Kenosha, WI Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code of Gen. Ordinances § 16.10
- Securing standards
- Section 16.101 (boarding/fencing)
- Administrative fee
- $100 added to special charge
- Appeal deadline
- 7 calendar days, $25 fee, § 16.13
- Max penalty
- $1,000 forfeiture per day, § 16.26
Summary
Kenosha's Property Maintenance Code lets the Code Official close and secure any structure found unsafe, unfit for occupancy or vacant substandard, and bill the cost back to the property as a special tax assessment plus a $100 administrative fee.
If a Structure is found by a Code Official to be Unsafe, Unfit for Occupancy, Unlawful Occupied, Vacant Substandard, contain Unsafe Equipment, or present an unreasonable risk of injuring the health or safety of any occupants, the Code Official is authorized to order the Structure and/or Unsafe Equipment Closed and secured by a date certain. Upon failure of the Responsible Person to Close the Structure or Unsafe Equipment within the time specified in the order, the Code Official may cause the Structure or Unsafe Equipment to be Closed through its employees or agents, or by contract or arrangement by private Persons and placarded.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 11 Update 1 | Zoning Ordinance: Supplement 9).
Full Breakdown
" If the responsible person fails to close the structure in time, the City can do it directly, through contract, or through private arrangement, and placard the building "Unfit For Habitation/Occupancy" or the equipment "Unsafe For Operation/Use" under Subsection D. Costs of closing or securing the structure are recovered as a special charge against the benefited property, with a flat $100 administrative fee added under Subsection B. Occupying or using a placarded structure, or authorizing anyone else to do so, is itself a separate violation under Subsection E.
101 sets the actual securing standard: broken doors, windows or walls must be boarded with a minimum half-inch exterior-grade plywood nailed with 8d nails, and boarding is meant as a temporary fix not to exceed six months, except for businesses that seasonally secure structures in the regular course of business. B requires fencing off the structure and surrounding area within 24 hours of the damage. 12 layers in the state's raze-order authority under Wis. 0413, letting the Code Official post, secure or raze a structure whose owner ignores a raze order, again recovering costs as a special tax assessment lien.
13 by filing within seven calendar days and paying a $25 appeal fee. 26: up to a $1,000 forfeiture per violation, each day a separate offense, plus prosecution costs, and up to 60 days in the County Jail on default.
Violations & Fines
Occupying or permitting occupancy of a placarded unsafe structure, or defacing/removing a placard, is a violation under Section 16.10.E-F. General Property Maintenance Code violations under Section 16.26 carry forfeitures up to $1,000 per offense (each day separate), plus prosecution costs and up to 60 days in the County Jail on default; closure/securing costs are separately assessed as a lien plus a $100 administrative fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides a Kenosha building is unsafe or substandard?
What happens if an owner ignores a closure order?
How long can a building stay boarded up under Kenosha's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha
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