Burlington, WI Rental Inspections: Tenant Complaint Process (2026)

Section 181-5 authorizes the Building Inspector, the contracted code enforcement agency, the Police Chief, the Fire Chief or their deputies to enter any property at a reasonable time, after presenting identification, to check compliance with the Property Maintenance Code. 0119, Wis. Stats. Section 181-6, amended September 17, 2024, describes what happens once an inspection finds a violation: the City may issue an order to the owner and, separately, to the occupant of the unit if the occupant is different from the owner and is not the one who filed the complaint.

That protects a complaining tenant from being named alongside the landlord in the same corrective notice. An order to correct is not required before a citation; the contracted code enforcement agency can direct the Police Department to issue a citation immediately if it decides the violation warrants that first. Every order must describe the premises and violation, state the required correction, set a compliance deadline, disclose the reinspection fee that applies under § 181-9, and cite the penalty section for noncompliance. Orders are served under § 181-7 by mail, personal delivery to an adult on the premises, or by posting a copy at the entrance along with a Class 1 newspaper publication if no one can be found.