Beloit, WI Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

City of Beloit Code of Ordinances § 7.26 sets the Basic Facilities every dwelling unit must have. Every unit needs a private water closet in a room separate from habitable rooms, a lavatory in that same room, a bathtub or shower affording privacy, and a kitchen sink apart from the lavatory. All of these fixtures must connect to a public or approved private water and sewer system and be supplied with hot and cold running water, and the water heater serving them must be able to deliver water at no less than 130 degrees Fahrenheit whenever needed.

Section 7.26(2) requires functioning heating facilities in every unit, installed and maintained by the owner, capable of keeping all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms at an average of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit when it's 10 below zero outside, measured 3 feet above the floor and 3 feet from an exterior wall. The owner must maintain that minimum temperature at all times in rented space, not merely own equipment capable of it.

Where a unit fails these standards badly enough to threaten occupants' safety, health or welfare, § 7.22(2) lets the building official declare it unfit for human habitation and order it vacated; grounds include lacking maintenance, being in disrepair, insanitary or vermin- or rodent-infested, lacking sanitary facilities, or failing to substantially meet the code. A placarded unit can't be re-let or re-occupied until the building official confirms the defects are fixed and removes the placard.