Recording a deed in Brown County, Wisconsin
Everything you need to get a deed on file in Brown County. The office that records it, the formatting it checks, what it costs, and the three ways to submit.
- Recording office
- Register of Deeds
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- $0.30 per $100 of value or fraction of $100
- First-page margin
- 3.5″ top
- Recording fee
- $30 per document
- E-recording
- Approved submitters
Recording a deed in Brown County
Deeds affecting property in Brown County, Wisconsin are recorded with the Register of Deeds. Recording is what puts the world on notice of your ownership and fixes the priority date. An unrecorded deed can still transfer title between the parties, but it leaves you exposed to anyone who records first.
The recording rules the office applies come from Wis. Stat. § 706.05. Deeds themselves are governed by Wis. Stat. § 706.02.
Worth knowing
Brown County is moving to tag-less recording. With a paper document, also submit the county's completed Swift Agreement: it gets you an email with a secure link, valid for 7 days, to print up to 3 copies of the recorded document.
What to bring
- The original signed and notarized deed. Recorders do not record photocopies handed over the counter.
- A completed notarial acknowledgment, with the date, the place where you signed, and the commission expiry all filled in.
- Wisconsin Real Estate Transfer Return (RETR), which Wisconsin requires alongside the deed.
- Payment for the recording fee, $30 per document. Many offices do not take personal checks.
Formatting
- Wisconsin requires a blank space of at least 3 inches by 3 inches in the upper right corner of the first page, within the margins (a document without it may not be recorded), a top margin of 0.5 inch on every page, side and bottom margins of at least 0.25 inch, return information on the first page, the name of whoever drafted the document, white paper of at least 20-pound weight, and 8.5 × 11 or 8.5 × 14 paper (Wis. Stat. § 59.43(2m)). The statute sets no minimum type size; Deedly prints nothing smaller than 10 points.
- On a Wisconsin page one Deedly leaves the upper right corner blank and prints the drafter's name, the return address and, under it, the parcel identification number on the left within the top 3 inches, as Dane and Winnebago counties ask. The title and the rest of the document start below the corner.
- Deedly's layout, which suits this office: 8.5 × 11 inch paper, a 3.5-inch clear space at the top of page one for the recording stamp, 0.5-inch margins on the other edges, and type no smaller than 10 point. Deedly formats every document this way automatically.
- A legal description. A street address alone is not enough.
- A 'when recorded, return to' block so the stamped original comes back to you.
How to file
- In personTake the original to the Register of Deeds in Green Bay. This is the fastest route. You usually walk out with the recording information the same day.
- By mailSend the original with a check or money order for the fee and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Allow one to three weeks for the stamped original to come back.
- E-recordingTitle companies, attorneys, and other approved submitters file electronically through services such as Simplifile, CSC, or ePN. Some offices accept filings from the public through those services; check the office's website. If you prepared the deed yourself, in person or by mail is usually simpler.
Confirm the address before you post anything
Offices move and hours change. Search for "Brown County Wisconsin Register of Deeds" and use the official county website, not a directory listing, which is often years out of date.
Formatted to Wisconsin requirements, with Brown County filing instructions included.
Common questions
With the Register of Deeds, located in Green Bay. Deeds are always recorded in the county where the property sits, not where the owner lives.
$30 per document. Wisconsin also charges real estate transfer fee at $0.30 per $100 of value or fraction of $100 ($3.00 per $1,000), imposed on the grantor (§ 77.22(1)), though transfers between spouses and certain close relatives are exempt, and a gift to anyone else pays the fee on the property's market value (Wis. Stat. §§ 77.21(3)(b), 77.25(8), (8m)). Confirm current fees with the office before you mail anything; they change.
Usually only through an approved e-recording submitter, such as a title company or attorney, using a service like Simplifile, CSC, or ePN. Some offices accept filings from the public through those services; check the office's website. Otherwise, record in person or by mail.
Keep reading
Deedly is not a law firm
Its software and documents are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. We provide self-help software and state-specific deed forms; you make your own decisions about your property. Using Deedly does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing here is legal advice. If your situation is complex or contested, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.