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When you have a Wisconsin occupational license, for what purposes are you NOT allowed to drive?
Anonymous5 views5 answers
The Wisconsin DMV website states "You may not use an occupational license for recreational purposes." How is "recreational" defined? Obviously you are allowed to go to school, work, church, grocery shopping, etc. (If you check all the boxes), but I'm standing up in a wedding. Is going bridesmaid dress shopping allowed, or going to a salon to get your hair done for the wedding, going to buy my husband a suit, etc? It is a responsibility... Or is that recreational?
You may be pushing your luck driving for wedding related activities on an occupational license. Read all the fine print and dmv online guidance carefully. Some officers may take the view that permission for church may be restricted to regular weekly worship services.
Do not assume that I am your attorney because of my response here, since I would not normally be taking any further action on your case. You can request further clarifications on or see my past answers here which might help you at http://www.attorneyqna.com/attorneys/53401-wi-jay-nixon-1529181/answers.html?sort=recency http:// or at http://www.lawguru.com/answers/search/attorney/jknixon.
If you are going to buy your husband a suit, it is always best to have your husband present. That way the suit will fit. Have your husband drive. Recreational would be things you are doing for fun. Doesn't the bride shop for bridesmaid dresses? Then you go for a fitting, right? If you drive all over town going from shop to shop with your girlfriends, why not get a ride from one of them? I always feel that if you have any doubt, then there may be room for a law enforcement officer or a prosecutor to doubt that the driving was for an appropriate purpose, therefore, I would make other arrangements. When in doubt, do the "safe" thing. Don't take chances. A wedding and wedding reception are not on the list of accepted purposes for driving on an occupational license. Wedding receptions almost always have alcohol available to those in attendance. Have someone else drive you. Those are social functions and you should not drive for social functions.
Recreational is defined as, "relating to activity done for enjoyment when one is not working." The activities you list including but not limited to shopping for a bridesmaid dress, hair done at a salon and even buying a suit, seem to be more closely related to recreational activities than work. As such, I would recommend that if you were my client, do not drive yourself; rather, have someone else drive and enjoy the ride. You certainly don't want to be pulled over by an aggressive police officer who tickets you for not obeying the rules of the occupational license. That would result in much more serious legal harm to you. A brief consultation with an attorney experienced in this area of the law would be of great benefit to you.
