Business Licensing & Operations in Milwaukee, WI (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Massage Establishments
Milwaukee licenses massage establishments under Code Ch. 83, while individual therapists are credentialed by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services under Wis. Stat. Ch. 460.
Massage Establishment and Therapist Licensing
Some RestrictionsWis. Stat. §§ 460.02, 460.04
460.02 License required. Except as provided in s. 460.03, no person may provide massage therapy or bodywork therapy, designate himself or herself as a massage therapist or bodywork therapist or masseur or masseuse, or use or assume the title "massage therapist and bodywork therapist" or "massage therapist" or "bodywork therapist" or "masseur" or "masseuse" or any title that includes "massage th...
Tattoo & Body Modification
Milwaukee requires tattoo artists, body piercers and their establishments to hold a health department license, meet sanitation and plan-of-operation standards, and bars licensing anyone under 18.
Milwaukee Tattoo and Body-Piercing Licensing
Some RestrictionsMilwaukee Code of Ordinances § 75-23 (Volume 1, ch. 75 Miscellaneous Health Provisions)
LICENSE REQUIRED. a. Except as provided in par. b, no person may tattoo or attempt to tattoo another, designate or represent himself or herself as a tattooist or use or assume the title "tattooist" and no tattoo establishment may be operated unless the person and the establishment are licensed under this section or applicable Wisconsin statute. ... AGE QUALIFICATION. No license shall be issued ...
Tobacco Retail License
Milwaukee requires a city cigarette and tobacco license before selling cigarettes or tobacco products, with a $100 annual fee and a required plan of operation.
Milwaukee Cigarette and Tobacco License
Some RestrictionsMilwaukee Code of Ordinances § 84-43
LICENSE REQUIRED. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation in any manner, or upon any pretense, or by any device, directly or indirectly, to sell, exchange, barter, dispose of or give away, any cigarettes or tobacco products without first obtaining a license therefor. ... AGE QUALIFICATION. No license shall be issued to any person or any agent of a corporation or limited liabili...
Secondhand Dealers
Milwaukee licenses secondhand article dealers and secondhand jewelry dealers under Code Ch. 90, requiring transaction reporting, holding periods, and police access to records to deter sale of stolen goods.
Secondhand Article and Jewelry Dealers
Some RestrictionsWis. Stat. § 134.71
134.71 Pawnbrokers and secondhand article and jewelry dealers. (1) Definitions. In this section: (e) "Pawnbroker" means any person who engages in the business of lending money on the deposit or pledge of any article or jewelry, or purchasing any article or jewelry with an expressed or implied agreement or understanding to sell it back at a subsequent time at a stipulated price. (f) "Secondhand"...
Pawnbrokers
Milwaukee pawnbrokers must hold a secondhand dealer's license, hold every pawned item 30 days for police inspection, and issue a free, numbered pawn receipt for each loan.
Milwaukee Pawnbroker Licensing Requirements
Significant RestrictionsMilwaukee Code of Ordinances § 92-23-1 (Volume 1, Ch. 92, Subch. 2 - Secondhand Dealers)
LICENSE REQUIRED. It shall be unlawful to carry on, engage, or operate the business of pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, or precious metal and gem dealer without having first obtained a secondhand dealer's license in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter. 2. SECONDHAND DEALER MALLS. The owner of a business at which 2 or more secondhand dealers are engaged ...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Milwaukee lets you fix your own vehicle at home, but caps it at one car at a time and pushes teardown work into an enclosed garage.
Milwaukee Home Auto Repair Limits
Some RestrictionsMilwaukee Code of Ordinances § 295-503-3-b
No motor vehicle repair, service or maintenance shall be permitted on any lot used wholly or in part for residential purposes without a certificate of occupancy for such motor vehicle uses, unless the following conditions are met: b-1. The motor vehicle repaired, serviced or maintained is owned by a person who resides on the lot. b-2. Not more than one motor vehicle shall be repaired, serviced ...
Towing Companies
Milwaukee licensed tow operators must use signed service order forms, photograph towed vehicles, and get police-confirmed tow reference numbers before non-consensual tows.
Milwaukee Non-Consensual Towing Rules
Some RestrictionsMilwaukee Code of Ordinances § 93-47-2 (Volume 1, General Ordinances)
NON-CONSENSUAL TOWING. All of the following requirements shall be met for a towing business to perform a non-consensual tow: The licensee shall have in his or her possession an authorized service order form before hooking up the vehicle to be serviced... The towing business shall take, and retain unaltered for 90 days, color photographs of the motor vehicle to be towed... the towing business sh...
Looking for Milwaukee County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Milwaukee city rules.
Business Licensing & Operations in Milwaukee County →