Updated September 7, 2026. Quick answer: Wisconsin has no dedicated will-contest statute of limitations. The figure that actually governs is 45 days, running from entry of the order admitting the will (90 days if formal notice of entry was not served; Wisconsin has no dedicated will-contest statute, this is the general civil-appeal deadline).
How long do you have to contest a will in Wisconsin?
| Deadline to contest an admitted will | 45 days |
| What starts the clock | entry of the order admitting the will (90 days if formal notice of entry was not served; Wisconsin has no dedicated will-contest statute, this is the general civil-appeal deadline) |
| Dedicated will-contest statute? | No; this is a general probate-appeal / vacate-the-order deadline |
“An appeal to the court of appeals must be initiated within 45 days of entry of a final judgment or order appealed from if written notice of the entry of a final judgment or order is given within 21 days of the final judgment or order…or within 90 days of entry if notice is not given.”
Source: Wis. Stat. § 808.04(1)
What makes Wisconsin different
Wisconsin has no standalone contest statute; the fight has to happen as an objection at the admission hearing, and afterward the only route is the ordinary civil appeal clock, whose length itself branches on whether formal notice of entry was served (45 days) or not (90 days). The controlling authority is Wis. Stat. § 808.04(1), and the window runs from entry of the order admitting the will (90 days if formal notice of entry was not served; Wisconsin has no dedicated will-contest statute, this is the general civil-appeal deadline).
What happens once this deadline passes?
Once the window above closes, Wisconsin’s probate of the will generally becomes final and binding on everyone who had the chance to object, subject only to the tolling or discovery exceptions described above; a separate objection Wisconsin allowed at the original probate hearing does not reopen or extend it.
Sources
| Statute / rule | Wis. Stat. § 808.04(1) |
| Wisconsin courts (general reference) | Wisconsin judicial branch |
| Confidence | High |
Every statute or rule quoted on this Wisconsin page was read directly from the state’s own legislature/court/code site this session, or, where that site blocked automated access, from a reputable legal-citation mirror quoting the same official text with its official citation (disclosed below). General information, not legal advice; whether a specific contest is still timely can turn on facts (exactly when notice was given, how the will was probated, whether a disability applies) that only your own Wisconsin probate court file can confirm.