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Hearing officer fines Milwaukee homeowner $500 over unresolved chicken coop, boat and other zoning violations
Summary
After months of neighbor complaints and multiple notices, the zoning hearing officer imposed a $500 fine on the owner of 14 Barjoon for outstanding zoning violations tied to a boat, chicken coop and other structures; staff had recommended the fine and the owner was given time to remedy remaining items.
Robert Naslund, the Zoning Hearing Officer for the City of Milwaukee, imposed a $500 fine Friday on the owner of 14 Barjoon after finding violations documented in a notice of violation and subsequent citation remained unresolved.
Neighbors and city staff described a sequence of unpermitted structures and ongoing site issues. A neighbor who identified himself as Fran said the property had multiple structures at the rear of the house, and told the hearing officer, “we see rats in our backyard.” Staff and neighbors told the hearing the property had been the subject of multiple inspections and notices going back to March, and a citation was issued April 29 after there was no timely contact from the owner.
Why it matters: the file contains multiple open permit records and a history of repeated follow-up, and neighbors said unresolved items were affecting quality of life. The hearing officer described certified mail receipts and green-card evidence in the record and said the violations were deemed admitted because there had been no written request for a hearing on the citation.
City staff summarized the outstanding items as (1) a boat parked in the front yard that prevented final sign‑off on a pool permit, (2) chicken coops and other makeshift structures in the rear yard, and (3) open zoning permits without corresponding building-permit closures. Staff recommended a $500 fine to resolve the outstanding violation set; the hearing officer said he was “inclined to go a little higher,” but accepted staff’s recommendation and imposed the $500 fine, saying, “the staff, is recommending a fine of only $500, and I am inclined to go a little higher than that. But because it's the staff recommendation, I'm gonna honor that and impose a fine of $500 on this. And with that, the matter is closed.”
Discussion: Neighbors urged stronger enforcement. A neighbor said the owner had repeatedly promised fixes—“you're gonna take things away and then nothing happens,”—and cited repeated continuances of the matter. Staff reviewed the service history, including certified mail receipts for the notice and the citation, and said the file showed contact attempts and prior hearings. The hearing officer noted the city could levy higher fines if violations persisted and warned that continued violations would produce “a whole new set of citations and moving back in.”
Direction and outcome: The formal action taken at the hearing was imposition of a $500 fine. The hearing officer closed the matter on that basis and warned that further violations would prompt additional enforcement. Staff and the hearing officer left in place the city’s other enforcement options, including escalated fines and separate enforcement by other departments (blight, health or police) if those agencies identify violations within their jurisdiction.
What remains unresolved: Neighbors and staff said the boat remained on site at the time of the hearing and needed to be removed or relocated behind screening to permit final approval of an unrelated pool permit. Neighbors also reported ongoing concerns about rodents and site condition; those concerns were described as within the remit of additional city departments (health, blight or police) and not resolved by the $500 penalty.
Ending: The hearing officer closed the zoning hearing on the fine. He recorded that certified mail receipts and the citation are in the record and that future noncompliance will prompt further enforcement.
