Vehicle Standards and Equipment Requirements.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 100-51.5
in effect100-51.5. Vehicle Standards and Equipment Requirements.
1. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.
a. Responsibility. No vehicle owner or other person shall operate his or her vehicle, or allow his or her vehicle to be operated, as a public passenger vehicle for hire upon the streets of the city without the vehicle first meeting the vehicle standards and equipment requirements established in this section.
b. Vehicle Standards. Vehicles shall meet all safety standards required by law and, as adjudged by the police department or its designee, be kept in good operating condition and appearance.
b-1. Vehicle interior and exterior shall be free of dirt, mud, oil, rips, tears, exposed springs, foodstuff, trash, waste material or any other substance or object capable of harm, damage or injury to, or interference with the person, clothing, personal property, comfort or convenience of any passenger, whether upon ingress or egress of such vehicle, or while riding therein.
b-2. Vehicle shall have an exterior which is free of any misshapen or deformed condition arising from collision, crash or other impact, excepting minor dents. Vehicles shall be free of holes in floorboards, and trunk shall be empty except for emergency equipment. Vehicle shall be free of exterior rust and exterior must be painted a uniform color so as not to have patches of unmatching paint on the vehicle.
b-3. All vehicles shall be washed a minimum of once per week.
c. Vehicle Markings. c-1. Each taxicab not meeting the definition of network vehicle and each shuttle vehicle, excepting a shuttle vehicle meeting the definition in s.100-3-25-b, shall have the following clearly and permanently marked:
c-1-a. The word "Milwaukee" on the right and left sides of the vehicle.
c-1-b. The permit number, the type of permit and the name of the owner of the vehicle or the trade name under which the vehicle is operated, placed on the right and left sides of the vehicle on either the front or rear doors with the permit number at least 5 inches high in a color to contrast with the auto body color.
c-1-c. The permit number at least 5 inches high in a color to contrast with the auto body color marked on the trunk or rear door of the vehicle.
c-1-d. The permit number clearly displayed on the back of the driver's seat.
c-2. Vehicles with shuttle permits, excepting a shuttle vehicle meeting the definition in s. 100-3-26-b, shall have the word "shuttle" in a color to contrast with the auto body color permanently marked on the left and right side of the vehicle.
c-3. The licensing committee may require vehicle marking other than as required by this paragraph for specified types of vehicles.
d. Complaint Forms. Except as provided in par. e-1, each public passenger vehicle shall have available, in the passenger compartment in a conspicuous place plainly visible to all occupants of the vehicle, complaint forms provided by vehicle owners, in a format approved by the city clerk.
e. Complaint Placard. Except as provided in par. f, each public passenger vehicle shall have posted, in the passenger compartment in a conspicuous place plainly visible to all occupants of the vehicle, a rate and service complaint placard provided by the city, in substantially the following form:
Milwaukee Permit Number ______
NOTICE TO PASSENGERS
The Rates of Fare are:
Fill in with approved rates. .
Complaints regarding rates or service may be addressed to:
License Division Manager, City Clerk’s Office
Room 105, City Hall, 200 E. Wells St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
license@milwaukee.gov
Complainant: Please provide the name of the driver, vehicle number, company name, trip date and time, and details of the complaint.
f. Information provided to passengers. Limousines, taxicabs meeting the definition of network vehicle, and shuttle vehicles meeting the definition under s. 100-3-26-b shall provide to passengers, at the time the service is contracted for hire, the information provided on the complaint form and rate and service complaint placard required under this subsection.
g. Complaints. Complaints shall be in writing and contain the name of the driver, vehicle number, company name, trip date and time, and the details of the complaint.
2. EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS. In addition to any other vehicle standards and equipment requirements established in this section, each public passenger vehicle shall be equipped with a Milwaukee area street map or street guide and the following mechanical devices, in sound working condition:
a. All headlamps, tail lights, emergency blinkers and turn signals shall be operable and in good working condition.
b. Each taxicab shall be equipped with a dome light mounted above the top line of the windshield.
c. Each motor vehicle shall have a heater and defroster that is in good working condition and shall be equipped with a permanently installed air conditioning system capable of reducing the interior temperature of the passenger section to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. A motor vehicle is exempt from the air conditioning requirement contained in this paragraph if the vehicle has been continually licensed as a public passenger vehicle by the vehicle owner prior to July 23, 2005.
d. The spare tire, if standard equipment, shall be securely attached and properly inflated.
e. All hood, trunk and door latches shall be in proper working order.
f. All windows shall be in proper working order and free of unsafe chips and cracks. No vehicle shall operate with curtains, shades or other means which hide its occupants from outside view. There shall be no obstructions to normal vision by the driver.
g. Operable and easily accessible safety belts for use by each person in the motor vehicle.
h. The windshield wipers shall be in proper working order and the blades shall be free of defects.
i. The horn shall be in sound working condition and be of the standard type for each motor vehicle.
j. Door handles, arm rests and window handles must be clean and intact.
k. The muffler, tailpipe and crossover pipe shall be securely connected and free of holes and punctures.
L. The condition of the steering apparatus, suspension and brakes shall be determined by a road test of whatever length to verify the safe operating condition of the devices.
m. The tire-tread depth shall not be less than 2/32 of an inch and each tire shall be free of cuts or breaks in the sidewall. Each tire shall be of the type approved for use as original equipment. No tire shall extend beyond the outer fender wall.
3. TAXICAB REQUIREMENTS (CLASS T) a. Taximeter.
a-1. The taximeter shall not be in error more than 1% in deficiency and more than 4% in excess of the interval under test.
a-2. After sundown a suitable light, so arranged as to throw a continuous steady light thereon, shall illuminate the face of the taximeter.
a-3. The taximeter case is sealed and its cover and gear intact.
a-4. Taximeters shall not be transferred between vehicles without permission of the city sealer.
a-5. Taximeters shall not be programmed to charge rates higher than permitted.
b. Noncash Payment. On or after July 1, 2014, each permittee replacing a taxicab or placing a new vehicle into service shall install rear seat swipe credit and debit card-processing equipment subject to policy or rule established by the city clerk and approved by the licensing committee.
c. Fuel Efficiency. The legislative reference bureau shall provide a report to the common council on or before July 1, 2015, reviewing best practices, strategies and regulation in comparable municipalities for improving fuel efficiency and reducing reliance upon fossil fuels within the city’s permitted taxicab fleet. Information shall be organized and provided by the legislative reference bureau with the assumption that fuel standards will be developed and implemented on or before July 1, 2019.
4. HUMAN SERVICE VEHICLE REQUIREMENTS (CLASS H). Human service vehicles shall be suited for the transportation of disabled or elderly persons who by reason of physical or mental infirmity or age cannot be transported on public mass transportation vehicles or in taxicabs. These vehicles shall have:
a. Doorways wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair.
b. Ramps or lifting devices for elevating wheelchairs from the curb or sidewalk into the vehicle.
c. Adequate means of securing wheelchairs to the inside of the vehicle and safety belts for all disabled persons.
d. A door, in addition to those normally provided on the vehicle for ingress and egress from the vehicle, located at the rear of the vehicles to be used as a method of escape in case of an emergency.
5. HORSE AND SURREY LIVERY REQUIREMENTS (CLASS P). A horse and surrey livery shall:
a. Be in thoroughly safe and sanitary condition for the transportation of the public.
b. Comply with the equipment requirements of ch. 347, Wis. Stats., as amended, with respect to lamps and identification emblem for animal drawn, slow moving vehicles.
c. Be provided with facility to remove all fecal matter and flush all urine from public ways.
d. Fixed seating. Each horse and surrey livery shall provide passengers with fixed seating which has been installed by the manufacturer of the surrey.
e. Posting of Signs. Each horse and surrey livery shall securely post and maintain placards indicating the following:
e-1. The seating capacity of the surrey which has been specified by the manufacturer, or established by the chief of police, and declared on the application for a new or renewal permit pursuant to s. 100-50-4-f-3.
e-2. A placard posted in the passenger compartment in a conspicuous place visible to all occupants of the vehicle stating: "No standing while vehicle is in motion."
6. MOTORCYCLE USED FOR TOURS REQUIREMENTS (CLASS M). A motorcycle used for tours shall:
a. Be in a thoroughly safe condition for the transportation of the public.
b. Comply with the equipment requirements of ch. 347, Wis. Stats., as amended.
7. PEDICAB REQUIREMENTS (CLASS P). A pedicab shall be in a thoroughly safe condition for the transportation of the public.
8. LIMOUSINE REGULATIONS (CLASS L). In addition to all other applicable provisions of this chapter, a limousine shall comply with the following:
a. The exterior of a permitted vehicle may not display any signs, markings or stickers not otherwise required by law, except as specifically authorized in an approved plan of operation under s. 100-50-4-b.
b. The color or paint design of a permitted vehicle shall not be unduly distracting or untypical for the make, model or year of the vehicle
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=11Fetched: 10/26/2026