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

Jefferson County Code § 18-73(b) makes it unlawful for anyone to continue to occupy, rent or lease quarters for human habitation that the health officer has declared unfit. The section defines 'unfit for human habitation' to include a unit lacking potable water, lacking a properly functioning septic system, or lacking an adequate and functioning heating system, on top of the broader unfitness grounds in § 18-73(a) such as unsanitary, unsafe or vermin-infested conditions and unaddressed indoor air contaminants. If the health officer places a condemnation placard on a rental, § 18-73(d) bars reoccupancy, including new tenancies, until the defects are corrected and the health officer removes the placard.

Owners and occupants are not left without recourse: § 18-73(f) grants any owner or occupant affected by a condemnation or placarding notice the right to request, and be granted, a prompt hearing before the health officer to contest the finding. The health officer must first give written notice under § 18-73(g) describing the property, the violations and the corrective action required, with a reasonable compliance period, before enforcement proceeds; notice can be served by ordinary mail or under Wis. ch. 801. Responsibility for the underlying condition falls on both tenants and owners under § 18-71, which requires each to keep the property nuisance-free and to participate in abating any nuisance found.