City of Milwaukee to offer snow plow licenses at reduced fees to make it easier to plow alleys

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and the Milwaukee Common Council are offering snow plow licenses for a reduced fee, in an effort to increase options for those in need of alley plowing this winter.

This is being made possible through legislation sponsored by Alderman Cavalier Johnson, according to a statement from his office.

According to that statement, starting on Tuesday, December 13th, the fee to obtain a license will decrease from $50 to $10.

The City of Milwaukee does not plow alleys within the city, and city ordinance requires any person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of removing snow or ice from public sidewalks or public alleys to obtain a license to do so.

“Very often, the residents on a block will band together to hire a contractor who plows their alley during the winter, but what I am hearing from residents in my district is that it is increasingly difficult to find contractors to do the work. I hope that by lowering the fee to obtain a license, and by shedding some light on the need for more private plow contractors, we might generate more options for residents in need of these services," Alderman Johnson said in the statement.

According to the statement, currently, there are only two companies licensed to offer plowing services in public city alleys.

Going forward, the city will post a list of licensed plowing contractors HERE -- updated daily.

Applications for a license under the reduced fee structure will be available at that link above starting on Tuesday, December 13th.