I think a lot of people started building their own homes (in the old days) and never finished. So most municipalities consider it an unfinished dwelling. I found this for the city of Oshkosh:
City of Oshkosh Municipal Codes
Revisions thru 05/31/06
SECTION 16-1 BASEMENT HOUSE.
Basement house shall mean an uncompleted building whose floor line is below grade at any entrance of
exit and whose ceiling is less than five (5) feet above grade at any such entrance or exit. "Dwelling" shall mean any building which is wholly or partially used or intended to be used for living or sleeping by human occupants.
SECTION 16-2 BASEMENT-HOUSE AS DWELLING.
No person shall use a basement-house as a dwelling.
http://www.ci.oshkosh.wi.us/Municipal_Codes/Chapter_16.pdfMost places in Wisconsin have similar codes. In my opinion, if it meets all other safety codes (wiring, plumbing, etc) and has a roof on it, what difference does it make (other than perhaps being an eyesore)? I've seen worse eyesores all over the U.S. (20 cars in the yard, 3 sofas on the porch,...).
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