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The Register of Deeds office is the custodian of real estate recordings for the county. The actual moment of conveyance is when a correctly prepared deed is handed from one owner to the next. Recording your deed will protect your interests in real property, as it serves as constructive notice of your rights and interests.
Recording Fees
Standard real estate recording fees are $30 per document.
A Certificate of Compliance, Stipulation, and a Waiver are all $30. A Stipulation/Waiver fee is $20 and is payable to the Register of Deeds.
Copies are $2 for the first page and $1 for each additional page of the document. Certified copies are an additional $1 per document.
The current rate of transfer taxes is $3 per $1,000 of value, rounded up. Whether the buyer or seller is to pay the transfer tax is often negotiated during the sale; if not, the grantor is liable.
A Wisconsin Real Estate Transfer Return (completed with proper fee paid or a transfer tax exemption number) is required for deeds, land contracts, and other instruments of conveyance. File the form electronically online with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
The recording fee must accompany the deed and the transfer return receipt when recording.
Document Formatting Requirements
* Only original deeds with original signatures can be recorded. Signatures are required to be notarized or authenticated. Corresponding names should be typed or written beneath signatures.
* The maximum size paper accepted is legal size (8.5x14 inches), and the minimum is letter size (8.5x11 inches). One side of a sheet constitutes a page. Printing should be single sided only. Pages should not be hinged.
* The entire document must be legible and in black ink so that it will scan properly. For best results, white paper and a font size of at least 12 point should be used.
* The upper right corner of the first page must be completely blank (a space of at least 3x3 inches) for the official recording stamp. The top margin should be a minimum of a inch for every page. Other margins should be a minimum of of an inch.
* The name and return address must be either directly under the 3x3 inch recording area or on the left side of the page and within the top 3 inches.
* The parcel identification number, if required, must be directly underneath the return address.
* The grantor and grantee must be identified on the deed. The grantor must sign the deed and must have his/her signature notarized. If there is more than one grantor, all grantors must sign the form.
* The title of the document must be within the top 3 inches of the page, but not in the top 3x3 inch corner.
* A legal description of the real property being conveyed must be on the deed. The description must be complete enough for an independent surveyor to locate and identify the specific parcel(s). The description should be by subdivision name, lot, and block in a platted subdivision, or by certified survey map and lot number. Unplatted lands are identified according to the town, range, section and quarter section, and metes and bounds associated with the Public Land Survey System or Private Claims or Government Lots. The municipality (town, city, or village) and county must also be named in the legal description. Wisconsin statutes require that in a metes and bounds description, the point of beginning should be referenced to at least one Public Land Survey System monument (a fixed natural or artificial object used to establish real estate boundaries for a metes and bounds description).
* An addendum may be attached in order to continue or add information, such as the legal description or additional grantors/grantees. It is good practice to add the words "see attached" or "see Attached Addendum 1" in the incomplete area of the form.
* The individual who prepared the form should have his/her name typed or printed in the bottom left corner of the first page, prefaced by "This instrument is drafted by ______."
* A conveyance must identify the interest conveyed and any material term, condition, reservation, or contingency upon which the interest is to arise, continue or be extinguished, limited, or encumbered.
REAL ESTATE TRANSFER RETURNS
As of July 1, 2009, all real estate transfer returns must be electronic, regardless of the date of conveyance. An electronic Transfer Receipt and fee or exemption number is required for all conveyances, except when exemptions 1, 2 (unless the transferor is the lender in the transaction), 2r, 4, or 11 apply. Transfers involving rental properties must be accompanied by a certificate of compliance (if not previously done) to prove that weatherization standards have been met, or with a stipulation/agreement to bring the property up to code.
The transfer form must to be completed electronically. When submitting your document for recording, it must be accompanied by the Transfer Form Receipt.
The valuation must be shown when the document is exempt under statute 77.25(8), except for numbers 3 or 10 under that statute.