Ventilation requirements for public buildings and places of employment
Wis. Stat. § 101.025
in effect(1) Notwithstanding s. 101.02 (1) (b) and (15), any rule that requires the intake of outside air for ventilation in public buildings or places of employment shall establish minimum quantities of outside air that must be supplied based upon the type of occupancy, the number of occupants, areas with toxic or unusual contaminants, and other pertinent criteria determined by the department. The department shall set standards where the mandatory intake of outside air may be waived. The department may waive the requirement for the intake of outside air where the owner has demonstrated that the resulting air quality is equivalent to that provided by outdoor air ventilation. The department may not waive the mandatory intake of outside air unless smoking is prohibited in the building or place of employment. In this subsection, “smoking” means carrying any lighted tobacco product.
(2) In the case where the intake of outside air is waived, any person may file a written complaint with the department requesting the enforcement of ventilation requirements for the intake of outside air for a particular public building or place of employment. The complaints shall be processed in the same manner and be subject to the same procedures as provided in s. 101.02 (6) (e) to (i) and (8).
(3) The department may order the owner of any public building or place of employment which is the subject of a complaint under sub. (2) to comply with ventilation requirements adopted under sub. (1) unless the owner can verify, in writing, that the elimination of the provision for outside air in the structure in question does not impose a significant detriment to the employees or frequenters of the structure and that the health, safety and welfare of the occupants is preserved. Upon receipt of a written verification from the owner, the department shall conduct an investigation, and the department may issue an order to comply with ventilation requirements under sub. (1) if it finds that the health, safety and welfare of the employees or frequenters of the structure in question is best served by reinstating the ventilation requirements for that structure.
(4) For ventilation systems in public buildings and places of employment, the department shall adopt rules setting:
(a) A maximum rate of leakage allowable from outside air dampers when the dampers are closed.
(b) Maintenance standards for ventilation systems in public buildings and places of employment existing on April 30, 1980.
(5) To the extent that the historic building code applies to the subject matter of this section, this section does not apply to a qualified historic building if the owner elects to be subject to s. 101.121.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/101.025Fetched: 10/7/2026