349.17 Authority of cities, villages and towns to regulate heavy traffic.

(1) Any city, village or town may by ordinance or resolution designate any street or highway under its jurisdiction as a heavy traffic route and designate the type and character of vehicles which may be operated thereon. A city, village or town may restrict or prohibit heavy traffic from using other streets or highways under its jurisdiction except that it may not place such restrictions on streets or highways over which are routed state trunk highways and may not prohibit heavy traffic from using a street or highway for the purpose of obtaining orders for supplies or moving or delivering supplies or commodities to or from any place of business or residence which has an entrance on such street or highway. Whenever a city, village or town designates any street or highway under its jurisdiction as a heavy traffic route, it shall cause appropriate signs to be erected giving notice thereof.

(2) In this section, “heavy traffic" means all vehicles not operating completely on pneumatic tires and all vehicles or combination of vehicles, other than motor buses, designed or used for transporting property of any nature and having a gross weight of more than 6,000 pounds.

History: 1977 c. 116; 1993 a. 246.

Legislative Council Note, 1977: Sub. (1) authorizes cities and villages to designate any street as a heavy traffic route. As defined in s. 340.01 (64), the term “street" means every highway within the corporate limits of a city or village except alleys. By adding “or highway" after “street", s. 349.17 (1) authorizes a city or village to prohibit heavy traffic from using any street or alley which has not been designated as a heavy traffic route unless such street or alley is being used to obtain orders for supplies or to deliver supplies or commodities to or from a place of business or residence with an entrance on such street or alley. “Highway" is defined in s. 340.01 (22), to mean “all public ways and thoroughfares", including alleys. [Bill 465-A]