Wisconsin Statutes
Wis. Stat. § 85.09 (2026)
Acquisition of abandoned rail property
✓ current as of July 2026
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85.09(1)(d)(d) “System diagram map” means the map required under federal law to be filed with the department by the railroad operating in this state that indicates rail lines in the process of abandonment, rail lines the railroad expects to abandon and the rail lines that are under study by the railroad for possible abandonment in the future.
85.09(2)(a)(a) The department of transportation shall have the first right to acquire, for present or future transportational or recreational purposes, any property used in operating a railroad or railway, including land and rails, ties, switches, trestles, bridges, and the like located on that property, that has been abandoned. The department of transportation may, in connection with abandoned rail property, assign this right to a state agency, the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System, any county or municipality, or any transit commission. Acquisition by the department of transportation may be by gift, purchase, or condemnation in accordance with the procedure under s. 32.05, except that the power of condemnation may not be used to acquire property for the purpose of establishing or extending a recreational trail; a bicycle way, as defined in s. 340.01 (5s); a bicycle lane, as defined in s. 340.01 (5e); or a pedestrian way, as defined in s. 346.02 (8) (a). In addition to its property management authority under s. 85.15, the department of transportation may, subject to any prior action under s. 13.48 (14) (am) or 16.848 (1), lease and collect rents and fees for any use of rail property pending discharge of the department’s duty to convey property that is not necessary for a public purpose. No person owning abandoned rail property, including any person to whom ownership reverts upon abandonment, may convey or dispose of any abandoned rail property without first obtaining a written release from the department of transportation indicating that the first right of acquisition under this subsection will not be exercised or assigned. No railroad or railway may convey any rail property prior to abandonment if the rail property is part of a rail line shown on the railroad’s system map as in the process of abandonment, expected to be abandoned, or under study for possible abandonment unless the conveyance or disposal is for the purpose of providing continued rail service under another company or agency. Any conveyance made without obtaining such release is void. The first right of acquisition of the department of transportation under this subsection does not apply to any rail property declared by the department to be abandoned before January 1, 1977. The department of transportation may acquire any abandoned rail property under this section regardless of the date of its abandonment.
85.09(2)(b)(b) The first right of acquisition under this subsection applies only to the following property:
85.09(2)(b)1.1. In unincorporated areas, any land measured 50 feet from the center line of each outermost track bed and any land between such tracks.
85.09(2)(b)2.2. In incorporated areas, any land measured 33 feet from the center line of each outermost track bed and any land between such tracks.
85.09(2)(b)3.3. Any property not included in subds. 1. and 2. that consists of a loading or unloading facility, a vehicular access facility, or a building that is, in the department’s judgment, suitable for a freight or rail passenger station.
85.09(3)(3) Determination of abandonment. For purposes of this section, rail property shall be deemed abandoned if par. (a) or (b) applies:
85.09(3)(a)(a) A certificate or approval of abandonment has been issued by the federal surface transportation board or federal court or any other federal or state agency having jurisdiction over the rail property.
85.09(3)(b)(b) A certificate or approval of abandonment is not required and the use of the rail property for railroad or railway purposes has been discontinued with the intent not to resume. Intent not to resume may be inferred from circumstances including, but not limited to, the following:
85.09(4)(4) Acquisition and conveyance. Upon its own initiative, the department may determine at any time whether the rail property is abandoned, and whether it is in the best interest of the state to acquire the rail property. Within 90 days after being requested by any state agency, any railroad or any county or municipality in which the rail property is located, the department shall, subject to sub. (5) (b), make a determination of the abandonment status and, if found to be abandoned, shall determine whether it is in the best interest of the public to acquire the rail property. If it is determined to acquire the rail property or any part or interest therein, the department shall, within 180 days of the determination of its abandoned status, or the interstate commerce commission’s final order permitting the abandonment, or the termination of any efforts to negotiate an agreement for continual operation of rail service on the line, whichever occurs last, determine the fair market value of the rail property and acquire the rail property at a price deemed reasonable by the department or make a relocation order under s. 32.05. In making its determination, the department shall consider long-range potential for use of the rail property for restoration of railroad service and for other transportation related purposes. The department shall solicit the opinions of appropriate state agencies, affected counties and municipalities and other interested persons. The department shall give due consideration to an expressed desire by a state agency or an affected county or municipality to acquire, in whole or in part, the rail property under consideration. Subject to any prior action under s. 13.48 (14) (am) or 16.848 (1) and subject to sub. (6), all or part of any interest in abandoned rail property acquired by the department under this section or under s. 66.941 (7), 1975 stats., may be subsequently conveyed to another state agency or a county or municipality for transportational purposes, recreational purposes, scenic purposes or for the purpose of constructing a correctional institution, or to a railroad for continued railroad transportation operations when the railroad has operated on the rail property for 5 years and the department may make such conveyances for such purposes. Any determination of the department under this section that rail property is not abandoned shall not preclude the undertaking of a subsequent investigation and determination concerning the same rail property or any portion thereof. If at any time subsequent to the acquisition of rail property under this section the department determines that the rail property is not suitable for transportational purposes, recreational purposes, scenic purposes or for the purpose of constructing a correctional institution, or that the rail property or any interest therein may be conveyed to any other person on terms which are not inconsistent with the potential use of the rail property for transportational purposes, recreational purposes, scenic purposes or for the purpose of constructing a correctional institution or which yield a benefit, including financial benefits, to the state which outweighs the benefit derived from the rail property if used for transportational purposes, recreational purposes, scenic purposes or for the purpose of constructing a correctional institution, the department may convey the rail property or such interest therein, subject to any prior action under s. 13.48 (14) (am) or 16.848 (1) and subject to sub. (6). The department shall give notice of its intention to make the conveyance, and state and local units of government shall have the first 6 months in which to exercise their opportunity to acquire the rail property or interest therein. The railroad from which the rail property was acquired shall have the next 6 months in which to exercise its opportunity to reacquire the rail property or interest therein.
85.09(4i)(4i) Disposal of rail property. The department, subject to any prior action under s. 13.48 (14) (am) or 16.848 (1), shall sell at public or private sale rail property acquired under sub. (4) when the department determines that the rail property is not necessary for a public purpose and, if real property, the real property is not the subject of a petition under s. 16.310 (2). Upon receipt of the full purchase price, the department shall, by appropriate instrument, transfer the rail property to the purchaser. The funds derived from sales under this subsection shall be deposited in the transportation fund, and the expense incurred by the department in connection with the sale shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.395 (2) (bq).
85.09(4m)(4m) Relocation plan. The department is exempt from s. 32.25 (1) if the department determines that acquiring rail property under this section will not result in any displaced persons as defined in s. 32.19 (2) (e). The department shall file a statement of its determinations with the department of administration.
85.09(5)(a)(a) Any railroad which places a rail line or portion of a line on a system diagram map shall within 60 days of such action provide to the department one legible copy of each map in the railroad’s possession which shows rail property boundaries or engineering stations for the line involved. At the same time the railroad shall provide to the department all other pertinent information in its possession requested by the department relating to the title to the rail property covered by the line involved. The department shall determine the reasonable cost to the railroad of providing documents and information under this paragraph and shall reimburse the railroad in this amount. Any conveyance by the railroad made without providing the information required by this paragraph is void.
85.09(5)(b)(b) Any state agency, railroad, county or municipality which requests the department to make a determination of abandonment status and public interest in acquisition of rail property under sub. (4) shall provide a formal legal description of the rail property which is the subject of the request. The department may decline to take action on requests which do not contain an adequate description of the rail property involved. When the department provides a release of its first right to acquire rail property, the state agency, railroad, county or municipality which receives the release shall within 90 days have the release recorded by the register of deeds for each county in which the rail property is located.
85.09(6)(6) State rights subordinate to federal law. To the extent that the first or subsequent rights of acquisition under this section conflict with rights conferred by 49 USC 10905 (f) (4) or 10910 (h), the rights conferred by this section are subordinate to such federal rights and shall take effect only when consistent with 49 USC 10905 (f) (4) and 10910 (h).
85.09(7)(7) Rules. The department may adopt such rules as it deems necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section.
85.09 HistoryHistory: 1977 c. 29, 418; 1979 c. 34 s. 1018; Stats. 1979 s. 85.09; 1981 c. 20; 1983 a. 27, 192; 1985 a. 29 ss. 1583 to 1586, 3200 (51); 1985 a. 332 s. 253; 1987 a. 5; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 16; 1995 a. 27 ss. 3525, 9116 (5); 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 179; 2007 a. 20; 2011 a. 32; 2013 a. 20; 2017 a. 59
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 15
cases, 1951–2001 · leading case: Keane v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., 464 N.W.2d 830 (Wis. 1991).
Keane v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., 464 N.W.2d 830 (Wis. 1991). “Section 85.09(17), Stats. 1955, [13] the financial responsibility law in Havlik, referred to furnishing proof of financial responsibility for the future.”
Perlick v. Country Mut. Cas. Co., 80 N.W.2d 921 (Wis. 1957). “375, Laws of 1945, the legislature enacted the statute entitled Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act, which became sec. 85.09, Stats., and remains in effect with numerous amendments.”
Meiers v. Wang, 531 N.W.2d 54 (Wis. 1995). “On October 10, 1990, the State of Wisconsin filed a waiver of interest in the property pursuant to § 85.09, Stats. Wang first became aware of the availability of the property through Howard Anthony (Anthony), a real estate agent from Green Bay.”
State v. Stehlek, 56 N.W.2d 514 (Wis. 1953). “Notwithstánding these well-established considerations, the trial court reversed its own policy of enforcing the law in question, sec. 85.09, Stats., and declared it to be unconstitutional.”
Mauler v. Bayfield Cnty., 204 F. Supp. 2d 1168 (W.D. Wis. 2001). “The statement provides that the state “releases any interest or right that it may have by virtue of Section 85.09, Wis. Stats., ... [in the Railroad’s] abandoned line,” including the strip.”
Havlik v. Bittner, 74 N.W.2d 798 (Wis. 1956). “(21) (b) 2 and (21) (d) of sec. 85.09, Stats., must be read into the policy and when that is done the policy is ambiguous when read as a whole, and that the cited subsections of the statute invalidate the exclusion relied upon by the Insurance Company.”
Pavelski v. Roginski, 84 N.W.2d 84 (Wis. 1957). “While the rule of comparative negligence is not restricted to negligence in the operation of automobiles, it is of interest to note that that rule was also adopted by the 1931 session, ch.”
Pulvermacher v. Sharp, 82 N.W.2d 163 (Wis. 1957). “) What does this SR-21 admit against the interest of State Farm Mutual? It admits that it issued to the plaintiff an automobile liability policy as defined in sec. 85.09, Stats., affording limits of $10,000/$20,000 bodily injury, that such policy was in effect on the date of the…”
State v. Marcus, 49 N.W.2d 447 (Wis. 1951). “shall not issue an occupational *549 license to such person until such person has filed acceptable proof of his financial responsibility as specified in section 85.09. The period of restricted operation under an occupational license shall be for one year from the date of…”
Schultz v. Hastings, 92 N.W.2d 846 (Wis. 1958). “, was the owner of the truck involved in the accident; that Bruce Runzler was the operator of the vehicle; that the company had issued an automobile liability policy as defined in sec. 85.09, Stats.; that the policy was in effect on the date of the accident, and that it applied…”
Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. v. Zimmerman, 467 N.W.2d 209 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). “Their arguments are presented in their petition for leave to appeal. 3 The circuit court's determination that the American Family policy on the pickup truck was in effect at the time of the accident is not at issue in this appeal.”
Erwin v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins., 232 F. Supp. 530 (E.D. Tenn. 1964). “operator of the vehicle; that the company had issued an automobile liability policy as defined in sec. 85.09, Stats.; that the policy was in effect on the date of the accident, and that it applied to both the owner and the operator.”
— Wis. Stat. § 85.09(17) — 1 case
Keane v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., 464 N.W.2d 830 (Wis. 1991). “Section 85.09(17), Stats. 1955, [13] the financial responsibility law in Havlik, referred to furnishing proof of financial responsibility for the future.”
— Wis. Stat. § 85.09(5)(c) — 1 case
Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. v. Zimmerman, 467 N.W.2d 209 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). “Their arguments are presented in their petition for leave to appeal. 3 The circuit court's determination that the American Family policy on the pickup truck was in effect at the time of the accident is not at issue in this appeal.”
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