Milwaukee County Recorder Information

About Milwaukee County Recorder

The Register of Deeds records, maintains, and provides access to all the real estate records in Milwaukee County. If you visit the Register of Deeds in person, you should arrive by 4:00 PM in order to allow sufficient time for review of your documents.
Documents are not recorded immediately. They are put into the queue with other mailed-in and dropped-off documents to be recorded in the order they are received.

Recording Fees

The fee for recording a real estate document in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is $30, regardless of the number of pages. The fee for a plat is $50.

The current transfer fee rate is $3 per $1000 of value.

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. For a link and further information, see supplemental forms.

The recording fee must accompany the deed and the transfer return receipt when recording.

After a document has been recorded, it will be returned to the submitter within two to three weeks.

Document Formatting Requirements

All pages of a document submitted for recordation should be letter or legal size, on white paper and typed or printed in black ink.

If the document includes more than one grantor, all grantors must sign the form.

Real property documents need to include a legal description, which should be complete enough that an independent survey would be able to locate and identify the property.

Some counties in Wisconsin require a Parcel Identification Number (PIN), but Milwaukee County is not one of them.

An addendum can be added to provide further information on the legal description, or additional grantee or grantor information.

In the 'Addendum' section on the deed, it is best to write 'see attached' or 'see attached addendum 1.'

Grantor's signature(s) must be authenticated or notarized.

The bottom left corner of the form should be signed by the preparer, above the words 'This instrument is drafted by.'

Documents submitted for recording must have a 3x3 blank area in the upper right corner reserved for the Recorder.

The top margin should be a minimum of 1/2 inch for every page. Other margins are a minimum of 1/4 inch each.

REAL ESTATE TRANSFER FORM

Whenever a conveyance is presented to the Register of Deeds for recording, it must be accompanied by a receipt that evidences completion of a Wisconsin Real Estate Transfer form, which must be completed online via the Wisconsin Department of Revenue website. To request the requirements to file the form electronically be waived, contact the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Both the grantor and grantee (or either's agent) must sign the form.

If the transfer form has not been completed, an exemption number must be present on the document.