Public Safety and Health Committee to Consider Tenant Life-Safety Disclosure Ordinance Tomorrow

The Milwaukee Common Council’s Public Safety & Health Committee will take up a new fire-protection and life-safety disclosure ordinance during its next meeting tomorrow – Thursday, November 13 at 9 a.m. in room 301-B at City Hall, 200 E. Wells St.

The legislation (file #250302), authored by Committee Vice Chair Alderman Peter Burgelis, would require landlords to provide tenants with a standardized, written acknowledgment stating whether a rental dwelling is fully code compliant, legally exempt from certain building and fire-safety requirements like sprinklers, or non-compliant without exemption. The disclosure would clearly note the most recent inspection date and the expiration of any temporary occupancy permit.

“This ordinance is straightforward,” said Alderman Burgelis. “Tenants have a right to know whether the unit they are renting is safe, compliant with building and fire codes, exempt from fire code protections, or out of compliance and unfit for occupancy. This improves transparency, protects families, and ensures that any state-statute-mandated safety exemptions are closely monitored and re-inspected twice as frequently.”

Under the proposal, exempt units would require inspection at least every six months, with temporary occupancy permits renewable only upon successful inspection. The Department of Neighborhood Services would retain authority to issue orders to vacate unsafe dwellings, ensuring renters are informed and protected when life-safety standards are compromised.

The committee meeting will be televised live on the City Channel (channel 25 on Spectrum Cable and channel 99 on AT&T U-Verse in the City of Milwaukee) and via streaming video on the city website at city.milwaukee.gov/Channel25.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.