Rock County, WI Parking Rules: Street Parking Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Wrong-side parking forfeiture
- $30 to $300 (Sec. 346.56(2))
- Governing statute
- Wis. Stat. Sec. 346.55(1)
- Private-lot parking requires
- owner or lessee consent
- Posted-sign violation forfeiture
- $20-$40 first offense
- County adoption
- Rock County Ord. Sec. 3.104(5)
Summary
Wisconsin law bars stopping or parking on the left side of any Rock County highway, facing oncoming traffic, except for a short list of statutory exceptions, and a wrong-way violation carries a $30 to $300 forfeiture under Wis. Stat. Section 346.56(2). Property owners can also bar parking on their own lots by posting a sign, and Rock County has adopted this state law directly as its own traffic code under County Ordinance Section 3.104(5).
346.55(1) No person shall stop or leave standing any vehicle on the left side of a highway except as provided in ss. 167.31 (4) (co) and 346.54. ... (3) No person may leave or park any motor vehicle on private property without the consent of the owner or lessee of the property. (4) Owners or lessees of public or private property may permit parking by certain persons and limit, restrict or prohibit parking as to other persons if the owner or lessee posts a sign on the property indicating for whom parking is permitted, limited, restricted or prohibited. No person may leave or park any motor vehicle on public or private property contrary to a sign posted thereon. 346.56(1m) Any person violating s. 346.52 to 346.54 or 346.55 (3) or (4) may be required to forfeit not less than $20 nor more than $40 for the first offense and not less than $50 nor more than $100 for the 2nd or subsequent conviction within a year. 346.56(2) Any person violating s. 346.51 or 346.55 (1) may be required to forfeit not less than $30 nor more than $300.
Full Breakdown
55 to the forfeiture set out in Wis. Stat. 56. The core rule under Wis. Stat. 55(1) is that no one may stop or leave a vehicle standing on the left side of a highway, facing oncoming traffic, except for the carve-outs in Wis. Stat. 54, which cover organized events and one-way or heavy-traffic roads posted for right-side parking. Because Rock County adopted this statute directly, sheriff's deputies and municipal officers working county roads cite drivers under the same section number used statewide. 55(4) lets an owner or lessee limit, restrict, or prohibit parking to specific people by posting a sign, making it unlawful to park contrary to that sign. A wrong-way stop under subsection (1) is the more serious offense, drawing a forfeiture of $30 to $300 under Wis. Stat. 56(1m). 104(1).
Violations & Fines
Stopping or parking against the flow of traffic, the wrong-side violation, draws a forfeiture of $30 to $300 under Wis. Stat. Section 346.56(2). Parking on private property without the owner's or lessee's consent, or in defiance of a posted restriction sign, draws $20 to $40 for a first offense and $50 to $100 for a repeat offense within a year under Section 346.56(1m). Rock County Sheriff's deputies and municipal police issue the citations, and forfeitures are paid through Rock County Circuit Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park facing oncoming traffic on a Rock County road?
What happens if I park on a business's lot without permission?
Does Rock County have its own wrong-way parking ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock County
Compare Rock County to another location·View the Wisconsin parking rules overview
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