Milwaukee unpaid parking ticket towing enforcement; update expected

MILWAUKEE - The City of Milwaukee's Public Health & Safety Committee is set to meet Thursday morning to discuss a city ordinance aimed at cracking down on habitual parking violators.

The new city ordinance targets thousands of drivers with unpaid parking tickets.

Parking ticket ordinance

The backstory:

In October 2025, city leaders announced more than 28,000 habitual parking violators would be sent a letter to notify them of changes coming with the new ordinance.

The ordinance allows the city to tow vehicles that have five or more unpaid parking tickets that are more than 60 days old. Owners had two months to pay or get on a payment plan to take care of citations.

Last fall, Ald. Scott Spiker said the city had more than $17 million in uncollected parking citations tied to an estimated 39,000 vehicles.

Spiker also said the idea of towing and impounding vehicles is not new. What is new, though, are the mandatory letters that give people options to pay. The ordinance also means drivers need to resolve their tickets at the tow lot, in addition to paying towing and storage fees.

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Committee Meeting

What's next:

On Thursday morning, city council members will hear the progress report on how the city law has held violators accountable. The meeting is scheduled to start at 9 a.m.

Also on the agenda, city leaders will dicuss 4th of July safety plans.