2017 Wisconsin Act 232

  Date of enactment: April 3, 2018
2017 Assembly Bill 716   Date of publication*: April 4, 2018

* Section 991.11, Wisconsin Statutes: Effective date of acts. “Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor's partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication."

2017 WISCONSIN ACT 232

An Act to amend 84.30 (3) (a) and 86.19 (1); and to create 84.30 (2) (hm) and 86.19 (1n) of the statutes; relating to: municipal welcome signs in the highway right-of-way.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

232,1 Section 1. 84.30 (2) (hm) of the statutes is created to read:

84.30 (2) (hm) “Municipal welcome sign” means an official sign erected and maintained by a municipality that the municipality determines is necessary to inform motorists of the territorial boundaries of the municipality.

232,2 Section 2. 84.30 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

84.30 (3) (a) Directional and other official signs, including, but not limited to, municipal welcome signs and signs pertaining to natural wonders, scenic and historical attractions, which are required or authorized by law, and which comply with rules which shall be promulgated by the department relative to their lighting, size, number, spacing and such other requirements as are appropriate to implement this section, but such rules shall not be inconsistent with, nor more restrictive than, such national standards as may be promulgated from time to time by the secretary of transportation of the United States under 23 USC 131 (c).

232,3 Section 3. 86.19 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

86.19 (1) Except as provided in sub. (1m) or (1n) 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.

232,4 Section 4. 86.19 (1n) of the statutes is created to read:

86.19 (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).