Wausau, WI Fire Regulations: Smoke Detectors (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered buildings
- Any building with residential occupancies/units
- Standard applied
- Wis. Stat. §§ 101.145 and 101.645
- Enforcement
- Building Inspector, Building Advisory Board
- Appeal path
- Building Advisory Board, then Common Council
- Default penalty
- $10-$200 forfeiture per offense, per day
Summary
Every building in Wausau with one or more residential occupancies or dwelling units must have the minimum smoke detectors required by state law in each occupancy or unit. Municipal Code § 15.04.073 folds the Wis. Stat. §§ 101.145 and 101.645 smoke-detector standards directly into the City's own building code.
In every building containing one or more residential occupancies or dwelling units, each occupancy or unit shall be provided with the minimum smoke detectors required by Wis. Stats. §§ 101.145 and 101.645.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
073, adopted by Ordinance 61-4451 in 1980 and last amended by Ordinance 61-5396 in 2009, is short and direct: in every building containing one or more residential occupancies or dwelling units, each occupancy or unit must be provided with the minimum smoke detectors required by Wis. 645. Rather than write its own detector specifications, the City incorporates the state standards, which cover placement, power source, and which structures (single-family homes, apartments, hotels, and similar residential occupancies) must comply, and makes compliance a City Code obligation enforceable through Wausau's own Building Advisory Board and Building Inspector rather than only through the state. 080.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 15.04 does not list a stand-alone dollar penalty for a missing smoke detector, so a violation of § 15.04.073 falls under the City's general forfeiture provision, § 1.01.110: a forfeiture of not less than $10.00 nor more than $200.00 per offense, rising to $25.00 to $200.00 for a second or later conviction, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Wausau require smoke detectors in every unit of an apartment building?
What is the penalty for missing smoke detectors in Wausau?
Can I appeal a Wausau building inspector's smoke detector citation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
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Smoke Detectors in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Marathon County handle smoke detectors.