Chapter 66, GENERAL MUNICIPALITY LAW

66.0803 Acquisition of public utility or bus transportation system. (1) (a) A town, village or city may construct, acquire or lease any plant and equipment located in or outside the municipality, including interest in or lease of land, for furnishing water, light, heat or power, …

66.0805 Management of municipal public utility by commission. (1) Except as provided in sub. (6), the governing body of a city shall, and the governing body of a village or town may, provide for the nonpartisan management of a municipal public utility by creating a commission und…

66.0807 Joint operation of public utility or public transportation system. (1) In this section, “privately owned public utility” includes a cooperative association organized under ch. 185 or 193 for the purpose of producing or furnishing utility service to its members only. (2) A…

66.0809 Municipal public utility charges. (1) Except as provided in sub. (2), the governing body of a town, village or city operating a public utility may, by ordinance, fix the initial rates and shall provide for this collection monthly, bimonthly or quarterly in advance or othe…

66.0811 Municipal public utility revenues. (1) A city, village or town owning a public utility is entitled to the same rate of return as permitted for privately owned utilities. (2) The income of a municipal public utility shall first be used to make payments to meet operation, m…

66.0813 Provision of utility service outside of municipality by municipal public utility. (1) A town, town sanitary district, village or city owning water, light or power plant or equipment may serve persons or places outside its corporate limits, including adjoining municipaliti…

66.0815 Public utility franchises and service contracts. (1) FRANCHISES. (a) A city, village or town may grant to any person the right to construct and operate a public utility in the city, village or town, subject to reasonable rules and regulations prescribed by ordinance. (b) …

66.0817 Sale or lease of municipal public utility plant. A town, village or city may sell or lease any complete public utility plant owned by it in the following manner: (1) A preliminary agreement with the prospective purchaser or lessee shall be authorized by a resolution or or…

66.0819 Combining water and sewer utilities. (1) A town, village, or city may construct, acquire, or lease, or extend and improve, a plant and equipment within or without its corporate limits for the furnishing of water to the municipality or to its inhabitants, and for the colle…

66.0821 Sewerage and storm water systems. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Municipality” means a town, village, city or metropolitan MUNICIPAL LAW sewerage district created under ss. 200.01 to 200.15 or under ss. 200.21 to 200.65. (b) “Sewerage” is a comprehensive term, inc…

66.0823 Joint local water authorities. (1) FINDING AND DECLARATION OF NECESSITY. It is declared that the operation of water utility systems by local governmental units of this state and the improvement of the systems through joint action in the production, treatment, storage, tra…

66.0825 Municipal electric companies. (1) SHORT TITLE. This section shall be known as the “Municipal Electric Company Act”. (2) FINDING AND DECLARATION OF NECESSITY. It is declared that the operation of electric utility systems by municipalities of this state and the improvement …

66.0827 Utility districts. (1) Towns, villages and 3rd and 4th class cities may establish utility districts. (a) In villages and 3rd and 4th class cities, the village board or common council may direct that the cost of utility district highways, sewers, sidewalks, street lighting…

66.0829 Parking systems. (1) A city, village or town may purchase, acquire, rent from a lessor, construct, extend, add to, improve, conduct, operate or rent to a lessee a municipal parking system for the parking of vehicles, including parking lots and MUNICIPAL LAW 66.0831 other …

66.0831 Interference with public service structure. A contractor with a contract for work upon, over, along or under a public street or highway may not interfere with, destroy or disturb the structures of a public utility, including a telecommunications carrier as defined in s. 1…

66.0901 Public works, contracts, bids. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (ae) “Agreement with a labor organization” means any agreement with a labor organization, including a collective bargaining agreement, a project labor agreement, or a community workforce agreement. (am) “Lab…

66.0903 Prevailing wage. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (c) “Hourly basic rate of pay” has the meaning given in s. 16.856 (1) (b), 2015 stats. (d) “Local governmental unit” means a political subdivision of this state, a special purpose district in this state, an instrumentalit…

66.0905 Pedestrian malls. After referring the matter to the plan commission for report under s. 62.23 (5), or the town zoning committee under s. 60.61 (4), and after holding a public hearing on the matter with publication of a Class 1 notice of the hearing, the governing body of …

66.0907 Sidewalks. (1) PART OF STREET; OBSTRUCTIONS. Streets shall provide a right-of-way for vehicular traffic and, where the council requires, a sidewalk on either or both sides of the street. The sidewalk shall be for the use of persons on foot, and no person may encumber the …

66.0909 Curb ramping. (1) The standard for construction of curbs and sidewalks on each side of a city or village street, or a connecting highway or town road for which curbs and sidewalks have been prescribed by the governing body of the town, city or village having jurisdiction,…

66.0911 Laterals and service pipes. If the governing body by resolution requires water, heat, sewer and gas laterals or service pipes to be constructed from the lot line or near the lot line to the main or from the lot line to the building to be serviced, or both, it may provide …

66.0913 City and county projects, individual or joint; revenue bonding. (1) (a) A county or city, or both jointly, may construct, purchase, acquire, develop, improve, operate or maintain a county or city building, or both jointly, for a courthouse, safety building, city hall, hos…

66.0915 Viaducts in cities, villages and towns. (1) PRIVATE VIADUCTS IN CITIES, VILLAGES AND TOWNS. The privilege of erecting a viaduct above a public street, road, or alley, for the purpose of connecting buildings on each side, may be granted by the city council, village board, …

66.0917 Art museums. A city, village or town may establish, purchase land and erect buildings for, and equip, manage and control an art museum. A city, village or town may enter into a contract with any art museum or art institute located in the city, village or town for the educ…

66.0919 Civic centers. (1) RECREATION AND AMUSEMENT. A city, village or town may by ordinance, enacted by a majority of all the members-elect, as defined in s. 59.001 (2m), of the board or council, provide for the erection, maintenance and operation of a public auditorium, opera …

66.0921 Joint civic buildings. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Municipality” means a county, city, village, town, technical college district and school district. (b) “Nonprofit corporation” means a nonstock corporation organized under ch. 181 that is a nonprofit corporatio…

66.0923 County-city auditoriums. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Auditorium” includes a building of arena or music hall type construction or a combination of both, including facilities for sports, dances, convention exhibitions, trade shows, meetings, rallies, theatrical e…

66.0925 County-city safety building. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Board” means the joint county-city safety building board established under this section. (b) “Ordinance” means an ordinance adopted by the governing body of a city or county and concurred in by the other …

66.0927 County-city hospitals; village and town powers. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Board” means the joint county-city hospital board established under this section. (am) “Hospital” means a general county-city hospital. (b) “Ordinance” means an ordinance adopted by the…

66.1001 Comprehensive planning. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Comprehensive plan” means a guide to the physical, social, and economic development of a local governmental unit that is one of the following: 1. For a county, a development plan that is prepared or amended un…

66.10013 Housing affordability report. (1) In this section, “municipality” means a city or village with a population of 10,000 or more. (2) Not later than January 1, 2020, a municipality shall prepare a report of the municipality’s implementation of the housing element of the mun…

66.10014 New housing fee report. (1) In this section, “municipality” means a city or village with a population of 10,000 or more. (2) Not later than January 1, 2020, a municipality shall prepare a report of the municipality’s residential development fees. The report shall contain…

66.10015 Limitation on development regulation authority. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Approval” means a permit or authorization for building, zoning, driveway, stormwater, or other activity related to a project. (as) “Down zoning ordinance” means a zoning ordinance that…

66.10016 Permits for residential housing developments. (1) In this section: (a) “Permit” means any permit or administrative approval required to proceed with a residential housing development. “Permit” does not include a change to an existing ordinance or zoning classification of…

66.1002 Development moratoria. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Comprehensive plan” has the meaning given in s. 66.1001 (1) (a). (b) “Development moratorium” means a moratorium on rezoning or approving any subdivision or other division of land by plat or certified survey ma…

66.1003 Discontinuance of a public way. (1) In this section, “public way” means all or any part of a road, street, slip, pier, lane or paved alley. (2) The common council of any city, except a 1st class city, or a village or town board may discontinue all or part of a public way …

66.1005 Reversion of title. (1) When any highway or public ground acquired or held for highway purposes is discontinued, the land where the highway or public ground is located shall belong to the owner or owners of the adjoining lands. If the highway or public ground is located b…

66.1006 Department of natural resources approval of discontinuance. No resolution, ordinance, order, or similar action of a town board or county board, or of a committee of a town board or county board, discontinuing any highway, street, alley, or right-of-way that provides publi…

66.1007 Architectural conservancy districts. (1) In this section: (a) “Architectural conservancy district” means an area within a municipality consisting of contiguous parcels subject to general real estate taxes, other than railroad rights-of-way. (b) “Board” means an architectu…

66.1009 Agreement to establish an airport affected area. Any county, town, city or village may establish by written agreement with an airport, as defined in s. 62.23 (6) (am) 1. a.: (1) The area which will be subject to ss. 59.69 (4g) and (5) (e) 2. and 5m., 60.61 (2) (e) and (4)…

66.1010 Moratorium on evictions. (1) In this section, “political subdivision” has the meaning given in s. 66.1011 (1m) (e). (2) A political subdivision may not enact or enforce an ordinance that imposes a moratorium on a landlord from pursuing an eviction action under ch. 799 aga…

66.1011 Local equal opportunities. (1) DECLARATION OF POLICY. The right of all persons to have equal opportunities for housing regardless of their sex, race, color, disability, as defined in s. 106.50 (1m) (g), sexual orientation, as defined in s. 111.32 (13m), religion, national…

66.1013 Urban homestead programs. (1) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED. In this section “governing body” means a county board, city council, village board or town board that establishes a program under this section and “property” means any property used principally for dwelling purposes that …

66.1014 Limits on residential dwelling rental prohibited. (1) In this section: (a) “Political subdivision” means any city, village, town, or county. (b) “Residential dwelling” means any building, structure, or part of the building or structure, that is used or intended to be used…

66.1015 Municipal rent control, inclusionary zoning, prohibited. (1) No city, village, town or county may regulate the amount of rent or fees charged for the use of a residential rental dwelling unit. (2) This section does not prohibit a city, village, town, county, or housing au…

66.1017 Family child care homes. (1) In this section: (a) “Family child care home” means a dwelling licensed as a child care center by the department of children and families under s. 48.65 where care is provided for not more than 12 children. (b) “Municipality” means a county, c…

66.1019 Housing codes to conform to state law. (1) ONE- AND 2-FAMILY DWELLING CODE. Ordinances enacted by any county, city, village or town relating to the construction and inspection of one- and 2-family dwellings shall conform to subch. II of ch. 101. (2) MODULAR HOME CODE. Ord…

66.1021 City, village and town transit commissions. (1) A city, village or town may enact an ordinance for the establishment, maintenance and operation of a comprehensive unified local transportation system, the major portion of which is located within, or the major portion of th…

66.1023 Transit employees; Wisconsin retirement system. (1) (a) This subsection applies to all affected employees of a transportation system which is acquired, after June 29, 1975, but prior to January 1, 1982, by a city, a city transit commission or a metropolitan transit author…

66.1024 Effect of reservation or exception in conveyance. Whenever an executed and recorded deed, land contract, or mortgage of lands abutting on an existing public street, highway, or alley or a projected extension thereof contains language reserving or excepting certain lands f…