To summarize, commercial motor vehicles carrying property or passengers may operate in certain neighboring states, within 30 miles of Wisconsin, with Wisconsin vehicle registration and fuel tax licenses. Additional vehicle registration and fuel tax licenses are not required.
Vehicle registration:
All vehicles that display intra-state vehicle registration (license plates) from Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan may operate
interstate within a 30 air mile range of the Iowa-Wisconsin, Minnesota-Wisconsin and Michigan-Wisconsin boundary line respectively without carrying any additional registration credentials as set forth in the reciprocal agreement between Wisconsin and these jurisdictions.
Similarly, vehicles that display Wisconsin intra-state vehicle registration (license plates) may operate interstate in Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan within a 30 air mile range of the Wisconsin border.
IFTA fuel tax license:
All qualified motor vehicles owned or leased and operated by residents of Iowa and Minnesota may operate in Wisconsin within 30 miles of the Wisconsin border without carrying any additional fuel tax credentials as set forth in the fuel tax reporting reciprocity agreement between Wisconsin and those two states.
Similarly, qualified motor vehicles owned or leased by a Wisconsin resident may operate in Iowa and Minnesota within 30 miles of the Wisconsin border.
The following Minnesota and Iowa vehicles have statewide fuel tax reciprocity.
- All qualified motor vehicles owned or leased and operated by the state or any political subdivision of the state, while operated in official capacity and displaying tax exempt, municipal or state owned registration.
- All school buses owned or leased and operated by a Minnesota or Iowa school and used in the transportation of pupils to and from school related and/or school sponsored events.
Michigan Fuel Tax Agreement:
Effective November 1, 2022, Wisconsin and Michigan now have a fuel tax reciprocity agreement. All qualified motor vehicles owned or leased and operated by residents of Michigan, and haul only raw forest products, may operate in Wisconsin within 30 miles of the Wisconsin border without carrying any additional fuel tax credentials as set forth in the fuel tax reporting reciprocity agreement between Wisconsin and Michigan.
Similarly, qualified motor vehicles owned or leased by a Wisconsin resident, and haul only raw forest products, may operate in Michigan within 30 air miles of the Wisconsin border.
“Raw forest products” mean logs, pilings, posts, poles, cordwood products, wood chips, sawdust, pulpwood, intermediary lumber, fuel wood, and Christmas trees, that are not altered by a manufacturing process off the land, sawmill, or factory from which they are taken and are not finished products suitable for sale at retail.
Licensing and trip permits:
For commercial vehicles not eligible for the reciprocity described above, carriers may obtain IFTA or IRP licensing, or may obtain vehicle registration and fuel tax trip permits. Trip permits can be purchased from a permitting service or may be obtained through self-service. See
trip permits.
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