License Required.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 93-5
in effect93-5. License Required.
1. GENERAL REQUIREMENT. It shall be unlawful for any person, without first obtaining a city license, to engage in the business of recycling, salvaging or towing, including any of the following activities:
a. Buying, selling, exchanging, storing, transporting or otherwise dealing in junk or valuable metal.
b. Buying, selling, exchanging, storing, transporting or otherwise dealing in motor vehicles for the purpose of dismantling or dealing in the parts thereof, including secondhand tires or batteries.
c. Transporting, generating or otherwise disposing of waste tires.
d. Towing, whether consensual, non-consensual or for the purpose of repossession, salvaging or recycling.
2. SEPARATE LICENSE RE-QUIRED. a. A separate license shall be required for each recycling, salvaging or towing premises and for each vehicle, except that:
a-1. If a valid premises license is held by a recycling, salvaging or towing premises, no separate or additional license shall be required for any motor vehicle owned and operated by the premises license holder as part of the authorized business activities for the licensed premises.
a-2. If a business owns and operates 2 or more recycling, salvaging or towing vehicles, no separate or additional license shall be required for each motor vehicle owned and operated by the business.
3. ADDITIONAL STORAGE YARD. A licensed recycling, salvaging or towing premises shall make separate application for any extension of the operation of the original recycling, salvaging or towing premises license beyond the business premises identified in the original application to an additional building or other fixed place, whether contiguous or non-contiguous with the licensed premises, provided that the additional building or other fixed place is only used for storage of junk, motor vehicles, valuable metal or other recycled, salvaged or towed materials.
4. EXCEPTIONS. a. Any business licensed and operating as a private waste collector, as provided in s. 79-9, shall not be required to obtain a license under this chapter.
b. Any business exclusively performing consensual towing shall not be required to obtain a license under this chapter.
c. Any person selling any junk, valuable metal or waste tires on 4 or fewer occasions during a 30-day period shall not be required to obtain a license under this chapter. This shall not permit the collection of junk, valuable metal or waste tires without a license.
d. Any person holding a valid license or permit to operate a business dealing in junk, valuable metal or waste tires in a Wisconsin municipality and solely selling junk, valuable metal or waste tires shall not be required to obtain a license under this chapter. This shall not permit the collection of junk, valuable metal or waste tires without a license.
e. Any business located outside the city and buying, selling, exchanging or transporting any junk, valuable metal or waste tires exclusively through the use of commercial motor vehicles shall not be required to obtain a license under this chapter. This shall not permit the collection of junk, valuable metal or waste tires without a license.
f. Any business licensed and operating solely as a secondhand motor vehicle dealer, as provided in subch. 3 of ch. 92, shall not be required to obtain a license under this chapter. This shall not exempt secondhand motor vehicle dealers from the provisions of s. 93-49.
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/CH93.pdf#page=3Fetched: 10/26/2026