Wauwatosa, WI Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)
Key Facts
- Nuisance enforcement
- Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 7.18.040
- Property maintenance orders
- Wauwatosa Municipal Code § 15.32.060
- Trigger
- Inspections made upon complaint
- Appeal window
- 15 days to appeal to board of public works
- Nuisance penalty
- $50-$2,000, doubling/tripling for repeats
Summary
Wauwatosa handles code complaints two ways: nuisance complaints trigger inspections by the police chief, fire chief, health officer or public works director under Chapter 7.18, while property maintenance complaints go through a correction order and board of public works appeal under Chapter 15.32.
The police chief, fire chief, health officer, forester, chief inspector or the director of public works, director of community development, chief building inspector or any of their designees shall enforce those provisions of this chapter that come within the jurisdiction of their offices; and they shall make inspections upon complaint to ensure that such provisions are not violated. ... Whenever the city, its agents or employees shall, upon inspection of any premises within the city, find the conditions of the premises are in violation of this code, an order shall be issued to the owner and/or occupant of the premises to correct said conditions. ... If the owner and/or occupant feels aggrieved by the order as provided in this chapter, he may appeal to the board of public works within fifteen days after service of the order upon him and request a hearing.
Full Breakdown
050 then lets the enforcing official issue a written notice once three or more nuisance activities occur within a set period, with a chronic-nuisance track for landlords whose tenants generate three or more incidents in sixty days. 32 Property Maintenance Code, provides that whenever city agents or employees find, upon inspection, that a premises violates the code, an order to correct is issued to the owner or occupant specifying a compliance deadline. 060(C) lets them appeal to the board of public works within fifteen days of service and request a hearing, which the board must hold within fifteen days of the request, issuing findings within five days after.
010 and Wis. Stat. Chapter 800, and the development director may cause the work to be done at the owner's cost if the order is not obeyed, with unpaid costs levied as a special charge under Wis. 0627.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 7.18.060, a substantiated nuisance violation carries a forfeiture of not less than fifty dollars nor more than two thousand dollars per offense plus prosecution costs, doubling for a second violation and tripling for a third; under Section 15.32.070, a property maintenance violation is subject to the code's general penalty and the cost of any city-performed corrective work is charged back to the owner or levied as a special assessment if unpaid within thirty days.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does someone report a code violation in Wauwatosa?
What happens after a property maintenance complaint is confirmed in Wauwatosa?
Can Wauwatosa fix a property itself and bill the owner?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wauwatosa
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