MADISON – Today, Rep. Maxey and Rep. Madison, along with Rep. Donovan and Senators Tomczyk, Wanggaard, and Larson, introduced bipartisan legislation to increase safety of parking garages by requiring inspections every 5 years. The bill was originally drafted in response to the 2023 parking garage collapse at Glendale’s Bayshore Mall.
LRB 1435 would require every parking structure in Wisconsin to be inspected at least once every five years. This would bring parking structures closer to the inspection requirements of bridges, which are currently required to be inspected every 2-4 years.
Representative Madison (D-10) issued the following statement:
“When the parking garage collapsed at Bayshore Mall in February 2023, my first thought was how thankful I was that no one was hurt, especially after the 2010 Milwaukee parking structure incident that killed a 15-year old and injured two others. Then I learned that under current state law parking garages are not required to undergo periodic inspections post-construction – even though parking structures in Wisconsin are exposed to the elements and heavy vehicle usage.
This is a common-sense, bipartisan bill that closes an important gap in the law and ensures safety in our communities. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this bill.”
Representative Maxey (R-83) issued the following statement:
“We take for granted that our bridges are inspected and safe. It’s quite shocking that Wisconsin has no post-construction inspection requirements for parking structures. The heartbreaking incident near Summerfest in 2010 and the collapse at Bayshore Mall in 2023 serve as our wake-up call. Lives are at stake, and we need to fix this now.”
