Property Maintenance in Wisconsin (2026)
60 rules on the books across Wisconsin, 32 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Property Blight
Standards for property appearance including peeling paint, broken windows, junk accumulation, and other conditions the city considers blight.
Appleton
Significant RestrictionsWhen Appleton's Supervisor of Inspections finds a building unsafe or unfit for human habitation, the city can order…
Read full rule →Ashwaubenon
Significant RestrictionsThe Village of Ashwaubenon declares a building or premises a public nuisance under Section 11-1-23(M) when faulty…
Read full rule →Beloit
Significant RestrictionsBeloit's building official can declare a structure unfit for human habitation and order it vacated under § 7.22 when it…
Read full rule →Brown County
Significant RestrictionsBrown County's Health Officer can condemn and placard any dwelling as unfit for human habitation when it is dangerously…
Read full rule →De Pere
Significant RestrictionsUnder City Code section 94-16, De Pere's building inspector can condemn any building, dwelling or dwelling unit so old…
Read full rule →Green Bay
Significant RestrictionsThe City can order the owner of a dangerous, dilapidated Green Bay building to repair it or tear it down, and do the…
Read full rule →Kenosha
Significant RestrictionsKenosha's Property Maintenance Code lets the Code Official close and secure any structure found unsafe, unfit for…
Read full rule →Little Chute
Significant RestrictionsThe Little Chute village board can order the owner of any building it judges dangerous, unsafe or unfit for occupancy…
Read full rule →Madison
Significant RestrictionsA vacant, unsecured building in Madison is a declared public nuisance the owner must abate by securing it, boarding…
Read full rule →Middleton
Significant RestrictionsMiddleton's Building Inspector can placard a building as unfit for human habitation when it is so dilapidated, unsafe…
Read full rule →Milwaukee
Significant RestrictionsMilwaukee's building commissioner can placard, close, and order the razing of any structure found unsafe or unfit for…
Read full rule →Neenah
Significant RestrictionsNeenah cites dilapidated, unsafe buildings as a public nuisance and lets the Chief of Police serve notice to abate; if…
Read full rule →Racine County
Significant RestrictionsRacine County's health officer can placard a dwelling as a human health hazard and order it vacated within 24 hours of…
Read full rule →Sun Prairie
Significant RestrictionsSun Prairie's building inspector can placard any dwelling designated unfit for human habitation and order it vacated…
Read full rule →Walworth County
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated Walworth County, the health officer can declare and placard a dwelling or structure unfit for human…
Read full rule →Washington County
Significant RestrictionsWashington County's Health Officer can order any owner to abate a human health hazard on their property within 30 days…
Read full rule →Waukesha
Significant RestrictionsAny Waukesha building the Building Inspector finds dangerous from bad condition, decay or lack of fire guards must be…
Read full rule →Wausau
Significant RestrictionsWausau's Building Inspector can order an owner to raze, remove or repair any building so old, dilapidated or unsafe…
Read full rule →West Allis
Significant RestrictionsWest Allis prohibits owners from letting a vacant building sit in disrepair, junk-strewn, unsecured, or…
Read full rule →Burlington
Some RestrictionsA Property Maintenance Code violation that an owner fails to correct becomes a declared public nuisance under…
Read full rule →Dane County
Some RestrictionsDane County's health department can order any land or building that poses a health risk abated as a nuisance under ch…
Read full rule →Fitchburg
Some RestrictionsFitchburg, Wisconsin declares old, dilapidated buildings unfit for human use a public nuisance under City Code Sec…
Read full rule →Fond Du Lac County
Some RestrictionsStoring junk, scrap metal, 20 or more tires, or parts of a dismantled building outside a building for more than three…
Read full rule →Milton
Some RestrictionsMilton's property-maintenance code, Chapter 26 Article III, declares substandard, deteriorating structures a public…
Read full rule →Mosinee
Some RestrictionsThe City of Mosinee's property maintenance code, adopted from BOCA's Basic Housing Property Maintenance Code under Sec…
Read full rule →New Berlin
Some RestrictionsNew Berlin requires every vacant structure to stay clean, safe, secure and sanitary under Code of Ordinances § 201-24…
Read full rule →Oneida County
Some RestrictionsOneida County's Public Health Ordinance, General Code § 11.13, declares any dwelling rented out while 'unfit for human…
Read full rule →Outagamie County
Some RestrictionsOutagamie County declares any structure that is unsanitary, unhealthy, or unfit for human habitation a public nuisance…
Read full rule →Rock County
Some RestrictionsRock County bans any public nuisance on private property, including a structure so unsanitary or deteriorated it is…
Read full rule →Rothschild
Some RestrictionsRothschild requires every owner to keep buildings and yards free of nuisances and hazards, and bars any structure from…
Read full rule →Wauwatosa
Some RestrictionsWauwatosa's Property Maintenance Code, Chapter 15.32, treats an unsafe, unsanitary or fire-hazard building as a public…
Read full rule →Vacant Lot Maintenance
Requirements for maintaining vacant or undeveloped land, including mowing, fencing, and preventing dumping and trespassing.
Wausau
Significant RestrictionsWausau treats trash, rubbish, rotting lumber and other vermin-breeding debris left on any property, improved or vacant…
Read full rule →Ashwaubenon
Some RestrictionsUndeveloped parcels of one acre or more in the Village of Ashwaubenon must have noxious weeds destroyed and grass cut…
Read full rule →Burlington
Some RestrictionsBurlington's litter ordinance requires every owner, agent, occupant or lessee to keep private property free of litter…
Read full rule →Fitchburg
Some RestrictionsFitchburg, Wisconsin requires unimproved and vacant lots in the urban service area to be mowed at least three times a…
Read full rule →Milwaukee
Some RestrictionsThe city can order owners of unsafe or unsightly vacant lots to clear debris, surface irregularities, and unfinished…
Read full rule →Milwaukee County
Some RestrictionsMilwaukee County does not enforce maintenance of privately owned vacant lots. Weed cutting, debris removal, and…
Read full rule →Waukesha
Some RestrictionsWaukesha's public nuisance code bans a named list of noxious weeds, including Canada thistle, ragweed and leafy spurge…
Read full rule →Snow & Sidewalk Clearing
Your responsibility to clear snow and ice from sidewalks next to your property, including deadlines after a snowfall and penalties for not clearing.
Appleton
Some RestrictionsAppleton property owners and occupants have 36 hours after a snowfall ends to clear the full width of their abutting…
Read full rule →Ashwaubenon
Some RestrictionsEvery property owner or occupant abutting a public sidewalk in Ashwaubenon must clear snow, ice, and debris within 24…
Read full rule →Beloit
Some RestrictionsBeloit property owners and occupants have 48 hours after snow, sleet or freezing rain stops falling to clear the…
Read full rule →Burlington
Some RestrictionsBurlington property owners and occupants have 18 hours after snow stops falling to clear their abutting sidewalk under…
Read full rule →De Pere
Some RestrictionsDe Pere property owners must clear snow and ice from the sidewalk fronting their land within 48 hours of it falling or…
Read full rule →Fitchburg
Some RestrictionsFitchburg, Wisconsin gives property owners one clear deadline: clear the sidewalk fronting your lot of snow and ice by…
Read full rule →Green Bay
Some RestrictionsOccupants, or owners if there's no occupant, of Green Bay property abutting a public sidewalk have 24 hours after snow…
Read full rule →Kenosha
Some RestrictionsKenosha requires the owner or occupant of any property abutting a sidewalk to clear snow and ice within 24 hours after…
Read full rule →Little Chute
Some RestrictionsLittle Chute property owners must clear the sidewalk in front of or beside their lot of snow and ice within 24 hours…
Read full rule →Madison
Some RestrictionsMGO § 10.28 requires property owners to clear snow and ice from abutting sidewalks by noon the day after it…
Read full rule →Middleton
Some RestrictionsMiddleton owners, occupants and even vacant-lot holders must clear snow and ice from abutting sidewalks, handicap ramps…
Read full rule →Milton
Some RestrictionsCity of Milton ordinance section 66-71 puts snow and ice removal squarely on the abutting property owner…
Read full rule →Milwaukee
Some RestrictionsMilwaukee property owners must clear snow and ice from abutting sidewalks within 24 hours after snowfall stops, or face…
Read full rule →Mosinee
Some RestrictionsCity of Mosinee owners and occupants must clear the sidewalk fronting their property of snow and ice within 24 hours…
Read full rule →Neenah
Some RestrictionsNeenah property owners must clear the sidewalk abutting their lot of snow and ice within 24 hours after a storm ends…
Read full rule →New Berlin
Some RestrictionsNew Berlin requires owners and occupants fronting a paved sidewalk or sidepath to clear snow and ice to the sidewalk's…
Read full rule →Rothschild
Some RestrictionsRothschild property owners and occupants have 24 hours after a snowfall ends to clear the abutting sidewalk of snow and…
Read full rule →Sun Prairie
Some RestrictionsProperty owners in the City of Sun Prairie must clear abutting sidewalks of snow and ice within 24 hours after snowfall…
Read full rule →Waukesha
Some RestrictionsWaukesha owners and occupants must clear sidewalk snow and ice to the full walk width within 12 hours after snowfall…
Read full rule →Wausau
Some RestrictionsWausau property owners must keep the sidewalk in front of their land clear of snow and ice at all times without waiting…
Read full rule →Wauwatosa
Some RestrictionsWauwatosa property owners must clear snow and ice from their abutting sidewalk within twenty-four hours after snowfall…
Read full rule →West Allis
Some RestrictionsWest Allis property owners must clear sidewalk snow and ice within 24 hours of a snow event or ice formation under…
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