Committee recommends change to Chapter 7: police authority to cite unregistered and illegally parked vehicles, raises parking forfeitures

The Waukesha City Ordinance and Licensing Committee voted Oct. 13 to recommend that the common council consider amendments to Municipal Code Chapter 7 at its next meeting. The changes, requested by the Police Department and presented by city staff, would make several state-based parking provisions municipal offenses, add a remedy for vehicles on public streets the city cannot tie to an owner, and raise parking forfeiture amounts.

City legal staff described three principal changes requested by the Police Department: making parking in fire lanes and parking too close to hydrants municipal offenses, requiring that vehicles parked on city streets be registered where registration is required under state law, and allowing removal of vehicles (including trailers without VINs or registration) deemed illegally parked when the owner cannot be located despite…