Wis. Stat. § 343.17 — WI Code / Chapter 343 / Section 343.17
Contents and issuance of operator’s license.
Status: in_force

(1) License issuance. Subject to s. 343.165 , the department shall issue an operator’s license and endorsements, as applied for, to every qualifying applicant who has paid the required fees.

(2) License document. The license shall be a single document, in one part, consisting of 2 sides. The document shall be, to the maximum extent practicable, tamper proof and shall contain physical security features consistent with any requirement under federal law.

(3) Contents.

(a) The front side of the license document shall include, without limitation, all of the following:

1. The full legal name, date of birth, and principal residence address of the person.

2. A photograph of the person, unless the exception under s. 343.14 (3m) applies.

3. A physical description of the person, including sex, height, weight and hair and eye color, but excluding any mention of race.

4. A unique identifying driver number assigned by the department.

5. The person’s signature.

6. The classes of vehicles that the person is authorized to operate under par. (c) , together with any endorsements or restrictions.

7. The name of this state.

8. The date of issuance of the license.

9. The date of expiration of the license.

10. A space for the sticker under s. 343.175 (3) .

11. If the license authorizes the operation of certain commercial motor vehicles, the legend “Commercial Driver License”, a readily recognizable abbreviation thereof or “CDL”.

12. If the person is not the legal drinking age, as defined in s. 125.02 (8m) , at the time of issuance of the license, a distinctive appearance specified by the department that clearly identifies to the public that the person was not the legal drinking age at the time of issuance of the license.

13. If the person is under 18 years of age at the time of issuance of the license, a distinctive appearance specified by the department that clearly identifies to the public that the person was under 18 years of age at the time of issuance of the license.

14. If the license contains the marking specified in s. 343.03 (3r) , a distinctive appearance specified by the department that clearly distinguishes the license from other operator’s licenses or identification cards issued by the department and that alerts federal agency and other law enforcement personnel that the license may not be accepted for federal identification or any other official purpose.

15. If the person is a veteran, has indicated that he or she wishes to have his or her veteran status indicated on the license, and has provided the verification required under s. 343.14 (2) (j) , an indication that the person is a veteran.

(b) The reverse side of the license shall contain an explanation of any restriction codes or endorsement abbreviations used on the front of the license, in sufficient detail to identify the nature of the restrictions or endorsements to a law enforcement officer of this state or another jurisdiction. Except for a commercial driver license, a part of the reverse side of each license shall be printed to serve as a record of gift under s. 157.06 (2) (t) or a record of refusal under s. 157.06 (2) (u) .

(c) The classifications on operator’s licenses shall be as follows:

1. Classification “A”, which authorizes the operation of “Class A” vehicles as described in s. 343.04 (1) (a) . A driver who has passed the knowledge and driving skills tests for operating “Class A” vehicles shall receive a license authorizing the operation of “Class A”, “Class B” and “Class C” vehicles if the person possesses any requisite endorsement.

2. Classification “B”, which authorizes the operation of “Class B” vehicles as described in s. 343.04 (1) (b) . A driver who has passed the knowledge and driving skills tests for operating “Class B” vehicles shall receive a license authorizing the operation of “Class B” and “Class C” vehicles if the person possesses any requisite endorsement.

3. Classification “C”, which authorizes the operation of “Class C” vehicles as described in s. 343.04 (1) (c) if the person possesses any requisite endorsement.

4. Classification “D”, which authorizes the operation of “Class D” vehicles as described in s. 343.04 (1) (d) if the person possesses any requisite endorsement.

5. Classification “M”, which authorizes the operation of motorcycles.

(d) The endorsements on operator’s licenses shall be as follows:

1g. “F” endorsement, which authorizes a seasonal employee of a farm service industry employer who is eligible for a restricted commercial driver license under applicable federal law or regulation to operate “Class B” and “Class C” vehicles as described in s. 343.04 (1) (b) and (c) for a seasonal period not to exceed 210 days in any calendar year. This endorsement permits the transporting of liquid fertilizers in vehicles or implements of husbandry with total capacities of 3,000 gallons or less, solid fertilizers that are not transported with any organic substance or 1,000 gallons or less of diesel fuel, but no combination of these materials. The endorsement does not permit operation of a commercial motor vehicle beyond 150 miles of the farm service industry employer’s place of business or, in the case of custom harvesters, the farm currently being served.

1m. “H” endorsement, which authorizes the driver to operate vehicles transporting hazardous materials requiring placarding or any quantity of a material listed as a select agent or toxin under 42 CFR 73 .

2. “N” endorsement, which authorizes operating tank vehicles.

3. “P” endorsement, which authorizes operating vehicles designed to carry, or actually carrying, 16 or more passengers including the driver, except this endorsement does not authorize the operation of school buses unless the licensee also holds an “S” endorsement.

4. “S” endorsement, which authorizes operating school buses.

5. “T” endorsement, which authorizes operating commercial motor vehicles with double or triple trailers where the operation of such combination vehicles is permitted.

6. “X” endorsement, which is an optional endorsement that may be used to indicate that the licensee holds both “H” and “N” endorsements. The department may not issue or renew an endorsement under this subdivision after November 1, 2003.

(e) The standard restriction codes used on commercial driver licenses include:

1e. “E” restriction, which prohibits a person from operating commercial motor vehicles equipped with a manual transmission.

1m. “K” restriction, which restricts a person issued a license under s. 343.065 from operating commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce.

2. “L” restriction, which prohibits a person from operating commercial motor vehicles equipped with air brakes.

3. “M” restriction, which prohibits a person from operating “Class A” passenger commercial motor vehicles.

4. “N” restriction, which prohibits a person from operating “Class A” and “Class B” passenger commercial motor vehicles.

5. “O” restriction, which prohibits a person from operating tractor-trailer commercial motor vehicles.

6. “V” restriction, which restricts a person from operating commercial motor vehicles without a medical variance.

7. “Z” restriction, which prohibits a person from operating commercial motor vehicles equipped with full air brakes.

(4m) Lengthy special restrictions. If an operator’s license is subject to restrictions that do not fit within the available space on the license document, the restrictions shall be provided to the licensee in a format determined by the department.

(5) No photos on temporary licenses. The temporary licenses issued under ss. 343.10 , 343.11 (1) and (3) , 343.16 (6) (b) , and 343.305 (8) (a) shall be on forms provided by the department and shall contain the information required by sub. (3) , except that temporary licenses under ss. 343.16 (6) (b) and 343.305 (8) (a) are not required to include a photograph of the licensee. This subsection does not apply to a noncitizen temporary license, as described in s. 343.03 (3m) .

(6) Rules. Subject to subs. (2) and (3) , the department shall promulgate rules setting the design and specifications for the license document and subsequent changes thereto.

History: 1971 c. 140 ; 1977 c. 29 s. 1654 (7) (a) ; 1977 c. 124 , 272 ; 1979 c. 89 , 306 , 355 ; 1981 c. 20 ; 1985 a. 316 s. 25 ; 1989 a. 105 , 298 ; 1991 a. 269 ; 1993 a. 19 ; 1995 a. 113 ; 1997 a. 27 ; 1999 a. 9 , 140 ; 2003 a. 33 ; 2005 a. 126 ; 2007 a. 20 , 106 ; 2011 a. 23 , 32 , 241 ; 2013 a. 17 , 165 ; 2015 a. 77 , 123 ; 2019 a. 50 ; 2023 a. 28 .