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Municipal or county vehicle registration fee (wheel tax)

Wisconsin law allows a town, village, city or county to collect an annual municipal or county vehicle registration fee (wheel tax) in addition to the regular annual registration fee paid for a vehicle. All vehicles with automobile registration or truck registration at 8,000 lbs. or less (except dual purpose farm registration) kept in the municipality or county are subject to the wheel tax. This includes most special license plates with automobile or truck registration. State law does not specify the amount of the wheel tax. However, the municipality or county must use all revenue from the wheel tax for transportation related purposes.

Wheel tax collection

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) collects wheel taxes for the municipality or county, keeps an administrative fee of 10 cents per vehicle application and sends the rest to the municipality or county. WisDOT collects the wheel tax at the time of first registration and at each registration renewal. Your certificate of registration will indicate that a municipal or county fee was paid.

• Plates issued – If your vehicle is customarily kept in a jurisdiction that has a wheel tax, you must include the tax with the regular registration fee for the vehicle when you first apply for registration. See applying for title and registration.
• Plates renewed – WisDOT sends customers a renewal notice at least 30 days before their license plate registration expires. The renewal notice shows the total fee due including any wheel tax, based on where your vehicle is customarily kept.

Verify the correct county and city, village or township where your vehicle is customarily kept when you apply for registration and on your license plate renewal notice. Any person who gives a false or fictitious location where a vehicle is customarily kept may be fined not more than $200 or imprisoned not more than six months or both (section 341.60, WI stats.).

To correct this information:

• If you have your renewal notice, indicate the correct information on the notice and submit the appropriate fee.
• Or, contact WisDOT at the email address or telephone number below.

Current wheel tax jurisdictions

WisDOT currently collects a wheel tax for:

• City of Beloit ($10)
• City of Mayville ($10 beginning April 1, 2009)
• City of Milwaukee ($20)
• St. Croix County ($10)

The full fee is always required to issue or renew registration. Contact WisDOT if you paid the wheel tax in error.

• E-mail: bur-veh-services.dmv@dot.state.wi.us 
  Because WisDOT may have to research your question before replying, please allow 4 business days for an e-mail response. Please do not send a second e-mail. If you e-mail us about a specific vehicle, we will not be able to respond to your inquiry unless you provide us with the license plate number or the vehicle identification number.
• Call: (608) 266-1466

Questions about the content of this page:
Bureau of Vehicle Services, bur-veh-services.dmv@dot.state.wi.us
Last modified: February 25, 2009