Wauwatosa, WI Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- Wauwatosa Property Maintenance Code, Chapter 15.32
- Correction order appeal
- 15 days to appeal to board of public works
- City can abate and bill
- Development director may do the work, charge owner
- Unpaid abatement cost
- Becomes special charge under Wis. Stat. Sec. 66.0627
- First-offense penalty
- $100, rising $50 per repeat offense
- Imminent danger penalty
- $1,000 per offense
Summary
Wauwatosa's Property Maintenance Code, Chapter 15.32, treats an unsafe, unsanitary or fire-hazard building as a public nuisance and lets the city order the owner to fix it. If the owner ignores a correction order, the development director can have the work done and bill the cost to the property as a special charge.
"Public nuisance" includes the following: ... Any physical condition or occupancy of any premises or its appurtenances considered an attractive nuisance to children, including, but not limited to abandoned wells, shafts, basements, excavations and unsafe fences or structures; or Any premises that is manifestly capable of being a fire hazard, or is manifestly unsafe or unsecured so as to endanger life, limb or property; or Any premises that are unsanitary, or that is littered with rubbish, garbage, debris or refuse or that has an uncontrolled growth of weeds; or ... Any person, firm or corporation violating any provision of this chapter shall be subject to the general penalty provisions of this code. A citation may be issued pursuant to Section 1.24.010 of this code and Wisconsin Statute Ch. 800. ... Upon failure to comply with an order, where there is proof of service of said order, which requires that any building, premises, structure or property be cleaned or repaired, or condition abated or improved in accordance with this chapter, the development director may cause such cleaning, repair, improvement, abatement or removal of the offending substance or structure.
Full Breakdown
32. 010 defines 'public nuisance' broadly: it covers any premises condition regarded as a nuisance at common law, any condition that is an attractive nuisance to children such as an abandoned well, shaft, excavation or unsafe fence or structure, any premises 'manifestly capable of being a fire hazard' or unsafe or unsecured so as to endanger life, limb or property, and any premises that is unsanitary or littered with rubbish, garbage, debris or refuse or has an uncontrolled growth of weeds. 030. 060 requires the city to issue a written order specifying a time to correct the condition; an aggrieved owner or occupant can appeal to the board of public works within fifteen days and request a hearing, which the board must hold within fifteen days of the request and decide within five days after that. 0627. 010 and Wisconsin Statute Chapter 800, and repeated inspections made necessary by faulty or incomplete work can trigger a reinspection fee.
Violations & Fines
Violating Chapter 15.32's maintenance standards is enforceable through a municipal citation under Section 1.24.010 and Wisconsin Statute Chapter 800, plus Chapter 15.34's general penalty: $100 for a first offense, rising $50 per repeat offense, and $1,000 for a condition posing imminent danger to life or health. Uncorrected conditions can be abated by the city and billed to the owner as a special property charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a public nuisance property in Wauwatosa?
What happens if I don't fix a cited property maintenance violation?
Can I appeal a Wauwatosa property maintenance correction order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wauwatosa
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