Outagamie County, WI Public Health Rules: Bed-Bug Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty holder
- dwelling owner
- Covers
- all pest infestations, incl. bed bugs
- Appeal window
- 20 days after notice
- Enforced by
- environmental health sanitarians
Summary
Outagamie County's minimum housing code makes every rental dwelling owner responsible for exterminating any pest infestation, bed bugs included, inside and around the unit.
The owner shall provide for the extermination of any pest infestations.(4)Every habitable room shall have at least one opening that can be opened to ventilate the room. (Ord. No. G-1999-2000, § 11.06(3), 9-28-1999)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 28's minimum housing standards require every dwelling owner to provide for the extermination of any pest infestations under section 28-22(3). The code defines infestation broadly as pests present in and around a dwelling, its outbuildings, and waste storage areas, which reaches bed bugs along with rodents and insects generally, and defines extermination as their elimination and control by recognized, legal pest-control methods. A landlord who won't comply can be hit with a written notice of violation and a compliance deadline, appealable to the health and human services board within 20 days of receiving it.
Violations & Fines
Failure to correct a pest-infestation notice of violation draws the section 1-10 general penalty forfeiture, $5.00 to $500.00 plus costs, and the dwelling can be declared uninhabitable or condemned until repaired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a bed-bug-specific ordinance?
Who enforces this?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Outagamie County
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