Wisconsin Towing Laws: Your Rights When Your Car Is Towed

Primary law: Wis. Stat. 349.13(3m); Wis. Admin. Code ch. Trans 319 · Last verified July 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Wisconsin governs private-property towing mainly through Wis. Stat. 349.13(3m), supplemented by Department of Transportation administrative rules (Wis. Admin. Code ch. Trans 319). A vehicle on properly posted private property — with clearly visible notice that unauthorized vehicles may be immediately removed — can be towed without a citation and without the owner's permission. If the property is not properly posted, immediate removal generally requires a repossession judgment or an illegal-parking citation. Before hooking up, the towing service must give local law enforcement the vehicle's make, model, VIN, plate number, and destination.

There are no statewide dollar caps on Wisconsin tow bills, but the statute limits owners' liability to 'reasonable charges' for removal and storage, and enforcement of the police-notification rule has monetary consequences: a towing service that made no good-faith effort to notify law enforcement may not collect charges at all, and in Milwaukee (a first-class city) noncompliance forfeits all collection rights. Personal property in the vehicle must be released to the owner free of charge during regular office hours upon presentation of proper identification, without redeeming the vehicle.

If your car is towed from a lot in Wisconsin, call the local police or sheriff's non-emergency line — the tower was required to report the vehicle and its destination before removal, so dispatch should locate it quickly. Retrieve any personal property free with ID, photograph the lot's signage (or lack of it), and get an itemized bill. If the charges are unreasonable or the tower never notified police, push back on the bill, and file a complaint with DATCP's Bureau of Consumer Protection or pursue the dispute in small claims court.

Wisconsin towing rules at a glance

How to get your car back in Wisconsin

1. Call the local police or sheriff's non-emergency line — the towing service must report the vehicle and its destination to law enforcement before removal.
2. Photograph the lot's signage (or missing signage); without proper posting, an immediate no-citation tow may not have been authorized.
3. Retrieve personal property from the vehicle free of charge during office hours with proper ID.
4. Pay only reasonable removal and storage charges and get an itemized receipt; if the tower never made a good-faith effort to notify police, charges may not be collectible.
5. File a complaint with the Wisconsin DATCP Bureau of Consumer Protection or contest unreasonable charges in small claims court.

Where to complain about an illegal tow

Wisconsin DATCP, Bureau of Consumer Protection handles towing complaints in Wisconsin. Keep your receipt, photos of any signage (or lack of it), and notes on dates and times — they decide most fee disputes.

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