Wisconsin general warranty deed
Here is what Wisconsin actually requires on a general warranty deed. The witness rules, the notary block, the margins, the forms that have to travel with it, and where to record it, plus what the deed does and does not do.
- Recording office
- Register of Deeds
- Witnesses
- Notary only
- Transfer tax
- $3.00 per $1
- First-page margin
- 3″ top
- Recording fee
- ~$30 first page
- E-recording
- Generally available
What a general warranty deed does in Wisconsin
A general warranty deed transfers ownership and adds the full set of title covenants: the grantor promises they own the property, have the right to sell it, that it is free of undisclosed encumbrances, and that they will defend the title against any claim, including claims that arose long before they owned it. It is the standard instrument for an arm's-length sale between private parties.
When Wisconsin homeowners use a general warranty deed
- Sell a property directly to a buyer without an agent
- Transfer a property where the buyer expects full title protection
- Satisfy a purchase contract that calls for a warranty deed
- Convey property where a title company requires warranty covenants
What Wisconsin requires on the deed
These are the execution and formatting rules registers of deeds enforce. Getting any of them wrong is the usual reason a deed comes back in the mail.
| Requirement | What Wisconsin says |
|---|---|
| Recording office | Register of Deeds |
| Notarization | Required. Every signature must be made in the notary's presence. |
| Witnesses | None required. A notarial acknowledgment is enough. |
| Legal description | Required, copied exactly from the prior recorded deed. A street address is not sufficient. |
| Grantee's address | Must appear on the face of the deed. |
| Return address | A 'when recorded, return to' block is required. |
| Preparer statement | Not required, but customary. |
| Prior deed reference | Not required, though it keeps the chain of title clean. |
| Page setup | 8.5 × 11 in, 3-inch top margin on the first page, 0.25-inch elsewhere, 8pt minimum type. |
| Accompanying form | Electronic Real Estate Transfer Return (eRETR) |
A spouse may have to sign even if they are not an owner
Both spouses must sign to convey a homestead (Wis. Stat. § 706.02(1)(f)). A Wisconsin deed must state whether the property is homestead property.
How to complete and record it in Wisconsin
- Find your current deedYou need the legal description from it, word for word. If you can't find your copy, the Register of Deeds can provide one, usually for a few dollars.
- Identify everyone by full legal nameNames must match the current deed and government ID exactly, middle names included. A mismatch creates a gap in the chain of title that shows up years later at closing.
- Complete the deedDeedly builds it with Wisconsin's statutory language, the correct notary block, and the 3-inch first-page margin registers of deeds expect.
- Sign in front of a notaryBring photo ID. Do not sign in advance. The signature has to be made in the notary's presence.
- Complete Electronic Real Estate Transfer Return (eRETR)Wisconsin requires this alongside the deed, including for exempt transfers. Your filing packet explains which boxes apply to your situation.
- Record it with the Register of DeedsFile in the county where the property is located and pay the recording fee. Most offices in this state also accept e-recording, which is usually same-day. Keep the stamped receipt. It fixes your priority date.
- Update insurance and tax recordsA change of ownership can affect your homeowner's policy, your homestead or senior exemption, and in some states the assessed value. Do this within a few weeks.
What it costs in Wisconsin
| Cost | Typical amount |
|---|---|
| Recording fee | About $30 for the first page |
| Transfer tax | Real estate transfer fee: $3.00 per $1,000 of value (0.3%) |
| Notary | Typically $5–$25 per signature; often free at your bank |
| Deedly | $69, one time |
| Attorney (for comparison) | $300–$1,200 for the same statutory document |
Wisconsin charges a real estate transfer fee of $3.00 per $1,000 of value (0.3%). It is customarily paid by the grantor.
Exemptions that commonly apply to a transfer like this: transfers between spouses, transfers between parent and child for nominal consideration, gifts with no consideration, and transfers to or from a revocable trust. You have to claim the exemption. The recorder won't apply it for you.
Where to record it in Wisconsin
Wisconsin deeds are recorded with the Register of Deeds in the county where the property sits, not where you live. There are 72 counties in Wisconsin.
Most Wisconsin recording offices accept e-recording through vendors such as Simplifile, CSC, or ePN, which is usually same-day. Check your county's website for the list it works with.
Recording offices we cover in Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Dane, Waukesha, Brown, Racine, Outagamie, Winnebago, Kenosha, Washington. See all Wisconsin recording offices.
What a general warranty deed does NOT do
Being honest about the limits is more useful than a sales pitch. Every one of these catches somebody out.
- The covenants only bind the grantor personally. If they have no assets, a covenant claim may be worth little.
- It does not replace title insurance or a title search. It gives you a claim after the fact, not clean title today.
- It does not avoid probate and cannot be revoked once delivered and recorded.
- Signing one when you don't actually know the property's history exposes you to real liability. Where that is a concern, a special warranty deed is the safer instrument.
Quirks of Wisconsin law that catch people out
- Every Wisconsin deed must state whether the property IS or IS NOT homestead property. If it is, both spouses must sign, regardless of who is on the title.
- Wisconsin is a marital property (community property) state, the only one in the Midwest.
- An electronic Real Estate Transfer Return (eRETR) must be completed online; the receipt number goes on the deed before recording.
- Wisconsin implements transfer-on-death as a TOD designation under Wis. Stat. § 705.15 rather than a separate deed instrument.
- Leave a 3-inch by 3-inch blank block in the upper right of page one and a return-address block in the upper left.
How to hold title in Wisconsin
When two or more people take title in Wisconsin and the deed says nothing more, the law presumes a tenancy in common, which means no automatic survivorship. If you want the survivor to take the whole property, the words have to be on the deed. Forms of co-ownership available in Wisconsin: joint tenancy with right of survivorship, tenancy in common, community property, and community property with right of survivorship.
Married couples
Wisconsin is a marital property state. Property acquired during marriage is presumed marital property (Wis. Stat. ch. 766), which functions like community property.
Wisconsin offers survivorship marital property, which is the marital-property analogue of community property with right of survivorship.
$69, one time. Your finished deed appears in full before you pay, with Wisconsin's witness rules, margins, and recording instructions already applied.
Common questions
No. Wisconsin has no requirement that an attorney prepare a deed. What matters is the correct statutory language, an accurate legal description, proper notarization, and recording with the Register of Deeds. Deedly produces all of that for $69, versus roughly $300–$1,200 for an attorney to draft the same document. If ownership is disputed, the current owner has died without probate, or the transfer is tax-sensitive, use an attorney.
Expect around $30 for the first page. Wisconsin also charges real estate transfer fee of $3.00 per $1,000 of value (0.3%), though gifts and family transfers are often exempt. Typical figure. Counties set their own fees. Confirm with your recorder before mailing.
No. Wisconsin requires only that the grantor's signature be acknowledged before a notary public. Forms that show witness lines are usually generic templates borrowed from another state.
With the Register of Deeds in the county where the property is located, not where you live, and not where the buyer lives. Wisconsin has 72 counties. Most offices also accept e-recording through a submitting service.
No, and this is the single most common misunderstanding about deeds. A deed changes who owns the property. The mortgage is a separate contract with the lender, and only a refinance or a written release from the lender removes a borrower. Someone can be off the deed and still fully liable on the loan.
Often, yes. Both spouses must sign to convey a homestead (Wis. Stat. § 706.02(1)(f)). A Wisconsin deed must state whether the property is homestead property. That surprises people, because the spouse is not becoming an owner. They are releasing rights the law gives them automatically. Deedly adds a joinder block for the signature when it applies.
Keep reading
- Wisconsin quitclaim deedTransfers whatever interest you have in a property, with no promises about the title.
- Wisconsin special warranty deedTransfers ownership, but only guarantees the title for the period you owned it.
- Wisconsin transfer on death designationNames who inherits your property, skips probate, and changes nothing while you're alive.
- Wisconsin life estate deedYou keep the right to live in the property for life; named remaindermen own it after you.
- All deed rules for WisconsinRecording offices, transfer tax, witness rules, and fees.
- Wisconsin recording officesWhere to file in each county.
Deedly is not a law firm
We provide self-help software and state-specific statutory 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.