New Berlin, WI Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

New Berlin treats a deteriorating or vacant building as a maintenance violation under Chapter 201, Property Maintenance, and as a public nuisance under Chapter 175. Section 201-24 requires every vacant structure and its premises to stay in a clean, safe, secure and sanitary condition so it does not become a blighting problem, and it points anyone dealing with a fully abandoned structure to the nuisance-abatement process in § 175-5(K). Article III of Chapter 201, added in 2020 for vacant commercial buildings, sets specific upkeep numbers enforced by the Department of Community Development: chain-link security fencing may stay up for no more than 120 days before it must come down or be swapped for a more visually attractive fence, broken windows may be covered with plywood or cardboard for no more than ten business days while awaiting re-glazing, and vestibule and parking-lot lighting must stay illuminated when the building has no active zoning permit.

Owners must keep the property free of weeds, dead vegetation, trash, junk and discarded furniture or appliances, and an out-of-town owner whose principal office sits more than 50 miles from the City must hire a local property manager to inspect weekly and post a 24-hour contact number on site. Under the separate nuisance track, § 175-5(K) lets the Chief Building Inspector issue a written notice by certified and first-class mail once a structure has sat damaged, defaced or open to trespassers; the owner gets at least 14 days to make repairs, and if the work is not done the City secures the property itself and places the cost as a lien on the real estate tax bill. Agricultural- and industrial-zoned properties are exempt from the Article III vacancy standards.