About the Register of Deeds

ABOUT US
 
The office of the Register of Deeds was established in Wisconsin in 1836. Before that year, the Register in Probate handled land registration. In 1848 the Wisconsin Constitution established the Register of Deeds as a permanent element of the county-level government structure. Each county in Wisconsin has a Register of Deeds. The responsibilities of the office are set forth in the Wisconsin Statutes. The Register of Deeds serves a statewide purpose, although elected at a county level.

The Register of Deeds office is responsible for the following duties:

 To provide the official county repository for:

• Real Estate Records – Deeds, Land Contracts, Mortgages, UCC Filings, Subdivision Plats, Condominium Plats, Certified Survey Maps, Lis Pendens, Annexations, Resolutions, Miscellaneous Files.
• Vital Records - Birth, Death, Marriage, Domestic Partnerships and Military Discharges.

 
To provide safe archival storage and convenient access to these public records. Using optical imaging technology, the department scans all real estate and vital records documents into an electronic format for permanent storage and retrieval.
 
To implement statutory changes, system modernization, program and procedure evaluation and staff development to assure a high level of timely service for our citizens and customers.