Milwaukee cracking down on people who have unpaid parking tickets

The city of Milwaukee is cracking down on habitual parking violators this year.

Starting Jan. 1, habitual parking violators — or vehicles with five or more parking citations over 60 days past due — can be towed if the vehicle is parked, either legally or illegally, in Milwaukee. To get their vehicle back, offenders must pay the tow and storage fees and either pay all of the unpaid citations or schedule a municipal court appearance. 

Milwaukee Alder Scott Spiker said that court appearance with a municipal judge could include setting up a payment plan to pay off the citations or completing community service. 

“But in any case, you won’t be able to ignore the problem,” Spiker said. 

The Milwaukee Department of Public Works started sending out letters to offenders two months ago, notifying them they may be towed under the new ordinance starting Jan. 1. The notice says people should pay their citations in full or set up a payment plan to avoid being towed. 

Tiffany Shepherd, a spokesperson for the department, said 28,872 notices were sent out. As of Tuesday, she said 551 people had either paid all of their citations, or were on a payment plan.

Shepherd said there wasn’t any data available yet on how many vehicles have been towed under the new ordinance, which was passed by the Milwaukee Common Council last year. 

Spiker said at least 12 percent of the habitual parking violators are people who don’t live in the city.

“It doesn’t matter whether you live in the city or out — if you’re violating the rule, if we see your car on one of our streets and you’ve ignored our pleas in the past, we can make good by giving you a visit to our tow lot,” Spiker said. 

Milwaukee Alder Marina Dimitrijevic said she was not in favor of the new ordinance when it was first introduced and discussed last year. 

“Now that it’s beginning, I’m just really concerned, and I don’t think we should feel good about taking away people’s means to get to school or the doctor or taking care of their families,” Dimitrijevic said. 

Parking citation amounts range from $25 to $300.

“At the end of the day, let’s face it, some people get in a situation,” she said. “They get overwhelmed, and with the economy we’re living in right now, it could become what’s referred to as a debtor’s prison.” 

The city website says any vehicles parked “on any portion of the street, highway, or publicly owned or leased parking facility within the City” are eligible to be towed under the new ordinance. 

“To avoid vehicle being towed, pay outstanding citations or set up a payment plan,” the website says. 

Milwaukee Alder Bob Bauman, who supports the ordinance, said he believes “towing will get people’s attention.”

“I think we have a lot of citizens out there who basically think parking is free in Milwaukee, and that parking rules are suggestions,” Bauman, whose district encompasses downtown, said.

Spiker said the city could collect around $9 million if all of the unpaid parking citations are paid. That’s money that could go toward the budget, he said. 

“We saw in the last budget — there’s choices that have to be made, whether it’s libraries, fire equipment, taxes and fees — all this is money that could be collected just through the collection of what’s owed us in terms of these parking citations,” Spiker said.

Meanwhile, the city’s Department of Public Works plans to issue 65,000 more parking citations this year compared to last year, according to a budget document. A recent statement from the city also said parking meter rates will be “marginally increased” throughout the city in early 2026.

Milwaukee resident Stephen Anderson said he’s lived all over the city. He said he’s struggled financially at times and has had difficulty paying parking citations, especially when they pile up. 

“It’s not a problem for people who have resources, it’s a problem for people who don’t,” Anderson said. “And I think that’s going to become more and more people, with the way the economy is going.”