Wisconsin Code § 86.19

Highway signs, regulation, prohibition
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(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, pro-

vided 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.

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