Updated October 11, 2026. Quick answer: To be recorded, a deed must carry a form of authentication allowed by s. 706.06, which includes acknowledgment before a public officer who can administer oaths or a member of the State Bar. The register of deeds charges $30 for recording a document entitled to be recorded.
Wisconsin quitclaim deed at a glance
| Item | What the documents say |
|---|---|
| Signing | A Wisconsin conveyance of land must identify the parties, land and interest, be signed by or on behalf of each grantor, and be delivered. |
| Witnesses | Wisconsin law says a recording office may not refuse an instrument because it lacks witnesses, seals or similar matters of form. |
| Notary or acknowledgment | To be recorded, a deed must carry a form of authentication allowed by s. 706.06, which includes acknowledgment before a public officer who can administer oaths or a member of the State Bar. |
| Statutory quitclaim form | Not found in the documents read |
| Where to record, and the fee | Register of deeds of the county where the land lies. The register of deeds charges $30 for recording a document entitled to be recorded. |
| State transfer tax | Wisconsin imposes a real estate transfer fee on the grantor at 30 cents per $100 of value, collected by the register of deeds when the deed is submitted for recording. |
| Gift from a parent to a child | Conveyances between parent and child, stepparent and stepchild, parent and son-in-law, parent and daughter-in-law, or grandparent and grandchild for nominal or no consideration are exempt. |
| Spouse or homestead | A conveyance that alienates a married person’s interest in a homestead must be signed, or joined in by separate conveyance, by each spouse, except conveyances between spouses. |
| Source | Wisconsin Legislature |
Signing, witnesses and the notary in Wisconsin
A Wisconsin conveyance of land must identify the parties, land and interest, be signed by or on behalf of each grantor, and be delivered.
To be recorded, a deed must carry a form of authentication allowed by s. 706.06, which includes acknowledgment before a public officer who can administer oaths or a member of the State Bar.
Witnesses: Wisconsin law says a recording office may not refuse an instrument because it lacks witnesses, seals or similar matters of form.
The text itself:
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 706 (Conveyances of Real Property; Recording; Titles): “Is signed by or on behalf of each of the grantors”
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 706 (Conveyances of Real Property; Recording; Titles): “venue, seals, witnesses or other matter of form”
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 706 (Conveyances of Real Property; Recording; Titles): “Contain a form of authentication authorized by s. 706.06”
If you want a ready-made form
Review LawDepot’s quitclaim deed form
LawDepot builds a quit claim deed from guided questions for your state. Compare the form with the signing, notary and recording rules on this page before you sign anything.
A deed moves title and can change a family’s tax and benefit position. If you need advice about your situation, ask a real estate attorney before choosing a document service.
The link goes to LawDepot, a paid legal-document service, not Clear Money Guide and not a law firm. LawDepot pays Clear Money Guide a commission if you buy a document there, at no extra cost to you. You are under no obligation to buy anything. We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice.
Review LawDepot’s quitclaim deedOpens on LawDepot. Follow the signing, notary and recording rules for your state.
How our partner relationships workRecording: where to file and what it costs
Recording office: Register of deeds of the county where the land lies. The register of deeds charges $30 for recording a document entitled to be recorded.
The text itself:
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 59 (County Government): “recorded with the register of deeds, $30.”
Transfer tax and a gift to a family member
Wisconsin imposes a real estate transfer fee on the grantor at 30 cents per $100 of value, collected by the register of deeds when the deed is submitted for recording.
Between family members: Conveyances between parent and child, stepparent and stepchild, parent and son-in-law, parent and daughter-in-law, or grandparent and grandchild for nominal or no consideration are exempt.
The text itself:
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 77 (Taxation; Real Estate Transfer Fee): “at the rate of 30 cents for each $100 of value”
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 77 (Taxation; Real Estate Transfer Fee): “Between parent and child, stepparent and stepchild”
Spouse and homestead
A conveyance that alienates a married person’s interest in a homestead must be signed, or joined in by separate conveyance, by each spouse, except conveyances between spouses.
The text itself:
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 706 (Conveyances of Real Property; Recording; Titles): “Is signed, or joined in by separate conveyance”
Other filings the documents mention
A completed real estate transfer return, signed by grantor and grantee, must be submitted with the deed, and the exemption reason must be stated on the face of the deed by reference to the s. 77.25 subsection.
The text itself:
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 77 (Taxation; Real Estate Transfer Fee): “submission of a completed real estate transfer return”
A worked example: a parent deeds the home to an adult child
An illustration, not a return: a parent bought a home for $100,000, and it is worth $300,000 when the parent deeds it to an adult child by quitclaim deed, with no payment. The child later sells it for $350,000. For a gift, federal law says the child’s basis is “the same as it would be in the hands of the donor”, so the basis stays $100,000 and the gain is $250,000 ($350,000 minus $100,000). Had the child received the same home at the parent’s death, when it was worth $300,000, the statute sets the basis at “fair market value of the property at the date of the decedent’s”, so the gain would be $50,000 ($350,000 minus $300,000). Federal gift tax filing rules are outside this page and outside the documents read.
Read the Wisconsin transfer-tax rule above for the state side of the same transfer. See CMG’s quitclaim vs warranty deed for a family transfer page for the choice of deed.
What the documents do not say
- Whether Wisconsin has a statutory quitclaim form: not found in the documents read.
- County or city transfer taxes and local recording surcharges were not read unless named above.
Common mistakes
- Assuming the Wisconsin transfer-tax exemption for family gifts also removes the federal basis consequence shown in the example.
- Assuming the answer for one state applies to another, or that signing a deed ends the paperwork before recording.
Related: quitclaim vs warranty deed for a family transfer, Wisconsin transfer on death deed, Wisconsin probate cost, and whether Wisconsin has an estate tax.
Sources
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 706 (Conveyances of Real Property; Recording; Titles): https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/706.pdf
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 59 (County Government): https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/59.pdf
- Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 77 (Taxation; Real Estate Transfer Fee): https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/77.pdf
- 26 U.S.C. 1015, Basis of property acquired by gifts and transfers in trust (U.S. Code, GovInfo): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title26/html/USCODE-2023-title26-subtitleA-chap1-subchapO-partII-sec1015.htm
- 26 U.S.C. 1014, Basis of property acquired from a decedent (U.S. Code, GovInfo): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title26/html/USCODE-2023-title26-subtitleA-chap1-subchapO-partII-sec1014.htm
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 11, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a tax professional or the state agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.