Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 101 - Department of safety and professional services — regulation of industry, buildings and safety.
101.12 - Approval and inspection of public buildings and places of employment and components.

101.12 Approval and inspection of public buildings and places of employment and components.
(1) Except for plans that are reviewed by the department of health services under s. 50.02 (2) (b), 50.025, 50.36 (2), or 50.92 (3m), the department shall require the submission of essential drawings, calculations and specifications for public buildings, public structures and places of employment including the following components:
(a) Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and fire detection, prevention or suppression systems.
(b) Industrial exhaust systems.
(c) Elevators, escalators, lifts, as defined in s. 167.33 (1) (f), and power dumbwaiters.
(d) Stadiums, grandstands and bleachers.
(e) Amusement and thrill rides equipment.
(2) Plans of said buildings, structures and components shall be examined for compliance with the rules of the department and a statement of the examination returned to the designer and owner before construction is started. Nothing in this section shall relieve the designer of the responsibility for designing a safe building, structure or component.
(3) The department shall:
(a) Accept the examination of essential drawings, calculations and specifications in accordance with sub. (1) performed by cities of the 1st class provided the same are examined in a manner approved by the department.
(am) Accept the examination of essential drawings, calculations and specifications in accordance with sub. (1) performed by a 2nd class city that is certified pursuant to sub. (3m).
(b) Accept the examination of essential drawings, calculations, and specifications in accordance with sub. (1) for buildings containing less than 50,000 cubic feet of volume and alterations of spaces involving less than 100,000 cubic feet of volume performed by cities, villages, towns, or counties, provided the same are examined in a manner approved by the department. The department shall determine and certify the competency of all such examiners.
(bg) Accept the examination of essential drawings, calculations, and specifications in accordance with sub. (1) for buildings and alterations not specified in par. (b) if all of the following are satisfied:
1. The department appoints the city, village, town, or county as an agent of the department under sub. (3g).
2. The drawings, calculations, and specifications are examined in a manner approved by the department.
3. The department determines and certifies the competency of all such examiners.
(bm) Accept the review and determination performed by 1st class cities on variances for buildings if the variances are reviewed and decided on in a manner approved by the department.
(bq) Accept the review and determination performed by 2nd class cities that are certified pursuant to sub. (3m) on variances for buildings if the variances are reviewed and decided on in a manner approved by the department.
(br) Accept the review and determination on variances for buildings containing less than 50,000 cubic feet of volume and alterations of spaces involving less than 100,000 cubic feet of volume performed by cities, villages, towns, and counties certified under par. (b) if the department has certified the competency of the city, village, town, or county to issue variances and if the variances are reviewed in a manner approved by the department. Owners may submit variances to the city, village, town, or county or to the department.
(bw) Accept the review and determination on variances for buildings and alterations not specified in par. (br) performed by cities, villages, towns, or counties certified under par. (b) that the department has appointed as agents under sub. (3g), if the department has certified the competency of the city, village, town, or county to issue variances and if the variances are reviewed in a manner approved by the department. Owners may submit variances to the city, village, town, or county or to the department.
(c) Determine and certify the competency of inspectors of boilers, unfired pressure vessels, refrigeration plants, elevators, escalators and power dumbwaiters.
(d) Accept inspections at no cost performed by inspectors for whom evidence of competency has been furnished to the department.
(e) Approve inspection service maintained or employed by owners or operators of boilers and unfired pressure vessels.
(f) Accept inspections at no cost performed by approved owner or operator inspection service and provide shop inspection service when deemed necessary.
(g) Accept inspection at no cost when performed by qualified and authorized inspectors for a city, village, town or county for the inspection of buildings and equipment located within the city, village, town or county. The department shall determine and certify the competency of all such inspectors.
(h) Require all local officers not authorized by the department to grant approvals as provided in pars. (a) and (b) to deny permits or licenses for construction or use of public buildings, public structures and places of employment until the required drawings and calculations have been examined by the department.
(3c) If the department has delegated authority to perform building inspection services under this section to a city, village, town, or county and the city, village, town, or county has assumed that responsibility, the department may not perform building inspection services within the scope of that delegation in the city, village, town, or county.
(3g)
(a) This subsection establishes the manner under which a city, village, town, or county may examine plans and make inspections for buildings and alterations not specified under sub. (3) (b) as an appointed agent of the department.
(b) Before assuming any of the department's plan examination or inspection responsibilities for buildings and alterations not specified in sub. (3) (b), a city, village, town, or county shall comply with all of the following:
1. Submit a written request to the department at least 30 days prior to the date upon which the city, village, town, or county desires to assume agent responsibilities for plan examination or building inspection.
2. Include a description of the desired responsibilities in the request under subd. 1.
3. Include in the request under subd. 1. a description of the qualifications and ability the city, village, town, or county has for assuming the desired responsibilities.
4. Adopt the commercial building code in its entirety by ordinance.
5. Forward to the department a copy of the ordinance specified in subd. 4. and any subsequent revisions to that ordinance.
6. Receive from the department a written statement prescribing the responsibilities that are to be assumed.
(c) The department shall review and make a determination on a request submitted under par. (b) 1. within 20 business days of receipt.
(d) While appointed as an agent, a city, village, town, or county is subject to s. SPS 361.60 (5) (d) to (h) and (6), Wis. Adm. Code, and shall comply with all of the following:
1. Submit to the department the fees specified in s. SPS 302.31 (1) (h), Wis. Adm. Code.
2. Provide a monthly report to the department of all projects completed under this subsection, in an electronic-based format prescribed by the department.
3. Forward to the department any revisions to the ordinance specified in par. (b) 4.
4. Notify the department, in writing, at least 30 days prior to the date upon which the city, village, town, or county intends to relinquish the responsibilities assumed under this subsection.
(e) The department may revoke the appointment of an agent if the plan examiners or inspectors of the agent do not meet the standards specified by the department or if other requirements of this subchapter are not met.
(3m)
(a) The department shall promulgate rules for the administration of a program to certify 2nd class cities to perform the examination of essential drawings, calculations and specifications in accordance with sub. (1).
(b) A 2nd class city may apply for certification by the department under this subsection if that city employs at least one architect or one professional engineer who has been granted a certificate of registration under s. 443.10. The department shall certify a 2nd class city when the department determines and certifies the competency of all examiners employed by the city. The department shall review the competency of the examiners of a city that is certified under this subsection on a regular basis and may revoke the certification of a city if the examiners do not meet standards specified by the department.
(c) Owners within the 2nd class city may obtain examinations from the city or the department.
(d) The department shall certify 2nd class cities to perform reviews and determinations of variances under sub. (3) (bq) if the 2nd class city has been certified for purposes of sub. (3) (b).
(e) The department shall by rule set fees, to be collected by the 2nd class city and remitted to the department, to meet the department's costs in enforcing and administering its duties under sub. (3) (am) and this subsection.
(3o)
(a) In this subsection:
1. “Agent appointment” means appointment as an agent of the department under sub. (3g) or s. SPS 361.61, Wis. Adm. Code, in effect on April 4, 2018.
2. “Certification” means certification under sub. (3) (b) or (3m).
(b) The department shall establish requirements for cities, villages, towns, and counties to electronically renew their agent appointments and certifications every 5 years. The process shall allow cities, villages, towns, and counties with agent appointments and certifications made 5 years or more before April 5, 2018, to renew those agent appointments and certifications within deadlines specified by the department.
(3r) An owner of a building may request, and the department may grant, a variance from standards contained in a rule relating to constructing, altering, and adding to public buildings and buildings that are places of employment if the department finds that the requested variance will impose an equivalent standard that meets the intent of the rule.
(4)
(a) Except as provided in par. (b), any inspection performed to determine compliance with the rules promulgated by the department that relate to constructing, altering, or adding to public buildings and buildings that are places of employment may be performed only by a person who is certified under rules promulgated by the department to make such inspections.
(b) The certification requirement under par. (a) does not apply to any of the following:
1. An inspection performed under s. 101.14 (2) (b) or (c) by an inspector who is designated under s. 101.14 (2) (d) to make such inspections.
2. An inspection performed by an inspector who has received certification under s. 101.14 (4r).
(5)
(a) In this subsection:
1. “Plans" means construction plans, designs, specifications and related materials filed with the department, city, village, town or county concerning a structure.
2. “Secure structure" means a building or other structure of a type which the department, city, village, town or county determines to have extraordinary security requirements, including but not limited to structures used:
a. For the safekeeping of large sums of money, negotiable instruments, securities or other valuables;
b. As a jail, correctional facility or other secure facility for persons in detention;
c. For the safekeeping or evaluation of evidence in criminal proceedings or investigations;
d. For the safekeeping of weapons, ordnance or explosives; or
e. In the generation, transmission or distribution of electric power, fuels or communications.
(b) A person requesting to inspect or copy plans shall submit a written application identifying the structure or proposed structure whose plans are sought to be inspected or copied, providing the full name and address of the requester and stating that any information obtained from the inspection or copying will not be used for any unlawful or unfair competitive purpose and that the information set forth in the application is true and correct.
(c) If an application submitted under par. (b) requests inspection or copying of plans for a secure structure or proposed secure structure that is or is anticipated to be owned by or leased to the state, the plans are not subject to the right of inspection or copying except as the department of administration otherwise provides by rule. If an application submitted under par. (b) requests inspection or copying of plans for any other secure structure or proposed secure structure, the department, city, village, town or county shall consider the information supplied in the application and weigh the possible harm to the public interest which may result from permitting inspection and copying of the plans against the benefits of allowing such inspection or copying. If the department, city, village, town or county determines that the possible harm to the public interest outweighs the benefit to the requester and to the public interest of allowing such inspection or copying, it may deny the application or grant it upon such conditions as it determines are necessary to protect the public interest. This paragraph does not apply to an application submitted by a law enforcement agency or person authorized to have access to the plans by lawful subpoena.
(d) The department, city, village, town or county may charge a reasonable amount to defray its costs in providing copies of the plans.
(6) The department shall promulgate rules relating to the enforcement of this subchapter and subch. IV and ch. 145 for public schools constructed before 1930 and establishing life-safety plans for all public schools.
History: 1971 c. 185; 1971 c. 228 s. 42; Stats. 1971 s. 101.12; 1973 c. 326; 1979 c. 64, 243; 1983 a. 27; 1989 a. 31, 347; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 16; 1995 a. 27 ss. 3660, 3660m, 9126 (19); 2007 a. 20 s. 9121 (6) (a); 2011 a. 199; 2013 a. 270; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 198, 329, 330, 331; 2021 a. 238 ss. 44, 45; 2021 a. 240 s. 30.
The state statutes and building code have not preempted the field as to school buildings; local building codes apply to the extent that they are not inconsistent. Hartford Union High School v. City of Hartford, 51 Wis. 2d 591, 187 N.W.2d 849 (1971).
Plans and specifications filed under this section are public records and are available for public inspection. 67 Atty. Gen. 214.

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