Under Wis. Stat. 342.40, a vehicle left unattended without the owner's permission — beyond 48 hours in first-class cities, or a period set locally elsewhere — is deemed abandoned and a public nuisance. A sheriff's deputy or county traffic patrolman may have it removed and impounded.
Wisconsin's abandoned-vehicle law, Wis. Stat. 342.40, applies countywide. Section 342.40(1m) declares a vehicle abandoned once left unattended without the property owner's permission for more than 48 hours in first-class cities, or a period set by the local governing body elsewhere. Section 342.40(3)(a) authorizes a sheriff's deputy, county traffic patrolman, municipal police officer, state traffic officer, or conservation warden to remove any abandoned motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or mobile home from public or private property to impoundment. Vehicles are held at least 10 days after certified-mail notice to owner and lienholders before sale or donation. In unincorporated Waukesha County, the County Sheriff enforces this law.
The owner is responsible for all impound and disposal costs; unrecovered costs may be recovered by civil action, and the vehicle may be sold or donated after the 10-day notice period.
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