MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Tens of thousands of Wisconsin drivers have been warned: the city of Milwaukee will tow your car if you have too many unpaid parking tickets.

The goal is simple: to get people to comply with the law. And doing so could help claw back millions of dollars in unpaid fines.

Alderman Scott Spiker says it's a little tough love that ultimately is in drivers' best interest. If people start paying those $30 and $40 tickets now, it will be a lot cheaper than the cost of their car getting towed.

Spiker told us, "This is our policy. This is what the expectations are. And if you don't follow the policy, there will be consequences."

The city of Milwaukee's tow lot on West Lincoln is crowded. And it could get a lot more crowded in 2026.

Vehicles with at least five citations that are 60 days past due can be towed under a new ordinance.

Spiker said, "We are very intentional in saying, 'You will not get your car back unless you get on a payment plan, through municipal court, or you pay your tickets.'"

When a ticket is written, parking services will run the plates. If it's a habitual parking violator, the vehicle will be towed. The city estimates 39,000 vehicles could be impacted.

Warnings were mailed to drivers in the fall when the ordinance was announced. Since then, about 400 people have paid about 1600 tickets.

But, Spiker said, "That's still a drop in the bucket compared to what's out there."

There are plenty of ways to pay, including online and in person.

Pay machines are at police stations throughout the city and at City Hall, where it's easy to scan your ticket or enter your license plate.

Alderman Spiker says revenue generation is not the primary goal but will be a result of enforcing the ordinance.

The penalty for most parking tickets falls in the $30-$50 range. Thousands of those tickets add up: the city says uncollected fines total more than $9 million that could help pay for things like library or fire services.

Spiker said, "If we even claim a fraction of that, just a million dollars, that would be an enormous help.54 because the parking fund has been in a bad way.…"

The city also offers payment plans for any number of tickets that totals more than $100.

But drivers must follow through. If they don't, the city could search out their cars to be towed, even if they're parked legally.