The Wisconsin wheel tax is a local vehicle registration fee that a city, village, town, or county can add to the $85 annual state registration charge, and it currently runs anywhere from $10 to $50 depending on where your vehicle is kept. About 68 Wisconsin communities charge one as of early 2026. The Department of Transportation collects it alongside your regular registration and sends the money back to the local government, which has to spend it on transportation projects like road repair.
Who Has to Pay It
The fee applies to automobiles and light trucks registered at a gross weight of 8,000 pounds or less that are customarily kept in a jurisdiction that has adopted it.1Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 341-35 – Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee “Customarily kept” means where the vehicle is normally parked or stored overnight, not where your driver’s license was issued. Autocycles registered in a participating area are also covered.2Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee (Wheel Tax)
The fee is not prorated. Whether your registration renews in January or October, you pay the full annual amount at renewal or first registration.2Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee (Wheel Tax) When you report your vehicle’s location accurately, the system applies the correct local fee automatically.
Vehicles and Plates That Are Exempt
Heavy trucks registered above 8,000 pounds fall outside the wheel tax because the statute only reaches automobiles and light trucks at or below that weight.3Wisconsin State Legislature. Chapter Trans 126 – Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee Motorcycles and mopeds have their own registration categories and are not subject to it. Dual-purpose farm trucks are also carved out.2Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee (Wheel Tax)
Several special license plate types skip the fee regardless of vehicle weight:
- Antique plates
- Collector plates (but not Collector Special plates)
- Ex-Prisoner of War plates, if issued without a registration fee
- Historic Military plates
- Hobbyist plates
- Medal of Honor plates
The Collector versus Collector Special distinction catches people out. Standard Collector plates are exempt; Collector Special plates are not. If you’re choosing between the two, the annual wheel tax savings is worth factoring in.2Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee (Wheel Tax) Any vehicle already exempt from the state registration fee is exempt from the wheel tax too, as are vehicles the state registers for a $5 fee.4Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 341.35 – Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee
How Much It Costs and Where It Applies
A wheel tax only applies if the local governing body has passed an ordinance adopting it and notified the Department of Transportation.1Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 341-35 – Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee As of early 2026, over 50 municipalities and 14 counties collect one, with more set to begin in 2026.
Municipal fees currently run from $10 in places like Boscobel and River Falls up to $50 in Eau Claire. Milwaukee charges $41. Madison, Janesville, and Fitchburg each charge $40. County fees range from $15 in Langlade County to $35 in Pierce County, and Dane County rises to $40 for registrations beginning on or after May 1, 2026.2Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee (Wheel Tax)
Municipal and County Fees Stack
If both your municipality and your county have adopted wheel taxes, you owe both. The statute requires it.4Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 341.35 – Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee A resident of the city of Eau Claire pays the city’s $50 plus Eau Claire County’s $30 on top of the $85 state registration, for $165 before any other surcharges. A Madison resident will face the city’s $40 plus Dane County’s $40 after May 2026, also $165.
Checking the Current List
The WisDOT wheel tax page publishes the full list of participating municipalities and counties with current amounts. Fees change when a local board passes a new ordinance, so look at the list before renewal if your area has recently debated adopting or raising one.2Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Municipal or County Vehicle Registration Fee (Wheel Tax)
Other Surcharges That Stack on the Same Bill
The wheel tax is not the only add-on. Wisconsin also charges state-level surcharges on electric and hybrid vehicles that sit on top of both the base registration fee and any local wheel tax:
- Fully electric vehicles: $175 per year (a $100 fee plus an additional $75 added in 2023)
- Hybrid electric vehicles: $75 per year
Both surcharges apply to vehicles registered as automobiles or light trucks up to 8,000 pounds, and both are collected at the same time as regular registration.5Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Vehicle Fuel Surcharge For an EV owner in a city and county that both charge wheel taxes, a total annual bill above $300 is realistic: $85 base, $175 EV surcharge, and $60 to $80 in combined local fees.
How to Renew and Pay
Online
The fastest route is the WisDOT online renewal portal. You’ll need your plate number, a valid email address, and payment information. The system accepts credit or debit cards, PayPal, and direct payment from a checking or savings account. Cards and PayPal carry a convenience fee; paying from a bank account avoids it.6Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Online License Plate Renewal
Updating your address or where the vehicle is kept triggers additional identity verification, such as your driver’s license number, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and your date of birth. Getting the “kept” location right matters, because it determines whether a wheel tax applies at all and which jurisdiction’s amount you’re charged.
Once you complete the online renewal, the plate’s new expiration date updates immediately in the state system. The physical certificate and sticker arrive by mail within 7 to 10 business days.6Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Online License Plate Renewal
By Mail
You can mail your renewal notice or a completed MV1 form to the DMV processing center in Madison, with a check or money order payable to “Registration Fee Trust.”7Wisconsin Department of Transportation. DMV Fees Do not send cash. Most registration materials arrive within 10 days of processing, but the full turnaround can stretch to three weeks once mail transit and processing queues are factored in.8Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Processing Time for DMV Products
On the MV1, pay close attention to the “County Where Kept” and “City/Village/Town Where Kept” fields. Marking a city when you actually live in a township, or listing the wrong county, can mean missing a wheel tax charge or being billed for the wrong jurisdiction’s fee.
What Happens If Your Registration Expires
Wisconsin does not offer a formal grace period. Once the expiration date passes, you can be pulled over and cited for operating an unregistered vehicle. The forfeiture for driving an automobile or other vehicle with a gross weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less with expired registration is up to $200. Heavier vehicles face fines up to $500.9Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Chapter 341 – Registration of Vehicles
On top of the fine, the court will order you to apply for registration and pay the required fees. If 45 days pass after conviction without the Department receiving your application and payment, it can suspend all of your vehicle registrations.
Is the Wheel Tax Deductible on Federal Taxes
No. Some vehicle registration fees are deductible as personal property taxes, but only the portion based on the vehicle’s value qualifies. Wisconsin’s wheel tax is a flat annual charge that doesn’t vary with what your car is worth, so it does not qualify. The same goes for the base state registration fee, which is also flat. Only an ad valorem component (one that rises and falls with value) would count, and Wisconsin’s registration structure doesn’t include one.