Grant County, WI Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Grant County treats a neglected building as a public health nuisance, not as a building-code violation. Section 191-5I lists dilapidated buildings: buildings or structures so old, dilapidated, neglected or out of repair as to be dangerous, unsafe, unsanitary or otherwise unfit for use, where no appropriate precautions such as posting and fencing or closure of entryways have been taken to prevent admittance. Two neighboring entries reach the same properties. Section 191-5H covers any hole or opening from an improperly abandoned cistern, septic system, well, foundation, mine shaft or tunnel, and any excavation left without posting and fending. Section 191-5L covers any condition that makes a structure or part of a structure unsanitary, unhealthy or unfit for human habitation, occupation or use.

The Grant County Health Department administers the ordinance with the Grant County Board of Health, and under § 191-4 the property owner is responsible for abating any nuisance found on the property. Health Department staff investigate complaints under § 191-6. Once a nuisance is confirmed, § 191-8B(1) requires a written cleanup or abatement order naming the violator, the steps needed, the deadline, and the penalty. The code lists one day to five days for immediate health hazards and 10 days to 30 days for other health hazards, with a limited extension for extenuating circumstances. An immediate health hazard is a condition the Health Department Director, Environmental Health Coordinator or staff judge should be abated immediately or within a maximum of 24 hours. If the owner does not comply, Health Department staff can enter the property, abate the nuisance, and recover the cost by lawsuit or as a special tax assessment on the property. The Grant County Code applies in unincorporated Grant County; Platteville, Lancaster and other cities and villages enforce their own codes.