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

Chapter 8, the Washington Ozaukee Public Health Ordinance, makes it unlawful for any person to cause, continue, maintain or permit a human health hazard within Washington County, and it places the abatement duty squarely on the property owner and occupant under § 8-5A and § 8-5B. When the Health Officer inspects a property, whether on complaint or routine investigation, and finds a hazard, § 8-5D lets the officer issue a written or, for property open to the public, verbal abatement order; a verbal order takes effect immediately and must be reduced to writing and delivered to the owner within two business days.

Every order, written or verbal, must spell out the specific abatement steps and a deadline, capped at 30 days under § 8-5D(3), and the Health Officer may require the owner to hire a licensed or certified professional to do the work. Written orders go out by personal service or certified mail, and if mailed, the clock starts running when the owner or occupant signs the return receipt under § 8-5D(4). If an owner refuses the Health Officer entry to inspect, the county obtains a special inspection warrant under Wis.

0119 rather than simply walking away, per § 8-5C. Copies of every order go to the local municipality with jurisdiction over the property; if the hazard is not abated within the deadline, that local government or, failing that, the county itself may enter the property to complete the abatement under § 8-5D(5). The cost of that work is billed directly to the owner or occupant, and unpaid costs convert into a special tax on the property under Wis. 01(5), collectible with the owner's only defenses being that no hazard existed, procedures were not followed, or a defense under Wis. 33 applies, per § 8-5D(6).