How Do I Transfer a Car Title After Someone Dies in Wisconsin?

Most Wisconsin families use one form: MV2300, the Statement of Transfer of Vehicles to or by a Surviving Family Member, Domestic Partner or Heir. You send it to the DMV with the car's title and a title application (form MV1). For a surviving spouse or domestic partner there is no title transfer fee, and an inherited car is exempt from sales tax.

Which route you use depends on who is getting the car and how big the estate is. Find your situation below.

If you're the surviving spouse or domestic partner

You can use MV2300 to put up to five vehicles that only your spouse or partner owned into your name. That limit applies to vehicles less than 20 years old. Older vehicles don't count toward it.

• No title fee. WisDOT charges no title transfer fee to a qualifying surviving spouse or domestic partner.
• Your plates and registration can come with it. When the deceased was the only owner, the DMV can move the existing plates and registration over.
• What you're agreeing to. On the form, you accept responsibility for your spouse's or partner's debts, up to the value of the vehicle.

If there are more than five newer vehicles, the extra ones go through the estate's executor or administrator, or a court order.

If you're another heir and there's no probate

An heir can also use MV2300 when the person who died left property in their name alone worth no more than $50,000.

• Family members often pay no title fee. The form waives the title fee for Wisconsin residents who were the deceased's parent, child, stepchild, stepparent, brother or sister, grandparent or grandchild, or the spouse of one of these.
• Other heirs pay the transfer fee, which WisDOT lists as $214.50 since October 1, 2025.
• Plates usually don't transfer to an heir. Plan on getting your own plates unless a co-owner is a qualifying family member.

If the estate is going through probate

When a court has appointed a personal representative (the executor or administrator), that person handles the car. They sign the title as the seller and write their role after their name. The DMV accepts the court's Domiciliary Letters, or other letters that give the representative authority, sent along with the signed title.

If the car was owned jointly

Look at how the owners' names are joined on the title.

• "Or" between the names: the surviving owner can sign alone.
• "And" between the names: the surviving owner and the deceased's legal representative both sign. If one person is both, they sign twice.

What to send the DMV

1. Form MV2300, filled in and signed.
2. The original title. If a lender holds it, ask the lender for it. If it's lost, add form MV2119 and its fee.
3. Form MV1, the title application, in the new owner's name.
4. A lien release, if there was a loan, and the odometer statement (MV2488) if the vehicle needs one.
5. Any fees that apply.

Mail everything to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, or take it to a DMV Customer Service Center. WisDOT's own pages say not to use the eMV Public online service for these transfers, because it charges more. If the car has an out-of-state title, a copy of the death certificate may be needed.

If you'd rather sell the car

You don't have to put the car in your name first to sell it privately. The surviving spouse, partner or heir signs the back of the title as the seller and gives the buyer the completed MV2300 (plus the Domiciliary Letters if there's probate). The buyer then sends in MV2300, MV1 and the fees.

Trading it in is different: an heir must title the car in their own name before a dealer can take it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay sales tax on a car I inherit in Wisconsin?

No. WisDOT lists inheritance as a sales tax exemption for a vehicle with a current Wisconsin title. If you buy a car from an estate instead, sales tax applies.

Is there a deadline to transfer the title?

Wisconsin law says the new owner should apply promptly, and it doesn't give a set number of days on the DMV pages. Don't drive the car on the deceased's registration for long, and don't let the insurance lapse.

Can someone be named on a Wisconsin title to get the car when the owner dies?

WisDOT's guides for families don't describe a transfer-on-death option for vehicles. Families use the MV2300 routes above, or probate.

Do I need a lawyer?

Usually not for the MV2300 routes. If the estate is over $50,000, there's a dispute, or there are several heirs, a probate lawyer can help.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Forms and fees change, so check WisDOT's current pages before you send anything. Last checked October 28, 2026.

Sources: WisDOT: Surviving spouse or domestic partner; WisDOT: Heir; WisDOT guide for families (BDS367); WisDOT form MV2300; WisDOT: purchase price and tax FAQ; Wis. Stat. 342.17