Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 100-58 Purpose.
100-58. Purpose.
The purpose of this subchapter is to regulate the operation of the various kinds of public passenger vehicles permitted by the city.
Operating Regulations
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances ch. 100, subch. 4
in effectMilwaukee Code of Ordinances § 100-59 Operating Regulations for all Public Passenger Vehicles.
100-59. Operating Regulations for all Public Passenger Vehicles.
1. LICENSE TO BE EXHIBITED. a. A driver while operating a public passenger vehicle shall display in a conspicuous location clearly visible to passengers at all times and illuminated at night the license issued under subch. 3. Except for a taxicab driver, the license may be carried on the person of the driver when operating a public passenger vehicle, in lieu of the display requirements under this paragraph.
b. Whenever a licensee’s state of Wisconsin motor vehicle driver’s license is cancelled, expired, revoked or suspended, the public passenger vehicle driver’s license issued under this chapter to the licensee shall be automatically suspended and returned to the city clerk within 10 working days following the date on which the motor vehicle driver’s license was cancelled, revoked or suspended. The public passenger vehicle driver’s license will be reinstated upon presentation of documentation evidencing the possession of a valid state of Wisconsin motor vehicle driver’s license excluding occupational licenses.
2. DRIVER NAME AND RECEIPT.
a. No driver of a public passenger vehicle may refuse to give to a person requesting the information his or her name or license number, the vehicle owner's name, or the address of the vehicle owner's place of business.
b. If requested by the passenger, the driver in charge of a vehicle shall deliver to the person paying for the hiring a receipt in legible writing containing, at a minimum, the name of the service, the city permit number, the driver's city license number, the total amount paid and the date of payment.
3. FAILURE TO PAY FARE. a. No person shall neglect or refuse to pay for the service of any licensed vehicle with the intention of defrauding the driver of the vehicle, provided the rates charged by the vehicle are in conformity with this chapter.
b. Every driver of a vehicle shall have the right to demand payment of the legal fare in advance and may refuse employment unless so prepaid, but no driver shall otherwise refuse or neglect to convey any orderly person upon request within the area bounded by Lake Michigan on the east and 22000 block west on the west, 12000 block north on the north and the 11100 block south on the south unless previously engaged or unable to do so.
4. HOURS OF DRIVERS. No person may require any other person driving a public passenger vehicle upon the public streets to work more than 12 hours in every 24 hours. Such 12 hours shall be split by an intermission of one to 4 hours off duty. Every driver shall have at least 24 consecutive hours off each week.
5. LOST ARTICLES LEFT IN VEHICLES. Whenever an article is left in or on a public passenger vehicle, the driver shall deliver the article to the property bureau at police headquarters or to the office of the vehicle dispatcher, unless the driver shall have returned the article to its owner or disposed of the article in a manner directed by its owner within 48 hours of the discovery of the article. Property not reclaimed by the owner from the dispatcher's office within 48 hours shall be delivered to the property bureau of police headquarters.
6. MAP OR STREET GUIDE. Every public passenger vehicle driver shall cause to be maintained in the vehicle he or she is driving for public hire, or upon his or her person, a Milwaukee area map or street guide.
7. MISINFORMING, MISLEADING PERSONS PROHIBITED. No owner or driver of a public passenger vehicle, or agent of an owner or driver of a public passenger vehicle, shall induce a person to ride in or hire the vehicle by misinforming or misleading the person as to the time or place of the arrival or departure of a bus, airline flight, passenger train or other public transportation, or as to the location of a transportation terminal, business, public place or private residence.
8. MISREPRESENTATION AND FALSE VOUCHERS PROHIBITED. a. No owner or driver of a public passenger vehicle or agent of an owner or driver of a public passenger vehicle shall induce a person to ride in or hire the vehicle by falsely representing the vehicle as being in the employment of another person. No owner or driver of a public passenger vehicle shall deceive a person as to the value of a ticket or voucher or make a false statement concerning a voucher or ticket which may be shown to him or her.
b. No driver or owner of a public passenger vehicle or agent of a driver or owner of a public passenger vehicle shall submit for payment a fare voucher for an amount in excess of the rates of fare established in this chapter as applicable to the trip for which the voucher was written.
9. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES. The following activities are prohibited:
a. Permitting a nonpaying passenger or driver's pet in a vehicle when transporting a fare-paying passenger, except for the purpose of driver training. The potential passenger shall be informed of this training and offered an alternative vehicle.
b. The directing, taking or transportation, or offering to direct, take, or transport any person for immoral purposes, or assisting by any means whatsoever any person for such purposes, to seek or to find any prostitute or other person engaged in immoral practices, or any brothel, or bawdy house, or any other place of ill fame whatsoever, with knowledge or reasonable cause to know of the character of the person, house or place is prohibited.
c. Knowingly receiving any person for purposes of lewdness, assignation or prostitution, into or upon any vehicle, conveyance, or other means of transportation, or permitting any person to remain for purposes of lewdness, assignation or prostitution, in or upon any vehicle, conveyance, or other means of transportation.
d. Knowingly receiving and transporting any goods or substances which are contraband or illegal or otherwise restricted as to delivery or use.
e. Using while on duty alcohol, a controlled substance, a controlled substance analog or a combination thereof, or driving or operating a vehicle while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol, a controlled substance, a controlled substance analog or a combination thereof, or under the influence of any drug which renders the person incapable of safely driving.
10. SEATING CAPACITY OF VEHICLES. No driver shall carry more adult passengers than the designed capacity of the vehicle, and no more children, except children under 5 years of age carried in the arms of an adult, than can be seated comfortably on the seats. In no event shall more than 2 persons in addition to the driver be permitted in the front seat of the vehicle.
11. SOLICITATION; DRIVER TO REMAIN WITH VEHICLE. No person shall solicit passengers at a designated vehicle stand unless the driver is sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle. Drivers of vehicles shall remain on driver's seat or inside of the vehicle except to use a restroom, receive telephone calls or to assist passengers, in and out of the vehicle, and they are not to be absent more than 15 minutes at a time.
12. STOPPING OF VEHICLES IN VARIOUS RESTRICTED PARKING ZONES. Permittees may stop in the following restricted parking zones to engage and disengage passengers and their baggage: in a loading zone; in an alley in a business district; within 10 feet of a fire hydrant, unless a greater distance is indicated by an official traffic sign; within 4 feet of the entrance to an alley of a private road or driveway; closer than 15 feet to the near limits of a crosswalk upon any portion of a highway where, and at the time when parking is prohibited, limited or restricted by official traffic signs. All such business shall be performed without any unnecessary delay.
13. TRIP RECORDS. Prior to starting any shift, every driver shall fill in on the trip record his or her name, the shift date and start time, and the vehicle permit number. Every driver shall complete in real time on a daily basis trip records, approved by the police department as to format, which shall show the date, time and place each passenger was picked up and the date, time and place each passenger was discharged. The permittee shall retain trip records for at least 90 days, and the original records shall be readily available for inspection upon request by the police department.
14. DAILY SAFETY CHECKLIST.
a. Every public passenger vehicle driver prior to the beginning of each shift shall inspect the vehicle to make sure that all equipment on the vehicle is operable and in good working condition and that the vehicle is maintained in a reasonably clean condition on the inside and outside.
b. Every public passenger vehicle driver shall keep in the vehicle a daily safety checklist ensuring that the items listed in par. c have been inspected and are in good working order and by the public passenger vehicle permit holder properly placed in or on the vehicle. The checklist shall be kept for at least 14 days by the public passenger vehicle permit holder and be readily available for inspection upon request by the police department.
c. The daily safety checklist shall include the following items:
c-1. Meter seal.
c-2. Rate/complaint placard.
c-3. Clean interior/exterior.
c-4. Seat belts.
c-5. Horn.
c-6. Spare tire (inflated).
c-7. Heater/defroster/air conditioner.
c-8. Windshield (in compliance with s. Trans 305.34, Wis. Adm. Code, as amended).
c-9. Windshield wipers/blades.
c-10. Head lamps/tail, turn, brake, hazard lights.
c-11. Tires.
c-12. Wheels/rims.
c-13. Body of vehicle.
c-14. Upholstery.
15. SERVICE TO DISABLED PASSENGERS. No owner or driver of a public passenger vehicle or agent of an owner or driver of a public passenger vehicle shall decline service to those passengers who are disabled or those with service animals or wheelchairs.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 100-60 Additional Operating Regulations.
100-60. Additional Operating Regulations.
1. METER FARE TAXICABS. a. Taxi Stand Use. a-1. No taxicab standing at the head of a taxi stand line shall refuse to carry any orderly person applying for a taxicab who agrees to pay the proper fare, but this shall not prevent any person from selecting any taxicab he or she may desire on the stand whether it be at the head of the line or not.
a-2. As the taxicabs leave the line with passengers, those behind shall move up, and any taxicab seeking a place on the stand shall approach the same only from the rear of the stand and shall stop as near as possible to the last taxicab already on the line. No taxicab shall stand within 5 feet of any crosswalk.
b. Radio Service Prohibited. b-1. No person may provide radio service to any unlicensed taxicab or taxicab whose license has been suspended or revoked.
b-2. Penalty. Any person violating subd. 1 shall be subject to the penalty provided in s. 100-62-2.
c. Double Loading. Double loading is prohibited unless expressly authorized by the first passenger. No driver may plant, or permit to be planted, any person for the purpose of assuming the role of a first passenger to attempt to evade the provisions of this paragraph. Any person consenting to act as a plant for the purpose of falsely assuming the role of a first passenger shall be considered with the driver to be violating this paragraph.
d. Maximum Period. A driver of a taxicab shall respond to a service request within 30 minutes upon receiving the request.
2. HORSE AND SURREY LIVERY.
a. Hours of Operation. Unless otherwise authorized by the chief of police, no horse and surrey livery service shall be conducted between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays, except during the months of November, December, January and February, when no horse and surrey livery service shall be conducted between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on weekdays.
b. Sanitation. No driver of a horse and surrey livery may permit urine or fecal matter of such animal to remain on any street, alley, gutter, sidewalk, lawn, field or any public or private property as set forth in ss. 79-11 and 79-12, and it shall be solely the responsibility of the driver of the animal to immediately remove all fecal matter by shovel or like instrument, and dilute and flush the urine.
c. Maximum Number of Passengers. No horse and surrey shall carry more passengers than can be seated comfortably on the seats without exceeding the seating capacity of the surrey as posted pursuant to s.100-51.5-5-e-1, except up to 2 children under 5 years of age who each shall be carried in the arms of separate persons 18 years of age or older.
d. Riding with Driver Prohibited. The driver of any horse and surrey livery shall not permit any passenger to sit alongside the driver while the driver is engaged in the operation of the horse and surrey livery.
e. Operation on Certain Streets Restricted. No horse and surrey livery shall be operated on East State Street, West State Street, East Wells Street or West Wells Street for more than one block length at a time. Whenever a horse and surrey livery operates for one block on one of the specified streets, it shall then turn onto an intersecting street.
f. Horse and Surrey Stands. Livery services shall stop, stand or park only at stands approved for that purpose pursuant to s.101-23-9.
g. Serious Injury. g-1. Whenever a horse and surrey animal is injured in an accident so severely that the police department believes euthanasia may be necessary, the police department shall immediately contact the horse and surrey livery permittee, inform the permittee of the situation and, in consultation with the permittee, determine whether euthanasia is required.
g-2. If the police department and the permittee agree that euthanasia is required and determine that the licensed veterinarian on call is able to come to the accident site in a period of time that will not prolong excessive suffering by the animal, the permittee shall immediately summon the veterinarian to the accident site. Euthanasia shall then be permitted only when both of the following conditions are met:
g-2-a. The euthanasia is performed by a veterinarian licensed by the state of Wisconsin who concurs with the determination of the police department and the permittee that euthanasia is necessary.
g-2-b. The euthanasia is administered by painless lethal injection.
g-3. The police department may euthanize a horse and surrey animal with close range gunfire directed at the animal's brain under any of the following circumstances:
g-3-a. The police department and the permittee agree than euthanasia is required but determine that the veterinarian cannot come to the accident site in a period of time that will not prolong excessive suffering by the animal.
g-3-b. The police department is unable to make contact with the permittee, and the police department determines that, in order to prevent excessive suffering by the animal, the animal must be euthanized immediately.
g-3-c. The police department determines that the animal poses an immediate and serious threat to public safety.
3. SHUTTLE VEHICLES. a. Each person holding a permit for a shuttle vehicle operating on a fixed route and schedule shall post a current route schedule in the vehicle and submit a copy to the city clerk.
b. No shuttle vehicle operating on a fixed route and schedule may deviate from the route filed with the city clerk, without the person holding a permit for the shuttle vehicle having first filed an amended route and schedule form with the city clerk's office at least 48 hours prior to the change in route and schedule.
4. LIMOUSINE REGULATIONS. In addition to all other applicable provisions of this chapter, operation of limousines shall comply with the following:
a. Purpose. The purpose of this subsection is to promote a high standard of appearance for limousine service based upon the common expectation of parties contracting limousine services for business meetings and formal events.
b. Uniform. All limousine chauffeurs shall be uniformed in business attire.
c. Vehicle Type and Appearance. The party contracting for a limousine on a prereserved basis shall be advised of the make, model and year of the vehicle and of any custom nonproduction features or unique energy conservation features of the vehicle. No vehicle shall be provided that is of a different make, model, year or custom features, or an equivalent vehicle, from that agreed to by the contracting party prior to passenger pickup.
5. PEDICABS. a. No person may operate on a highway during hours of darkness any pedicab unless the pedicab is equipped with at least 2 lighted lamps or lanterns exhibiting a white light visible from a distance of 500 feet ahead and 2 lighted lamps or lanterns exhibiting a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear. As an alternative to the red lamps or lanterns, 2 red reflectors may be displayed on the rear of the pedicab if the following standards are met:
a-1. Each reflector is mounted at a height not less than 16 inches nor more than 60 inches above the ground on which the pedicab stands. If the pedicab is more than 80 inches wide, the reflectors shall be mounted so as to indicate as nearly as possible the extreme width of the vehicle.
a-2. Each reflector is of such size and characteristics and so maintained as to be readily visible during the hours of darkness from all distances within 500 feet to 50 feet from the pedicab when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlamps.
a-3. The pedicab is equipped with a flashing lighted lamp or lantern exhibiting a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear.
b. No person may operate on a highway, day or night, any pedicab unless there is displayed on the most practicable rear area of the pedicab a slow moving vehicle emblem consistent with the provisions of s. 347.245(2), Wis. Stats.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 100-62 Penalty.
100-62. Penalty.
1. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall, where no other provisions are expressly made for the enforcement of any forfeitures or penalties under this chapter, upon conviction forfeit not less than $50 nor more than $750 together with the costs of prosecution, or in default of payment may be imprisoned as provided by law.
2. Any person who violates s. 100-50-1 or 100-60-1-b-1 shall upon conviction be subject to the following forfeitures together with the costs of prosecution, and, in default of payment may be imprisoned as provided by law:
a. A forfeiture not less than $1,500 nor more than $2,500 if the person has not committed a previous violation within 24 months of the violation.
b. A forfeiture not less than $2,500 nor more than $4,000 if the person has committed a previous violation within 24 months of the violation.
c. A forfeiture not less than $4,000 nor more than $5,000 if the person has committed 2 or more previous violations within 24 months of the violation.
3. Any person who violates s. 100-54-1 shall upon conviction forfeit not less than $500 nor more than $1,000 together with the costs of prosecution, or in default of payment may be imprisoned as provided by law.
4. Multiple violations for the same offense, though occurring on the same date, may be treated as separate violations under this section.
Source: City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau, Milwaukee City Charter and Code of Ordinances (city.milwaukee.gov master PDFs)URL: https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/ccClerk/Ordinances/Volume-1/CH100.pdf#page=1Fetched: 10/26/2026