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Towing rules for property managers in Wisconsin
Before you have a car towed from your property in Wisconsin, check these rules. They are a summary of state law; your city or county may add more.
Printable checklist
- Placement: At each vehicle entrance, easy to read from a car driving in, plus another easy to read from the parking spot; bottom edge at least 4 feet off the ground
- Letters at least 2 inches tall
- A sign at each entrance
- A warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed
What the sign law says
Applies to: Lots where tows are done under Wis. Stat. 349.13(3m)
A lot counts as properly posted only if a notice is at each vehicle entrance, easy to read from a car driving in, and another notice is easy to read from where your car was parked. The bottom edge of the sign must be at least 4 feet off the ground. The sign must say parking by unauthorized vehicles is prohibited and they may be removed, or show the tow-away symbol with a no-unauthorized-parking message. Letters must be at least 2 inches tall and contrast with the sign background (for signs put up after Feb. 1, 2016).
Wis. Admin. Code Trans 319.04(2) (opens in a new tab)
4 feet is mounting height, not sign size. Letter height rule applies to signs put up after Feb. 1, 2016. Additional quoted text comes from: Wis. Admin. Code Trans 319.04(1); Wis. Stat. 349.13(3m)(a)2 <https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/admin_code/trans/319>.
Tow-away signs
- A lot counts as properly posted only if a notice is at each vehicle entrance, easy to read from a car driving in, and another notice is easy to read from where your car was parked. The bottom edge of the sign must be at least 4 feet off the ground. Wis. Admin. Code Trans 319.04(2) (opens in a new tab)
- The sign must say parking by unauthorized vehicles is prohibited and they may be removed, or show the tow-away symbol with a no-unauthorized-parking message. Letters must be at least 2 inches tall and contrast with the sign background (for signs put up after Feb. 1, 2016). Wis. Admin. Code Trans 319.04(1); Wis. Stat. 349.13(3m)(a)2 (opens in a new tab)
- If the lot is not properly posted, the car can be towed only after a court repossession judgment or a citation for illegal parking. On a properly posted lot, it can be towed immediately. Wis. Stat. 349.13(3m)(b), (c) (opens in a new tab)
If you get back before the tow leaves
- Wisconsin state law has no drop-fee rule. In Milwaukee, if the truck is not yet fully hooked up, the operator can release the car for a fee of no more than $50, and a court upheld that city rule in 2023. Milwaukee Code 93-47-3 (as described in Always Towing v. City of Milwaukee, 2023 WI App) (opens in a new tab)