs to get onto the property to investigate?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dane County
Compare Dane County to another location·View the Wisconsin code violation reporting overview
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