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Private-lot tows in Wisconsin: signs, the police call, and the charges
Wisconsin's private-property towing rules are short. Three of them carry most of the weight: where the signs must be, the call to the police before the tow, and the state maximums for the charges.
General information, not legal advice. The papers you got from the police, the tow company, the storage lot or a state agency control your dates. Agencies change phone numbers and steps, so check the agency's own page too.
1. Signs at the entrance and at the space
A lot is properly posted only with a notice at each vehicle entrance and one readable from where the car was parked (Wis. Admin. Code § Trans 319.04(2)). Without proper posting, a car may be towed only after a parking citation or a repossession judgment (Wis. Stat. § 349.13(3m)(b)).
Sources: Wis. Admin. Code ch. Trans 319 (official text); Wis. Stat. § 349.13 (official text)
2. The call to the police
Before the tow, the tow company must notify the police department of the city where the car is parked (§ 349.13(3m)(d)2.; Trans 319.05(1)). A tow company that did not make a good faith effort to give that notice may not collect any charges for the tow or storage (§ 349.13(3m)(dr)2.). The police keep the notice at least 60 days and must tell the owner, on request, which company towed the car and where it is (Trans 319.05(3)).
Sources: Wis. Stat. § 349.13 (official text); Wis. Admin. Code ch. Trans 319 (official text)
3. The charges
The tow charge may not exceed $150, and storage $25 per 24 hours outdoors or $35 indoors, counted from the police notice. No storage may be charged for a day the lot is open less than 4 straight hours between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Extra charges are allowed only for special equipment or long trips, never for administrative, gate or lien processing fees (Trans 319.03).
- Whether these maximums also apply after a city citation is an open question noted in the tool.
Check a Wisconsin private-lot tow
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