Appointment Only

Building Inspection is open to the public by appointment only.

For more on appointments and other services, please see the Building Inspection Services page.

Reporting Complaints

Housing Complaint Process

If you're having issues with your dwelling, first contact the owner or management. If they are not responsive, you may contact Building Inspection at (608) 266-4551 ext. 4. You do not have to wait months to call us.

After your complaint, an inspector will call you to schedule a time to see the property. The inspector will do an inspection to see if the issues you're having are against code. If we find code violations, we will send an Official Notice to the owner. The Official Notice will list the issues and the due dates by which items must be fixed.

The inspector will set up a reinspection date after the due date. At the reinspection, they will see if the items were addressed. If the items were not addressed, we may issue a reinspection fee or citation to the owner. If the issues remain, we may refer the case to the City Attorney for legal action.

When you call to complain, we will need:

your name
your contact information
your address (including unit #)
access to the areas of the dwelling (or part of the building) where the violations are

Retaliation protections

Property owners legally cannot evict you, or threaten to do so, if you complain of a code violation.. That would be a violation of MGO 32.15. It would also violate Statute 704.45 and ATCP 134.09(5).

A property owner may evict you if you are breaking a rule that is in your lease or if you're behind on rent. However, they would have to prove that the eviction is not retaliatory.

To report retaliation

Visit the Department of Civil Rights' portal.
Fill out the required fields.
For "I believe I faced discrimination because I belong to the following protected class(es):" choose "Building Code Complainant" (and anything else that applies).

If you have questions, contact the Department of Civil Rights (DCR) at (608) 266-4910 or dcr@cityofmadison.com. If you need help filling out the form, find a community partner.

Common Issues