Milwaukee County, WI Business Licensing & Operations: Towing Companies (2026)

Under Sec. 23 of the county's traffic ordinance, the sheriff's office has sole discretion to order and assign non-consensual tows of disabled vehicles from the freeway system. To perform that work, a towing company must first be added to the director of transportation's pre-qualification list by meeting criteria on driver safety records, equipment, insurance and drug-testing agreements; only listed vendors receive contracting notices, and rates are capped by the county board. Separately, towing or roadside-service operators may not solicit business on county expressways, and may not stop at a disabled vehicle or accident scene unless dispatched by the sheriff's department or requested by the vehicle's owner.