Frequently Asked Questions

Remain as calm as possible and pull over to the side of the road as quickly and safely as you can. Roll down your window, but stay inside the car - don’t get out unless the officer directs you to do so. Don’t take any actions that can be mistaken for a dangerous move. For example, don’t reach for a purse or backpack or open the glove box unless you’ve asked the officer’s permission, even if you are just looking for your license and registration card. The officer may think you’re reaching for a weapon. You can help us by turning on an interior light at night, this helps officers see inside your car.

Do not become argumentative, disorderly or abusive. If an officer has already written a ticket, it cannot be voided at that time. If you believe that you have been unfairly cited, do not make this argument on the side of the road. Your best alternative is to carry your protest to court. The court date and time is listed on the upper left portion of the citation.

The Cottage Grove Police Department currently does not offer this service. The City of Madison Police Department offers this service on select days and times for a fee, contact them at 608-266-4906 for more information.

The Cottage Grove Police Department will not provide you with a copy of your driving record or advise you what your driving record reveals. You may obtain a copy from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WI DOT). For more information, please go to the

The Cottage Grove Police Department will provide you with a police contact history for our agency; this is not a criminal history. You may obtain a copy of your

Interested citizens are welcome to ride along with an officer during part of a shift to see what we do during our day. Contact the department during business hours or an on-duty officer to make arrangements for this interesting experience. Tours of our facility and squad cars can be arranged through our business office. We look forward to having you join us during a shift or visit with us at our facility.

A vehicle parked on a village street needs to be moved every 24 hours.

The Cottage Grove Police Department will not tow vehicles from private property. The property owner needs to make arrangements; however if deemed necessary, the Cottage Grove Police Department will ticket vehicles on private property.

A. No child under the age of 18 years shall loiter, idle or remain upon any street, alley, or other public place in the Village between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. the next day, except Friday and Saturday when the hours shall be 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., unless such child is accompanied by his or her parent, guardian, or other adult person having legal custody of such child. [Amended 4-1-1985] B. Exceptions. (1) This chapter shall not apply to a child: (a) Performing an errand as directed by parents, guardian or person having lawful custody. (b) Who is on his or her own premises or the areas immediately adjacent thereto. (c) Whose employment makes it necessary to be on the streets, alleys, public places or any motor vehicle after such hour. (d) Returning home from a supervised school, church, or civic function. (2) These exceptions, however, shall not permit a child to unnecessarily loiter about the streets, alleys, or public places or be in a parked motor vehicle on the public street.

Over the course of time the department acquires various items of property that are turned over to us or found by officers. These items are maintained at the department and efforts to locate the owners are made through available serial numbers, identifying information or other descriptions. After a period of time, these items are disposed of if no owner is located or comes forward. If you have lost an item, please contact the department to see if we may have it.

We auction items after they are statutorily deemed abandoned. This auction would be done in conjunction with other Village departments and would be announced on the Village of Cottage Grove website.