Middleton, WI Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Building Inspector / Housing Code Appeals Board
- Minimum hot water temp
- 120°F at fixtures
- Minimum heat
- 68°F when it is -20°F outside
- Lodging house license
- Annual, expires every July 1
- Retaliatory eviction ban
- 90 days after enforcement action
- Penalty
- Forfeiture under § 30.04, per day
Summary
Middleton's Minimum Housing and Property Maintenance Code sets the baseline every rental unit must meet: working kitchen and bathroom fixtures, hot water at 120 degrees, and heat holding 68 degrees Fahrenheit down to negative 20 outside. The Building Inspector enforces Chapter 23, lodging houses need an annual license, and the Housing Code Appeals Board hears compliance disputes.
(a)Every dwelling unit shall contain a kitchen sink, flush water closet including a seat and cover, a lavatory basin and a bathtub or shower, all in good working condition and properly connected to hot and cold water lines and to an approved water and sewer system. ... (i)Every residential building designed or intended to be used for dwelling purposes shall be equipped, maintained and operated with a heating system maintaining a minimum temperature of sixty-eight (68) degrees Fahrenheit in all habitable rooms when the outside temperature is negative twenty (-20) degrees Fahrenheit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 3 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
04(2)(a)). 04(2)(b)). Habitable rooms need outside windows totaling at least one-tenth of floor area and never less than 12 square feet, with No. 04(2)(f)). 04(2)(i)). 07(3)). 09(5)). Buildings found unfit for human habitation because of hazardous, unsanitary, or blighting conditions can be placarded and, if repair is unreasonable, ordered razed under Wis. Stat. 08). 09(10)-(11)).
Violations & Fines
Any violation of Chapter 23 is subject to a forfeiture under Section 30.04 plus the costs of prosecution, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense (Section 23.09(7)). Operating a lodging house without a license is a separate violation. The Building Inspector can suspend or revoke a lodging house license after a 15-to-30 day correction notice; if revoked, the Appeals Board sets a closure deadline within 72 hours, after which continued operation is a new daily offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature must a Middleton rental be heated to?
Does Middleton require a rental license?
Can my landlord evict me for reporting a code violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Middleton
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How other cities in Dane County handle repairs & habitability.