State Building Code Variances.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 200-17.5
in effect200-17.5. State Building Code Variances.
1. Pursuant to authority delegated to the city as agent of the state under s. 101.12, Wis. Stats., as amended, and through a memorandum of understanding with the Wisconsin department of safety and professional services, division of industry, the commissioner may evaluate, decide upon and administer petitions for variances to the rules of chs. SPS 316, 318, 320 to 325, 340, 341, 343, 361 to 366, 375 to 379 and 382, Wis. Adm. Code, as amended, and chs. SPS 375 to 379, Wis. Adm. Code, as amended, as they relate to buildings and structures in the city.
2. a. Authority delegated and exercised under this section shall not involve the following types of buildings and structures owned by the state of Wisconsin:
a-1. Buildings and structures owned by Milwaukee county.
a-3. Buildings and structures owned by the city of Milwaukee.
b. In addition, delegation of authority under this section shall not include the following applications:
b-1. Rules which are duplicated in other sections of the Wis. Adm. Code.
b-2. Rules taken from or based exactly upon statutory language. In these cases, the statutory language prevails.
3. The commissioner shall exercise powers with respect to state building code variances pursuant to the process and procedures specified in ch. SPS 303, Wis. Adm. Code, as amended.
4. The commissioner shall process petitions for state building code variances within the following time frames:
a. 30 business days for standard petitions.
b. 10 business days for priority petitions.
5. The fee schedule for processing petitions for variances shall be that specified by s. SPS 302.52, Wis. Adm. Code, as amended. Refunds of 50% of fees shall be made when the required time frame under sub. 4 is exceeded.
Source: City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau, Milwaukee City Charter and Code of Ordinances (city.milwaukee.gov master PDFs)URL: https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/ccClerk/Ordinances/Volume-2/CH200-sub3.pdf#page=11Fetched: 10/26/2026