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Private-lot tows in Milwaukee: state rules plus the City's towing ordinance
Milwaukee adds its own towing ordinance (Code ch. 93) to the Wisconsin private-tow rules: a City license, a signed service order, photos kept 90 days, a City tow reference number, and a drop fee.
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. Before the tow
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)). Before towing, the company must report the tow to the police and, in Milwaukee, get a tow reference number from the City (Milwaukee Code § 93-47-2-e, f); a towing service that made no good faith effort to notify the police may not collect any charges (Wis. Stat. § 349.13(3m)(dr)2.).
The company must hold a signed service order naming who authorized the tow, and photograph the car and the posted sign; it keeps both 90 days (§ 93-47-2-a, d).
Sources: Wis. Admin. Code ch. Trans 319 (official text); Wis. Stat. § 349.13 (official text); Milwaukee Code of Ordinances ch. 93 (official PDF)
2. If you reach the car first
If the owner or authorized operator offers to move the car before it is attached to the truck in any way, no fee may be charged; once attached but before it is fully hooked up, the drop fee is no more than $50, with 5 minutes to pay by cash or card (§ 93-47-3).
3. The charges and the lot
The tow charge may not exceed $150, and storage $25 per 24 hours outdoors or $35 indoors; no storage may be charged for a day the lot is open less than 4 straight hours between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Trans 319.03; Milwaukee Code § 93-47-4-f, h). The lot must take cash or cards, release belongings free on proper identification, and let the owner inspect the car before asking for payment or a waiver (§ 93-47-4-d, i; 93-47-5).
- Whether the state maximums also apply after a city citation is an open question noted in the tool.
Sources: Wis. Admin. Code ch. Trans 319 (official text); Milwaukee Code of Ordinances ch. 93 (official PDF)
Check a Milwaukee private-lot tow
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