Wis. Stat. § 86.19 — WI Code / Chapter 86 / Section 86.19
Highway signs, regulation, prohibition.
Status: in_force

(1) Except as provided in sub. (1m) , (1n) , (1o) , or (1p) or s. 84.01 (30) (g) , no sign shall be placed within the limits of any street or highway except such as are necessary for the guidance or warning of traffic or as provided by ss. 60.23 (17m) and 66.0429 . The authorities charged with the maintenance of streets or highways shall cause the removal therefrom and the disposal of all other signs.

(1g)

(am)

1. Subject to subd. 2. , the department shall erect and maintain 2 directional signs along eastbound and westbound I 94 and 4 directional signs along the exit ramps that correspond to the signs along the main roadway in Milwaukee County for the Basilica of St. Josaphat.

2. Upon receipt of sufficient contributions from interested parties, including any county, city, village, or town, to cover the costs of fabricating, erecting, and maintaining the signs specified in subd. 1. , the department shall erect and maintain the signs. No state funds, other than from the receipt of contributions under this subdivision, may be expended for the fabrication, erection, or maintenance of the signs.

(bm)

1. Subject to subd. 2. , the department shall erect and maintain 2 directional signs along eastbound and westbound I 90/94 and 2 directional signs along the exit ramps that correspond to the signs along the main roadway for the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Columbia County.

2. Upon receipt of sufficient contributions from interested parties, including any county, city, village, or town, to cover the costs of fabricating, erecting, and maintaining the signs specified in subd. 1. , the department shall erect and maintain the signs. No state funds, other than from the receipt of contributions under this subdivision, may be expended for the fabrication, erection, or maintenance of the signs.

(c)

1. Subject to subd. 2. , the department shall erect and maintain all of the following directional signs for the Iola Car Show:

a. Two signs along eastbound and westbound USH 10 at the intersection with STH 49 at Fulton Street in the city of Waupaca.

b. Two signs along eastbound and westbound USH 10 at the intersection with STH 161 in Portage County.

c. Two signs along eastbound and westbound STH 29 at the intersection with STH 49 in Marathon County.

d. Two signs along northbound and southbound STH 22 at the intersection with STH 110 and STH 161 in Waupaca County.

e. One sign along southbound STH 49 at the intersection with STH 66 in Portage County.

2. Upon receipt of sufficient contributions from interested parties, including any county, city, village, or town, to cover the costs of fabricating, erecting, and maintaining the signs specified in subd. 1. , the department shall erect and maintain the signs. No state funds, other than from the receipt of contributions under this subdivision, may be expended for the fabrication, erection, or maintenance of the signs.

(d)

1. Subject to subd. 2. , the department shall erect and maintain 2 directional signs along eastbound and westbound STH 54 for the Bergstrom Waterfowl Complex in the town of Bovina in Outagamie County.

2. Upon receipt of sufficient contributions from interested parties, including any county, city, village, or town, to cover the costs of fabricating, erecting, and maintaining the signs specified in subd. 1. , the department shall erect and maintain the signs. No state funds, other than from the receipt of contributions under this subdivision, may be expended for the fabrication, erection, or maintenance of the signs.

(e)

1. Subject to subd. 2. , the department shall erect and maintain all of the following directional signs for Soldiers Walk Memorial Park:

a. Two signs along eastbound and westbound I 94 at the STH 95 interchange and 2 signs along the exit ramps that correspond to the signs along the main roadway in Jackson County.

b. One sign along northbound STH 93 at the intersection with STH 95 in Trempealeau County.

c. One sign along westbound STH 95 at the intersection with STH 93 in Trempealeau County.

2. No later than 6 months following receipt of sufficient contributions from interested parties, including any county, city, village, or town, to cover the costs of fabricating, erecting, and maintaining the signs specified in subd. 1. , the department shall erect and maintain the signs. No state funds, other than from the receipt of contributions under this subdivision, may be expended for the fabrication, erection, or maintenance of the signs.

(f) The department shall erect and maintain 2 directional signs along eastbound and westbound I 94 at the Somers Road interchange in Kenosha County for Shoreland Lutheran High School.

(g)

1. Subject to subd. 2. , the department shall erect and maintain 2 signs displaying the words “Town of Lawrence” along northbound and southbound I 41 at the north and south jurisdictional boundaries of the town of Lawrence in Brown County.

2. Upon receipt of sufficient contributions from interested parties, including any county, city, village, or town, to cover the costs of fabricating, erecting, and maintaining the signs specified in subd. 1. , the department shall erect and maintain the signs. No state funds, other than from the receipt of contributions under this subdivision, may be expended for the fabrication, erection, or maintenance of the signs.

(h) The department shall erect and maintain directional signs along I 41, USH 45, and STH 28 for the Wisconsin 9/11 Memorial and Education Center in the village of Kewaskum in Washington County, a facility serving to honor those who perished and as a space of reflection for the state of Wisconsin.

(i) The department shall erect and maintain 2 directional signs along eastbound and westbound USH 18 for the Mount Horeb Veterans Memorial.

(1m) Notwithstanding sub. (1) , the department shall place 100 signs near highways and in waysides that display a slogan or logo, or both, developed by the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection to promote Wisconsin agricultural products. The signs shall be placed in prominent locations where they are likely to be seen by tourists from other states, except that no sign may be placed in violation of federal law.

(1n) Notwithstanding sub. (1) , a municipality may erect and maintain within the right-of-way of any highway within the boundaries of the municipality a municipal welcome sign, as defined in s. 84.30 (2) (hm) . No sign under this subsection may be placed within the right-of-way of a highway designated as part of the national system of interstate and defense highways. A sign placed under this subsection is not a traffic control device and is not subject to the provisions of the Wisconsin manual on traffic control devices adopted by the department under s. 84.02 (4) (e) .

(1o) Notwithstanding sub. (1) , the governing body of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin may erect and maintain within the right-of-way of any highway within the boundaries of the Oneida Reservation signs denoting that the Oneida Reservation is a Purple Heart Reservation. No sign under this subsection may be placed within the right-of-way of a highway designated as part of the national system of interstate and defense highways, unless the placement is allowed or approved by the federal government or Federal Highway Administration. A sign placed under this subsection is not a traffic control device and is not subject to the provisions of the Wisconsin manual on traffic control devices adopted by the department under s. 84.02 (4) (e) .

(1p)

(a) In this subsection, “tribal nation welcome sign” means an official sign erected and maintained by a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state that the tribe or band determines is necessary to inform motorists of the territorial boundaries of the Indian reservation or other land held in trust for the tribe or band.

(b) A federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state may erect and maintain within the right-of-way of any highway within the boundaries of an Indian reservation or other land held in trust for the tribe or band a tribal nation welcome sign. No sign under this subsection may be placed within the right-of-way of a highway designated as part of the national system of interstate and defense highways. A sign placed under this subsection is not a traffic control device and is not subject to the provisions of the Wisconsin manual on traffic control devices adopted by the department under s. 84.02 (4) (e) .

(1r) The department shall maintain the directional sign existing on October 29, 1999, that is located along I 43 for America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee County. The department may not charge any fee related to the sign maintained under this subsection.

(1u) Notwithstanding sub. (1) , the department may erect and maintain directional signs along any highway along the route described in s. 84.10255 (1) to aid navigation to the locations described in s. 84.10255 (2) (b) to (e) .

(2) The department shall prescribe regulations with respect to the erection of signs on public highways. Such regulations shall have the full force of law. No advertising sign shall use prominently any words, or combination of words, commonly used for the guidance or warning of travel, nor shall any advertising sign be erected or be permitted to remain in any place or manner so as to endanger travel on the highways, either by reason of causing an obstruction to the view or otherwise.

(3) Any person who shall erect any sign on any public highway, or elsewhere in violation of any of the provisions of this section or the regulations of the department, or without the written consent of the department if the sign is to be erected on a state trunk highway, the county highway committee in the case of a county trunk highway, or the city council, village or town board in case of a street or highway maintained by a city, village or town, shall be fined not less than $10 nor more than $100, and for a second or subsequent violation shall be fined not less than $10 nor more than $500.

(4) This section shall not be construed as prohibiting the erection of such historical monuments or markers within the limits of public streets and highways as shall be approved by the department. The name of a newspaper on a newspaper tube or receptacle shall not be deemed a sign within the meaning of this section.

(5) The department shall assign to each county and local authority responsible for the placement and maintenance of signs, guide boards, mile posts, signals or markers erected for the warning, instruction or information of the public a code number which the county or local authority shall place on each warning, instruction or information device at the time of replacement or new installation of such device.

(6) At the request of any city, village or town, the department shall erect directional signs on state trunk highways at the intersection of those highways with streets or other highways where the streets or other highways lead to the city, village or town, provided the city, village or town is located within 5 miles of the intersection and provided the city, village or town agrees to pay for the installation and maintenance of the sign. The directional sign shall show the name of the city, village or town. For the purpose of this subsection, the term “intersection” includes exit ramps from any expressway or freeway or interstate highway.

History: 1975 c. 169 ; 1977 c. 29 s. 1654 (8) (c) ; 1977 c. 188 ; 1983 a. 92 ; 1987 a. 137 s. 6 ; 1987 a. 205 ; 1993 a. 246 ; 1999 a. 9 ; 1999 a. 150 s. 672 ; 2015 a. 51 , 55 , 213 , 270 ; 2017 a. 59 , 232 ; 2019 a. 20 ; 2021 a. 202 ; 2023 a. 74 ; 2025 a. 156 .