Chapter 343, OPERATORS’ LICENSES

343.01 Words and phrases defined. (1) Words and phrases defined in s. 340.01 are used in the same sense in this chapter unless a different definition is specifically provided. (2) In this chapter and ch. 344 the following words and phrases have the designated meanings: (cb) “Moto…

343.02 Administration of driver license law. (1) The department shall administer and enforce this chapter and may promulgate for that purpose such rules as the secretary considers necessary. Rules promulgated under this chapter may not conflict with and shall be at least as strin…

343.025 Medicare acceptance of assignment; information; report. (2) Beginning in 1991, the department shall annually submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) concerning the numbers of individuals, …

343.027 Confidentiality of signatures. Any signature collected under this chapter may be maintained by the department and shall be kept confidential, except that the department shall release a signature or a facsimile of a signature to the department of revenue for the purposes o…

343.03 Classified driver license system. (1) COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL STANDARDS. (a) The department shall institute a classified driver license system meeting all federal standards under 49 USC 30304 (e) and 31301 to 31317 and 49 CFR 383 and 384. (b) The department shall issue ope…

343.04 Vehicle classifications. (1) VEHICLE CLASSES. For purposes of this chapter, motor vehicles are divided into the following classes: (a) Class A. A “Class A” motor vehicle is any combination of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating, actual gross weight or registered we…

343.05 Operators to be licensed; exceptions. (1) GENERAL PROVISIONS. (a) Except as provided in this subsection, no person may at any time have more than one operator’s license. This prohibition includes, without limitation, having licenses from more than one state, having license…

343.055 Commercial driver license waivers. (1) OPERATORS WAIVED. (a) General. Except as provided in subs. (3) and (4) and notwithstanding s. 343.05 (2), operators of certain commercial motor vehicles specified in pars. (b) to (h) or any rule of the department promulgated under su…

343.06 Persons not to be licensed. (1) The department shall not issue a license: (a) To any person whose operator’s license or nonresident’s operating privilege was withheld, suspended, revoked or canceled under the provisions of the law in effect prior to September 1, 1941, unle…

343.065 Restricted commercial driver license. (1) (a) If an applicant for a commercial driver license is less than 21 years of age or does not meet the physical qualifications for drivers contained in 49 CFR 391 or an alternative federally approved driver qualification program es…

343.07 Instruction permits. (1c) DEFINITION. In this section, “qualified instructor” means a person employed by a public school, private school, or tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m), holding an operator’s license and meeting the teaching certification standards of the…

343.075 Instructional permits for applicants for special restricted operators’ licenses. The department may require an applicant for a special restricted operator’s license under s. 343.135 to first obtain an instructional permit if the department deems it advisable. The departme…

343.08 Restricted licenses for persons under 18 years of age. (1) Upon application therefor, the department may issue a restricted license to a person who is at least 14 and less than 18 years of age if the following conditions, in addition to any others specified in this chapter…

343.085 Probationary licenses to new drivers. (1) (a) Except as provided in par. (b) and sub. (2), the department shall issue a probationary license to all applicants for an original license. The probationary license shall remain in effect as provided in s. 343.20 (1) (a). (b) Th…

343.10 Occupational licenses. 343.10(1)(1) Application for occupational license. 343.10(1)(a)(a) If a person’s license or operating privilege is revoked or suspended under this chapter or s. 767.73, 938.34 (14q), 943.21 (3m), or 961.50 and if the person is engaged in an occupatio…

343.11 Temporary license for persons previously licensed in another state. (1) The department shall not issue a license to a person previously licensed in another jurisdiction unless such person surrenders to the department all valid operator’s licenses possessed by the person is…

343.12 School bus operators to obtain special authorization. (1) (a) No person shall operate a school bus without having first applied for and received authorization from the department in the form of a school bus endorsement to the person’s valid operator’s license. (b) A motor …

343.125 Endorsements for transporting certain hazardous materials. (1) In this section, ““H” endorsement” means an endorsement specified in s. 343.17 (3) (d) 1m. (2) The department may not issue or renew an “H” endorsement to a commercial driver license unless all of the followin…

343.13 Restricted licenses. (1) The department upon issuing any license pursuant to this chapter may, whenever good cause appears, impose restrictions suitable to the licensee’s operating ability with respect to the type of or special mechanical control devices required on a moto…

343.135 Special restricted operator’s license. (1) ISSUANCE. (a) Except as provided in par. (b), upon application therefor, the department shall issue a special restricted operator’s license to any person who meets the following requirements: 1. Is at least 14 years of age and is…

343.14 Application for license. (1) Every application to the department for a license or identification card or for renewal thereof shall be made upon the appropriate form furnished by the department and shall be accompanied by all required fees. Notwithstanding s. 343.50 (8) (b)…

343.15 Application of persons under 18; liability of sponsors; release from liability; notification of juvenile violation. (1) (a) Except as provided in sub. (4), the application of any person under 18 years of age for a license shall be signed and verified by either of the appli…

343.16 Examination of applicants; reexamination of licensed persons. (1) REQUIRED TESTING OF KNOWLEDGE AND DRIVING SKILLS. (a) General. 1. Except when examination by an authorized 3rd-party tester is permitted under pars. (b) to (c), the department shall examine every applicant f…

343.165 Processing license and identification card applications. (1) Subject to ss. 343.14 (3m) and 343.50 (4g), the department may not complete the processing of an application for initial issuance or renewal of an operator’s license or identification card and no such license or…

343.17 Contents and issuance of operator’s license. (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 shal…

343.175 Organ donor information. (1) DEPARTMENT TO SOLICIT AND RECORD INFORMATION. As part of every application for an original, duplicate, reinstated, reissued or renewal license or endorsement, the department shall inquire whether the applicant desires to be an organ donor. The…

343.177 Emergency contact information. As part of every application for an original, duplicate, reinstated, reissued, or renewal license or endorsement, the department shall inquire whether the applicant wants to provide emergency contact information, which shall include the emer…

343.18 License to be carried; verification of signature. (1) Every licensee shall have his or her license document in his or her immediate possession at all times when operating a motor vehicle and shall display the license document upon demand from any judge, justice, or traffic…

343.19 Duplicate licenses or identification cards. (1) If a license issued under this chapter or an identification card issued under s. 343.50 is lost or destroyed or the name or address named in the license or identification card is changed or the condition specified in s. 343.1…

343.20 Expiration of licenses. (1) (a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this chapter, probationary licenses issued under s. 343.085 shall expire 2 years from the date of the applicant’s next birthday. Licenses issued after cancellation shall expire on the expiration date…

343.21 License fees. (1) The following fees, in addition to any driving skills test fee, shall be paid to the department for the issuance, renewal, upgrading and reinstatement of licenses, endorsements and instruction permits: (a) $32.50 for the initial issuance or renewal of a l…

343.22 Notice of change of address or name. (2) Whenever any person, after applying for or receiving a license under this chapter, or an identification card under s. 343.50, moves from the address named in the application or in the license or identification card issued to him or …

343.23 Records to be kept by the department. (1) The department shall maintain a record of every application for license, permit, or endorsement received by it and of every suspension, revocation, cancellation, and disqualification by the department and shall maintain suitable in…

343.234 Department to furnish information to the selective service system. Notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter, the department shall forward to the selective service system, in electronic format, any information on an application for a driver’s license, permit, or…

343.235 Access to license and identification card records. (1) In this section: (a) “Agent” means an authorized person who acts on behalf of or at the direction of another person. (b) “Insurer” has the meaning given in s. 600.03 (27). (c) “Personal identifier” has the meaning giv…

343.237 Access to license and identification card photographs and fingerprints. (1) In this section: (ag) “Federal law enforcement agency” means a governmental unit of one or more persons employed by the federal government for the purpose of preventing and detecting crime and enf…

343.24 Department to furnish operating record. (1) The department shall upon request furnish any person an abstract of the operating record of any person. The abstract shall be certified if certification is requested. Such abstract is not admissible in evidence in any action for …

343.245 Duties of commercial motor vehicle drivers; employer responsibilities; penalties. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (a) “Employee” means any operator of a commercial motor vehicle who is either directly employed by or under lease to an employer, including a full-time, reg…

343.247 Employer notification program. (1) In this section: (a) “Employee” has the meaning given in s. 343.245 (1) (a) and also includes any person whose employment responsibilities include the operation of any motor vehicle. (b) “Employer” has the meaning given in s. 343.245 (1)…

343.25 Cancellation of licenses. The secretary shall cancel a license: (1) Whenever the secretary determines that the license or endorsement was issued upon an application which contains a false statement as to any material matter; or (2) Within 10 days after receiving a written …

343.26 License after cancellation. (1) Except as provided in sub. (2), any person whose license has been canceled, whether the license has been canceled by the secretary or stands canceled as a matter of law, may apply for a new license at any time. Upon receipt of the applicatio…

343.265 Voluntary surrender and reissuance after surrender. (1) The department may accept the voluntary surrender of the operator’s license of a person who has a mental or physical disability or disease or a medical condition which prevents or may prevent the person from exercisi…

343.28 Courts to report convictions and forward licenses to the department. (1) Whenever a person is convicted of a moving traffic violation under chs. 341 to 349 or under a local ordinance enacted under ch. 349, the clerk of the court in which the conviction occurred, or the jus…

343.30 Suspension and revocation by the courts. (1) A court may suspend a person’s operating privilege for any period not exceeding one year upon such person’s conviction in such court of violating any of the state traffic laws or any local ordinance enacted under ch. 349, other …

343.301 Installation of ignition interlock device. (1g) (a) A court shall enter an order under par. (am) if either of the following applies: 1. The person improperly refused to take a test under s. 343.305. 2. The person violated s. 346.63 (1) or (2), 940.09 (1), or 940.25 and ei…

343.302 Ignition interlock device tampering; failure to install. (1) No person may remove, disconnect, tamper with, or otherwise circumvent the operation of an ignition interlock device installed in response to the court order under s. 346.65 (6), 1999 stats., or s. 343.301 (1), …

343.303 Preliminary screening test. If a law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that the person is violating or has violated s. 346.63 (1) or (2m) or a local ordinance in conformity therewith, or s. 346.63 (2) or (6) or 940.25 or s. 940.09 where the offense involve…

343.305 Tests for intoxication; administrative suspension and court-ordered revocation. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section: (b) “Drive” means the exercise of physical control over the speed and direction of a motor vehicle while it is in motion. (c) “Operate” means the physical man…

343.307 Prior convictions, suspensions or revocations to be counted as offenses. (1) The court shall count the following to determine the length of a revocation under s. 343.30 (1q) (b) and to determine the penalty under ss. 114.09 (2) and 346.65 (2): (a) Convictions for violatio…

343.31 Revocation or suspension of licenses after certain convictions or declarations. (1) The department shall revoke a person’s operating privilege upon receiving a record of conviction showing that the person has been convicted of any of the following offenses under a state la…