News

Jun 13, 2023

What to know if your vehicle is towed in Milwaukee

It's never fun to find out your vehicle was towed. Whether visiting Milwaukee

It's never fun to find out your vehicle was towed.

Whether visiting Milwaukee for the first time or a long-time resident, here's what you should know if your vehicle is towed — and how to get it back.

The lot is at 3811 W. Lincoln Ave., Milwaukee

The hours for the lot are: Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The lot is closed on Sunday and city holidays.

Most likely. However, for some special events and construction projects, vehicles are sometimes relocated to a nearby location. If that occurs, look for signs in the area or contact the tow lot at 414-286-2700 to confirm a vehicle's location.

The city operates a searchable database which can be found here.

You will need:

There are a few fees if you get towed in the city of Milwaukee. A standard tow is $105; the fee is $125 if the tow requires a flatbed tow. That price goes up for heavy duty tows and varies.

More:Milwaukee started towing vehicles involved in reckless driving one year ago. Here's how police say it's been working.

Additional fees can include $25 for uninsured drivers (which covers the city to drive the vehicle back) and vehicle storage of $20 per day for outdoor storage and $30 per day for indoor storage.

Payments may be made via:

In May 2022, the city instituted a policy to tow unregistered vehicles that engage in reckless driving. Police will now tow unregistered vehicles that have engaged in at least one of four infractions: reckless driving, speeding 25 mph above the limit, fleeing police or racing.

In the policy's first year, nearly 270 unregistered vehicles were towed.

You can find more towing information here.

All vehicles are held for 15 days from the date of the tow. If not picked up, the vehicle may be sold or recycled.Personal items may be retrieved from the vehicle at any time. If no paying arrangements are made when picking up personal items, the vehicle may be immediately sold or recycled.

Yes. To dispute the legality of a tow and request a review, you may contact the Parking Citation Review Manager at 414-286-5085.

Private lots mostly use private towing services. Company and contact info is usually located on signage in a private parking area. If your vehicle was towed from private property, call 414-286-2700 for assistance with locating your vehicle.

Before a private property owner can tow a car, they must have proper signage that indicates people cannot park there, or the property owners must notify the police and the police must issue a citation.

Drew Dawson can be reached at [email protected] or 262-289-1324.