Chapter Adm 92

Adm 92.72   180-day owner who rents.

Adm 92.74   90-day owner or tenant who purchases.

Adm 92.76   90-day owner who rents.

Adm 92.78   90-day tenant who rents.

Adm 92.80   90-day tenant who purchases.

Adm 92.82   Mobile home — general.

Adm 92.84   180-day mobile home owner.

Adm 92.86   90-day mobile home owner.

Adm 92.88   90-day mobile home tenant.

Subchapter VI — Replacement Business and Farm Payment

Adm 92.90   General.

Adm 92.92   Owner-occupant who purchases.

Adm 92.94   Owner-occupant who rents.

Adm 92.96   Tenant-occupant who rents.

Adm 92.98   Tenant-occupant who purchases.

Adm 92.99   Forms.

Ch. Adm 92 Note Note: Chapter ILHR 202 was renumbered chapter ILHR 222 under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 1., Stats., Register, April, 1996, No. 484. Chapter ILHR 222 was renumbered chapter Comm 202, under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 1., Stats., and corrections made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 6. and 7., Stats., Register, March, 1997, No. 495. Chapter Comm 202 was renumbered chapter Adm 92 under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register December 2011 No. 672.

subch. I of ch. Adm 92 Subchapter I — General

Adm 92.001 Adm 92.001 Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to implement ss. 32.185 to 32.27, Stats., by establishing minimum standards for providing relocation payments and services to a person who moves from a dwelling, business or farm operation because of acquisition for a public project, and to assure that such persons do not suffer disproportionate costs as a result of projects designed to benefit the public as a whole. Payments required by this chapter do not affect any right to seek compensation specified in ss. 32.01 through 32.18 and 32.28, Stats. The department of administration shall assure that displaced persons are treated uniformly, fairly and equitably.

Adm 92.001 History History: Cr. Register, March, 1986, No. 363, eff. 4-1-86; am. Register, November, 1989, No. 407, eff. 12-1-89; correction made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register, April, 1996, No. 484; correction made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 6., 7., Stats., Register December 2011 No. 672.

Adm 92.002 Adm 92.002 Applicability. This chapter applies to the following:

Adm 92.002(1) (1) A public project conducted by any agency under s. Adm 92.01 (13) which may or shall displace any person from real property regardless of the source of funds, federal regulations, or the date the project was formally adopted, approved, funded or started;

Adm 92.002(2) (2) A displacement under sub. (1) resulting from initiation of negotiations which begins after April 2, 1989.

Adm 92.002 History History: Cr. Register, March, 1986, No. 363, eff. 4-1-86; am. (1) (b), Register, (November, 1989, No. 407, eff. 12-1-89; correction made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 1. and 7., Stats., Register, April, 1996, No. 484; correction in (intro.), (1) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register December 2011 No. 672.

Adm 92.01 Adm 92.01 Definitions. In this chapter:

Adm 92.01(1) (1) “Acquisition” means:

Adm 92.01(1)(a) (a) A property purchased by an agency by any legal means including a negotiated sale and exercise of eminent domain; or

Adm 92.01(1)(b) (b) A tenant-occupied unit where possession or use is denied to the occupant under a rehabilitation, code enforcement or other program or project being carried out with public financial assistance.

Adm 92.01(2) (2) “Agency” means a displacing agency, under sub. (13).

Adm 92.01(3) (3) “Average annual net earnings” means one half of the net earnings of a business or farm operation, before federal and state income taxes, during the 2 taxable years preceding the taxable year of the displacement, or another period an agency determines more equitable. It includes compensation paid by a business or farm operation to an owner, spouse or dependents. Owner, as used under this subsection includes a sole proprietorship, a principal partner of a partnership, and a principal stockholder of a corporation. Stock held by a spouse and dependent children shall be treated as one principal stockholder.

Adm 92.01(4) (4) “Average monthly income” means, for determining financial means, the annual gross income of an individual or the adults in a family, including salaries, wages, public assistance payments, tips, commissions, unemployment payments, rents, royalties, dividends, interest, profits, pensions, annuities, and other income, divided by 12.

Adm 92.01(5) (5) “Business” means a legal activity, other than a farm operation, regardless of the income produced, conducted:

Adm 92.01(5)(a) (a) For the purchase, sale, lease or rent of personal and real property, and to manufacture, process or market a product, commodity, or other personal property;

Adm 92.01(5)(b) (b) For the sale of a service to the public;

Adm 92.01(5)(c) (c) By a nonprofit organization; or

Adm 92.01(5)(d) (d) Solely for the purpose of moving and related expense, to assist in the purchase, sale, resale, manufacture, processing or marketing of a product, commodity, personal property or service by the erection and maintenance of an outdoor advertising display, whether or not it is located on the premises on which any of the activities listed in this paragraph are conducted.

Adm 92.01(6) (6) “Carve-out” means a method for computing a replacement housing, business or farm operation payment that is applied to separate the value of a portion of a property acquired, or a comparable selected.

Adm 92.01(7) (7) “Comparable replacement business” means a replacement business currently available to a displaced person and, when compared with the acquired business:

Adm 92.01(7)(a) (a) Meets applicable federal, state or local codes;

Adm 92.01(7)(b) (b) Is adequate for the needs of a business and suited for the same type of business;

Adm 92.01(7)(c) (c) Is similar in major characteristics and functionally equivalent with respect to:

Adm 92.01(7)(c)1. 1. Condition, state of repair, land area and building square footage required;

Adm 92.01(7)(c)2. 2. Access to transportation necessary for the business operation, customers, utilities and public services.

Adm 92.01(7)(d) (d) Is in an area free of adverse environmental conditions which may cause significant impairment of the business.

Adm 92.01(7)(e) (e) Is within reasonable proximity of the acquired business if necessary to retain existing or new clientele.

Adm 92.01(8) (8) “Comparable replacement dwelling” means a dwelling which is currently available to the displaced person and, when compared with the dwelling being acquired:

Adm 92.01(8)(a) (a) Is adequate for the person and is decent, safe and sanitary under s. Adm 92.04.

Adm 92.01(8)(b) (b) Is functionally equivalent and substantially the same as the acquired dwelling, with respect to:

Adm 92.01(8)(b)1. 1. Area of habitable living space, number and size of rooms and closets, and the size and utility of any garage or outbuilding within the immediate surrounding yard;

Adm 92.01(8)(b)2. 2. Type of construction, age and state of repair;

Adm 92.01(8)(b)3. 3. In an area not less desirable than the acquired dwelling with respect to public utilities, public and commercial facilities and neighborhood conditions, including schools and municipal services, and is accessible to the person’s place of employment;

Adm 92.01(8)(c) (c) Is available to the person regardless of sex, race, color, disability, religion, national origin, sex or marital status of the person maintaining a household, legal sources of income, age, ancestry, sexual orientation or other applicable federal, state or local fair housing laws.

Adm 92.01 Note Note: The comparable must be available to the person being displaced. For example, a dwelling may not be selected as a comparable for a family with children, when the owner does not rent to families with children.

Adm 92.01(8)(d) (d) Is available within the financial means of the displaced person.

Adm 92.01(9) (9) “Comparable replacement farm operation” means a replacement farm operation currently available to a displaced person and, when compared to the acquired farm operation:

Adm 92.01(9)(a) (a) Meets applicable federal, state or local codes;

Adm 92.01(9)(b) (b) Is adequate for the needs of the farmer and suited for the same type of farm operation;

Adm 92.01(9)(c) (c) Is similar in major characteristics and functionally equivalent with respect to:

Adm 92.01(9)(c)1. 1. Type of farm operation, condition, and state of repair of farm buildings;

Adm 92.01(9)(c)2. 2. Soil quality, yield per acre, land area, transportation access necessary for the farm operation, utilities and public services;

Adm 92.01(9)(d) (d) Is in an area free of adverse environmental conditions which may cause significant impairment of the farm operation;

Adm 92.01(9)(e) (e) Is within reasonable proximity of the acquired farm operation to the extent necessary for the farm operation.

Adm 92.01(10) (10) “Conventional financing” means, for determining a down payment assistance payment, a loan or promissory note secured by a mortgage made by a financial institution and not insured or guaranteed by an agency of the state or federal government, or any other private insurer.

Adm 92.01(11) (11) “Department” means the Wisconsin department of administration.

Adm 92.01(12) (12) “Direct loss of property” means a compensable moving expense, in addition to an expense incurred in a move of other property, payable to a displaced business or farm operation, for direct loss of tangible personal property used in a moved or discontinued operation and which is sold or abandoned rather than moved, after attempting to sell.

Adm 92.01(13) (13) “Displacing agency” means a condemnor, state agency, political subdivision of the state, developer or any other person carrying out a public project that causes a person to be a displaced person. An agency vested with eminent domain power under ch. 32, Stats., acquiring real property in whole or in part for a public project, is a displacing agency, regardless of whether or not any or all of the statutory or procedural steps necessary to exercise such power have been taken, or whether the property is acquired by negotiated purchase or by eminent domain. In a project being carried out by a person or entity without eminent domain power, the condemnor, state agency or political subdivision of the state that is the principal public funding source for the project, shall ensure compliance with the provisions of this chapter.

Adm 92.01(14) (14) 

Adm 92.01(14)(a) (a) “Displaced person” means any person who moves from real property or moves personal property from real property:

Adm 92.01(14)(a)1. 1. As a direct result of a written notice of intent to deny possession or use of rented property or to purchase real property, the initiation of negotiations for, or the purchase of, such real property by a displacing agency, in whole or in part, for a public project. A person is also considered to have moved because of the purchase when the person occupies a property at the time of initiation of negotiations, but moves before acquisition, if the property is subsequently acquired;

Adm 92.01(14)(a)2. 2. As a result of denial of possession or use by the owner in anticipation of acquisition by an agency, if the removal is unrelated to a material breach of a rental agreement by the tenant. A substantial and unwarranted rent increase before acquisition by an agency shall be considered denial or use by the owner; or

Adm 92.01(14)(a)3. 3. As a result of property rehabilitation, conversion, demolition, or other related displacing activity, provided the person is:

Adm 92.01(14)(a)3.a. a. A tenant occupant who will be permanently displaced and has not been offered a reasonable opportunity to occupy a suitable, decent, safe and sanitary dwelling in the same or a nearby building with actual reasonable moving cost of the move being paid by the displacing agency; or

Adm 92.01(14)(a)3.b. b. A tenant occupant in a federally assisted project who is unable to continue occupancy in the displacement dwelling under terms and conditions that are reasonable as specified by the federal funding agency.

Adm 92.01(14)(b) (b) “Displaced person” does not include, among others:

Adm 92.01(14)(b)1. 1. A person who moves before initiation of negotiations, unless the agency determines the person was displaced by the project;

Adm 92.01(14)(b)2. 2. A person who initially occupies the affected property after the date of its acquisition by the agency;

Adm 92.01(14)(b)3. 3. A person who has occupied the property for the express purpose of obtaining relocation benefits under this chapter;

Adm 92.01(14)(b)4. 4. A tenant-occupant of a dwelling who has been promptly notified that he or she will not be displaced by the project, provided that, if a temporary move is necessary, the temporary replacement dwelling is decent, safe and sanitary and the tenant is compensated for actual out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with a temporary move, including moving costs to and from the temporary dwelling, any increased rent or utility costs, and other reasonable expenses incurred;

Adm 92.01(14)(b)5. 5. A person who, after receiving a notice of relocation eligibility, is subsequently notified in writing that the person will not be displaced for the project. Such notice shall not be issued unless the person has not moved, the agency provides compensation for any expenses incurred up to the time the no displacement notice is issued and the agency withdraws any attempt to acquire the property or carry out the project affecting the property;

Adm 92.01(14)(b)6. 6. An owner-occupant who voluntarily sells a property after being informed in writing that the agency will not acquire the property by condemnation if a mutually satisfactory agreement of sale is not obtainable. In such cases, however, any tenants who occupy the property are displaced persons under this chapter;

Adm 92.01 Note Note: The agency may be required to obtain a waiver of relocation assistance under s. Adm 92.12.

Adm 92.01(14)(b)7. 7. An owner-occupant who voluntarily sells a property to a displacing agency not vested with eminent domain power;

Adm 92.01(14)(b)8. 8. A person who voluntarily retains the right of use and occupancy of the real property for life following its acquisition by the agency;

Adm 92.01(14)(b)9. 9. A person who is determined to be in unlawful occupancy of the property or has been evicted for cause under applicable law before initiation of negotiations for the property. Unlawful occupancy is defined under s. Adm 92.01 (42).

Adm 92.01(14)(b)10. 10. A person who is a non-occupant owner of commercial or residential property that is rented to others, except that such owner may qualify for actual and reasonable moving expenses under s. Adm 92.52.

Adm 92.01(14)(b)11. 11. For projects that do not receive federal funds and properties that do not involve an outdoor advertising sign or an outdoor advertising company tenant, a tenant who is allowed to occupy leased premises to the end of the term of the lease, or for 180 days, or for a period of time equal to one-half of the term of the lease, or for a period of time determined by the condemnor, whichever of these four alternatives is longer.

Adm 92.01(15) (15) “Dwelling” means a single family house, a single family unit in a duplex, multi-family or multi-purpose property, a condominium or cooperative housing unit, a sleeping room, a mobile home, or other residential unit.

Adm 92.01(16) (16) “Economic rent” means the rent for a property similar to and in the same area as an acquired property.