341.40 Exemption of nonresidents and foreign-registered vehicles.
(1) Except as to foreign-owned vehicles required by s. 341.07 to be registered in this state, any vehicle that is registered in another jurisdiction is exempt from the laws of this state providing for the registration of the vehicles if all of the following apply:
(a) The vehicle carries a registration plate indicating the registration in the other jurisdiction.
(b) The vehicle is owned by a nonresident.
(c) The jurisdiction in which the vehicle is registered allows vehicles that are registered in Wisconsin to be operated tax free upon its highways under conditions substantially as favorable to residents of Wisconsin as to its own residents.
(d) The vehicle is operated in accordance with rules adopted by the secretary based on the gross weight of the vehicle. The secretary may, by rule, determine the gross weight exemption, giving consideration to reciprocity privileges extended to Wisconsin residents in other jurisdictions.
(1m) Foreign owned or operated vehicles entering Wisconsin to have special equipment or a body constructed or installed or for repair shall be exempt from the registration requirements of this section.
(2) If the owner of any vehicle exempted under sub. (1) or (1m) moves to Wisconsin or if the vehicle is purchased by or leased to a Wisconsin resident, the vehicle immediately becomes subject to the laws of this state providing for the registration of vehicles.
History: 1977 c. 29 s. 1654 (7) (c); 1987 a. 369; 1997 a. 27; 2001 a. 103.
The language referencing a single plate in sub. (1) (a) is the first of a list of criteria that vehicles registered in a jurisdiction other than Wisconsin must meet in order to be exempt from the registration laws of this state. Having been issued at least one plate is a condition precedent for exemption, not a display requirement. Since sub. (1) (a) does not address how nonresidents are to display license plates, there is no conflict with s. 341.15 (1). State v. Boyd, 2012 WI App 39, 340 Wis. 2d 168, 811 N.W.2d 853, 11-1056.