Plan Commission backs revisions to rooming‑house licensing; adds annual inspections and 67°F minimum temperature

The Waukesha Plan Commission on June 25 voted to recommend revisions to Municipal Code section 17.1 governing rooming‑house licensing, following a staff proposal to streamline application, inspection and enforcement procedures.

Doug, a planning staff member, told commissioners the revisions would require annual inspections of rooming houses and add clearer filing and reporting steps. Under the proposed changes, operators must schedule the required inspection no later than Sept. 1 each year; the community development department and the fire department must file inspection reports with the clerk before a license would be issued; and if the clerk determines a license should not be issued, the matter would be referred to the Ordinance and License Committee for review.

The draft also adds a condition that "temperatures of each unit shall be maintained at no less than 67 degrees Fahrenheit." Commissioners asked whether the city could similarly require a maximum indoor temperature or require air conditioning; planning staff and other staff present said cooling is not currently a state code requirement and that the city attorney’s office would need to review whether municipalities can mandate cooling.

Commissioners said the changes should reduce annual licensing delays and provide clearer timelines for staff and operators. The commission voted to recommend the code changes to the Common Council; the recommendation will proceed as an item for council consideration at a future meeting.

No dollar amounts or new funding sources were discussed at the Plan Commission meeting. Several commissioners noted concerns about heat in older rooming houses and asked staff to consult the city attorney about cooling standards, but staff advised that cooling remains an optional feature under current state code.