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

Sauk County Code § 28.012, part of the county's Human Health Hazards Ordinance, defines when a rental dwelling or dwelling unit in unincorporated Sauk County must be designated unfit for human habitation. Under Sec. 28.012(1), a unit qualifies if it is so decayed, dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe, infested, or structurally damaged that it creates a serious hazard to occupants or the public (subsection (a)); if its water, sewer, heating, electrical, or septic facilities fail to adequately protect health or safety (subsection (b)); or if it is not free of accumulated solid waste, garbage, or animal waste creating an unhealthy condition (subsection (c)).

If the Health Officer finds an 'immediate health hazard' under Sec. 28.012(2), the unit is condemned outright and placarded. Sec. 28.012(3) then requires the tenant or owner to vacate within the time the Health Officer sets, and bars reoccupation until the Health Officer re-inspects and gives written approval removing the placard. Because Sec. 28.011(2) makes the property owner responsible for abatement even when a tenant caused the defect, a landlord cannot point to a tenant's conduct to avoid fixing plumbing, heating, or pest problems that make the unit unfit.

Enforcement runs through Sec. 28.015: a written order specifying the defect and correction deadline, then a citation and Chapter 20 forfeiture, court action by the Sauk County Corporation Counsel, or direct abatement billed to the owner's tax roll if the order is ignored. An owner or tenant aggrieved by a placarding decision can appeal under Sec. 28.016 through Sauk County Code Chapter 33.