Certificates; licenses; permits
Wis. Stat. § 194.04
in effect(1) Authority to operate in intrastate commerce.
(b) Every applicant for a certificate shall pay a fee of $500 for a common motor carrier of property certificate or $50 for a common motor carrier of passengers certificate.
(c) Every applicant for a license shall pay a fee of $500.
(2) Permits; application, expiration. Every permit for the operation of a motor vehicle expires on December 31 of each year. Application for permits shall be made annually and shall be accompanied by the annual fee. No permit shall be issued or renewed for any motor vehicle unless the registration required by ch. 341 is paid in this state.
(3) Permits; restriction of use.
(a) No motor vehicle permit issued under this chapter shall be transferable from one motor vehicle to another except as provided in this subsection. Common motor carrier vehicles, except truck tractors or road tractors, upon which the common motor carrier permit fee has been paid may be used or operated in intrastate commerce by other common motor carriers without the payment of an additional permit fee. Contract motor carrier vehicles upon which the contract motor carrier permit fee has been paid may be used or operated in intrastate commerce by other contract motor carriers without the payment of an additional permit fee and, if operated exclusively in the metropolitan area of any city within a county having a population of 750,000 or more, may be used or operated in the hauling of common motor carrier trailers within the metropolitan area. When used in railroad trailer-on-flat-car service, and when interchanged between contract and common motor carriers, contract or common motor carrier trailers upon which the contract or common motor carrier permit fee has been paid may be used or operated by other contract or common motor carriers without an additional permit. Private motor carrier trailers may be used or operated both by private motor carriers and by common and contract motor carriers upon the payment of the appropriate common or contract motor carrier permit fee.
(am) No additional permit or payment of fees is required by the lessee of a contract motor carrier vehicle licensed in this state if the lessor is a Wisconsin resident and the lessee has a contract carrier license or common carrier certificate of authority issued by the department and insurance on file with the department as prescribed in s. 194.41.
(b) When a motor truck, motor bus, tractor or trailer having a permit is sold or otherwise disposed of, and its permit canceled and such vehicle is replaced by another such motor vehicle, a permit of the same class shall be issued by the department for the same year to such replacement vehicle without charge.
(c)
1. Any individual, partnership, limited liability company or corporation whose principal business is leasing, for compensation, motor vehicles may, upon payment of an annual permit fee as provided in sub. (4) for each leased motor vehicle for which a permit is required, lease the same to common and contract motor carriers. The lessor shall not be considered to obtain the privileges or be subject to the obligations of s. 194.23 or 194.34 nor shall s. 194.23 or 194.34 apply to the lessor.
2. An authorized common or contract carrier, when leasing a motor vehicle for which a permit is required from a person engaged in the business of leasing under this section, shall not be required to procure a permit as prescribed in s. 194.23 or 194.34 if the motor vehicle leased carries the permit required under this section.
(4) Annual permit fees. The annual permit fees required for motor vehicles operated under this chapter solely in intrastate commerce and used for hire shall be as follows:
(a) Motor vehicles operated solely in intrastate commerce by common motor carriers of passengers, $5.
(b) Motor vehicles, except semitrailers, operated solely in intrastate commerce by common motor carriers of property, $5.
(c) Motor vehicles, except semitrailers, operated solely in intrastate commerce by contract carriers, $5.
(5a) Collection of fees. The department shall collect all fees prescribed by this section.
(6) Disposition of fees collected. All moneys received under this section shall be paid into the transportation fund.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/194.04Fetched: 10/7/2026