A junk removal truck at a curb with stacked furniture, How to Start a Junk Removal Business in Wisconsin

How to Start a Junk Removal Business in Wisconsin

Last verified: November 10, 2026

Junk removal in Wisconsin is lightly regulated on paper, but one license catches many new owners: the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) solid waste and recyclables transportation license, which applies once you haul 20 tons or more in a year. Around it you need a business entity filed with the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), a federal EIN, a seller's permit if any of your charges are taxable, and insurance. This guide takes them in that order. If you move furniture between homes instead of clearing it out, read our moving company guide; if you clean after the haul-away, see the cleaning business guide.

Important: This article is informational only, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Fees and rules change, so confirm each one with the agency named before you pay.

Choose Your Legal Structure

You can run as a sole proprietorship, an LLC or a corporation. Many junk removal owners choose an LLC because the work puts you in other people's homes with a heavy truck, and an LLC can separate your personal assets from business liability. That protection has limits, so ask an attorney how it applies to you. Our Wisconsin LLC guide covers the filing in full.

Sole Proprietorship

Wisconsin has no mandatory state or county filing for a sole proprietor who works under their own name. If you use a business name, you may register it as a trade name with DFI for $15 (10 years, renewal $15), filed online or in person; recording the name with the county register of deeds is also optional and carries no protection beyond common law. See the DFI trade name fees. A sole proprietorship gives you no liability protection.

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

You file Articles of Organization (Form 502) with DFI. The fee is $130 online or $170 on paper. DFI must return or give notice of a refused filing within 5 business days (Wis. Stat. 183.0210(3)); that is a refusal deadline, not a processing time. By default a multi-member LLC is taxed as a partnership and a single-member LLC as a disregarded entity, so profit flows to your personal return; for tax year 2026 Wisconsin's individual rates run from 3.5% to 7.65% by bracket, plus any federal tax.

Corporation

A business corporation files Articles of Incorporation (Form 2) for $100. It brings more paperwork than an LLC, and Wisconsin taxes it at the corporate franchise or income tax rate of 7.9%, so most one-truck operators start with an LLC. A CPA can tell you which fits your numbers.

Check and Reserve Your Business Name

An LLC name must include "limited liability company," "limited company," "LLC" or "LC" (or the abbreviations "Ltd." and "Co."), and it must be distinguishable on DFI records. Search the DFI corporate records database first. The search is only a first check: DFI confirms the name when it examines your filing, and names reserved or registered by others can count against you.

If you need time, you can reserve an LLC or corporation name for 120 days for $15 with the name reservation form (Form 1).

File With DFI and Appoint a Registered Agent

File online through DFI Business Entity File Online or use the Wisconsin One Stop Business Portal, which registers an LLC or corporation with DFI, the Department of Revenue (DOR) and the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) in one pass. Sole proprietors register with DOR directly. DFI is the filing office, not the Secretary of State.

Your Articles must name a registered agent and a registered office. The agent is either a Wisconsin-resident individual whose business office is the registered office, or an entity whose business office is that office. The office must be a real street address, not solely a P.O. box, mailbox service or answering service, and the agent needs an email address. Your company cannot be its own agent. Changing the agent or office later costs $10 online or $25 on paper. If you would rather not use your home address or be available during business hours, you can hire a formation or registered agent service; compare forming it yourself with using a service in Wisconsin.

Get an EIN

Apply for a free EIN on the IRS EIN page. The IRS says you never have to pay a fee for one, and the online tool issues the number right away. Skip any site that charges for it. You will need the EIN for a business bank account and, if you hire, for payroll. See our Wisconsin EIN guide.

Register for a Seller's Permit and Sales Tax

Register with DOR through the Business Tax Registration system if you sell taxable goods or services. The $20 fee covers two years and renewal is $10 every two years; see the DOR business tax registration FAQ. Junk removal can include more than one kind of charge, such as hauling, labor and items you keep and resell. Ask DOR which of yours are taxable before you set prices, because the answer decides whether you collect tax at all.

If you do collect, the state rate is 5%, and the DOR county and city tax page lists a 0.5% county tax in 69 counties, none in Waukesha and Winnebago, a higher rate in Milwaukee County and a city tax in Milwaukee. Use the rate for the place where the customer's job is, and check it before each new county you work in. See also our Wisconsin seller's permit guide.

Do You Need a DNR Solid Waste Transportation License?

This is the license that separates junk haulers from other startups. The DNR says that haulers that pick up or drop off solid waste or recyclables in Wisconsin may need a transportation license, and it lists exemptions: you do not need one if everything you haul is exempt, such as less than 20 tons a year, scrap metal, or electronic devices headed for reuse or recycling. The 20-ton limit counts everything you haul, so track the weight of your loads from your first job and apply before you reach it.

  • Fee: a base fee of $77 plus $33 for each vehicle listed on the license, so $110 for one truck and $143 for two.
  • Locations: each Wisconsin location where you regularly park or store the vehicles overnight is licensed separately.
  • Application: Form 4400-179 lists your waste codes, the counties you work in, the facilities that receive your loads and each vehicle's plate and details. Send it to a DNR licensing specialist with payment.
  • Other waste: hazardous, PCB and infectious waste need separate specialized transporter licenses.

Read the DNR page on transporting solid waste and recyclables for the full exemption list and the current form, and ask the DNR licensing specialist how the exemptions apply to the loads you expect. The DNR revised the recycling program's administrative code as of July 1, 2025, so confirm the current rules before you apply.

Local Licenses, Zoning and Vehicles

We looked for a general business license in the DFI general information and FAQ pages, the DOR Starting a Business page, the One Stop Business Portal, the DSPS credentialing FAQ and the Wisconsin SBDC FAQ, and none describes one. That does not rule out a local requirement, so ask the clerk of your city, village or town (or the county outside a municipality) what it licenses and what zoning allows for parking trucks or storing hauled items at your home or yard.

Register your trucks with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation; the fee depends on the vehicle, so check it with WisDOT. Also ask WisDOT Motor Carrier Services and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration whether your trucks and routes need operating authority or a USDOT number, especially before you buy a larger truck or work across the state line.

Insurance and Workers' Compensation

We did not research insurance minimums for this guide, so ask your city, your lenders and your agent what they require. The work makes both of these worth pricing. General liability covers property damage and injury at a customer's home. A personal auto policy may exclude business use, so ask your agent about commercial auto, and get quotes in writing before your first job. Customers, lenders and some local permits may also ask for a certificate of insurance.

Workers' compensation is required when you have three or more employees, or one or more employees paid $500 or more combined in a calendar quarter for Wisconsin work, as described on the DWD employer page. One part-time helper can trigger it. Ask your agent how your hauling work is classified and priced. See our Wisconsin workers' compensation guide.

What Does It Cost to Start?

ItemCostWhere to confirm
LLC Articles of Organization$130 online, $170 on paperDFI fee schedule and Form 502
Corporation Articles (Form 2)$100DFI fee schedule
Name reservation (optional)$15 for 120 daysDFI Form 1
Trade name (optional, sole proprietors)$15, renewal $15DFI trade name fees
EINFreeIRS
Seller's permit$20 for two yearsDOR business tax registration
DNR solid waste transportation license$77 plus $33 per vehicleDNR hauler page
LLC annual report (not due in year one)$25 online, $40 on paperDFI fee schedule
Truck, insurance, equipment, disposal feesVariesYour own quotes

We list no startup budget because no official source gives one. Truck, insurance and disposal costs depend on the vehicle, your coverage and where you dump, so collect quotes before you commit. For fees across all business types, see the Wisconsin startup cost guide.

File Your Annual Report

An LLC files an annual report with DFI each year, starting the year after it is formed, in the calendar quarter that contains its anniversary date: if you organized on March 15, the deadline is March 31. The fee is $25 online or $40 on paper. DFI charges no late fee, but an LLC that stays delinquent can be administratively dissolved, so mark the date in your calendar. Corporations file Form 16 instead. Update your registered agent's details on the report if they change.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Skipping the DNR license: once you reach 20 tons a year of non-exempt waste, you need it. Start tracking loads on day one.
  • Using personal auto insurance for the truck: ask about commercial coverage before the first job.
  • Filing with the wrong agency: entities file with DFI, not the Secretary of State.
  • Guessing about sales tax: ask DOR which of your charges are taxable before you publish prices.
  • Ignoring where loads go: the DNR license asks for the facilities that receive your waste, so line up disposal and recycling outlets first.
  • Forgetting the annual report: a missed report makes the LLC delinquent.

Step-by-Step Checklist

  1. Choose LLC, corporation or sole proprietorship.
  2. Search the name in the DFI corporate records database.
  3. File with DFI ($130 for an LLC online, $100 for a corporation).
  4. Name your registered agent and registered office.
  5. Get your free EIN from the IRS.
  6. Register with DOR for a seller's permit if you sell taxable goods or services ($20).
  7. Apply for the DNR license if you will haul 20 tons or more a year ($77 plus $33 per vehicle).
  8. Ask your city, village or town clerk about local licenses and zoning.
  9. Get liability and commercial auto quotes, and register your trucks with WisDOT.
  10. File your first annual report in the quarter of your anniversary.

Sources

Disclaimer

This content is informational only and not legal or tax advice. Wisconsin tax law and local regulations change often. Consult a Wisconsin attorney about LLC formation, liability and compliance, a CPA about taxes, and your local clerk about licensing in your area. Confirm each fee and rule with the agency named before you file.

Keep exploring: related Wisconsin guides