Wisconsin title answers · Inherited and family
How do you change a car title after a divorce in Wisconsin?
Short answer
Your ex signs the title over to you, and you file form MV1 with the $214.50 title fee. The divorce decree decides who gets the car, but it does not change the title by itself. If your ex was the only owner and you include a copy of the decree, WisDOT lists the transfer as exempt from sales tax.
Read the title first
Find the current title and look at the owner names. Three setups are common after a divorce: the car is in your ex's name only, it is in both names, or it is in your name only and your ex is not on it at all. In the last case there is nothing to change.
If both names are on it, the word between them sets the signing rule. WisDOT says AND means every owner signs to transfer; OR means any one owner may sign. If you are keeping the car, you are both a seller and the buyer on the same title.
The transfer itself
Whoever is giving up the car signs the title in the seller area and fills in the odometer mileage statement, which WisDOT notes is required under federal law. The spouse keeping the car completes MV1 as the new owner and mails it with the original title to WI Dept. of Transportation, P.O. Box 7949, Madison WI 53707-7949.
MV1 charges the $214.50 title fee whenever owners change. The surviving-spouse fee waiver is only for a death, so it does not apply here.
Sales tax and the decree
WisDOT's purchase price FAQ lists "ex-spouse" among the family transfers that can be exempt from sales tax. The condition WisDOT gives: if the previous owner was solely the ex-spouse, include a copy of the divorce decree showing the vehicle was awarded to the new owner.
Two details trip people up here. The decree has to actually award the vehicle, so a general property split that never names the car is weak support. And family transfer exemptions apply only to a vehicle with a current Wisconsin title. If the car still carries an out-of-state title, this exemption is not available.
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue reviews every exemption. If you are unsure, WisDOT says to call DOR at (608) 266-2776.
If there is a loan, or your ex will not sign
A car with a loan recorded since July 30, 2012 has its title held by the lender. Neither of you can sign over a title the lender holds, so the lender is the first call. Its lien stays on the record until it is released.
If your ex refuses to sign, there is no WisDOT form that substitutes your signature for theirs. Wisconsin's title law (Wis. Stat. 342.17) has a section for ownership that passes other than by voluntary transfer, and it leaves the required documents up to WisDOT. Ask WisDOT what it would accept for your situation, and take enforcement of the decree back to the family court.
Step by step
- Find the title, or ask the lender if there is a loan.
- The owner or owners giving up the car sign as seller.
- The spouse keeping it completes MV1 and, if claiming the ex-spouse exemption, attaches a copy of the decree.
- Mail MV1, the original title and fees to WisDOT.
Common questions
Can I just send the decree instead of a signed title?
WisDOT's pages we reviewed do not say a decree replaces the owner's signature. Ask WisDOT before you mail anything.
Do I owe sales tax if I keep the car?
Maybe not. WisDOT lists an ex-spouse transfer as an exemption when the ex was sole owner and you include the decree. DOR makes the call.
Can I keep the plates?
WisDOT tells the owner giving up a car to remove the plates, which can then go on another similar vehicle titled to that person. If the plates belong to your ex, apply for your own on MV1.
My name changed in the divorce. Is that on this form?
A name change is a different record update. Ask WisDOT how it wants a legal name change shown on a title.
Want us to do the paperwork?
You tell us your situation. We fill out the WisDOT forms for it and give you a checklist of what to include. You review, sign and mail the package yourself.
If the state asks for a bond, you buy it from a licensed surety of your choosing. We take no commission.
- ✓ $299, one flat fee, bonded titles included
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- ✓ The application is in your name from the start
State fees are paid to WisDOT. Any bond premium is paid to the surety you choose.
Prefer to fill out the forms yourself? The $97 do-it-yourself kit walks you through every form field, the real costs, and the 12 reasons packets get rejected.
Related answers
How do you remove a name from a car title in Wisconsin?
A living co-owner comes off by signing the title over and filing MV1 ($214.50). A deceased owner comes off with MV2300; a spouse pays no title fee.
Read this guide →What if a co-owner will not sign the car title in Wisconsin?
If the title says OR, one owner can sign alone. If it says AND, WisDOT needs every owner's signature, and only a deal or a court changes that.
Read this guide →What does AND versus OR mean on a Wisconsin title?
AND means every owner on a Wisconsin title must sign to sell. OR means any one owner can. The word also decides what happens after a death.
Read this guide →Do you pay sales tax on a private car sale in Wisconsin?
Yes. The buyer pays 5% state sales tax plus county and city tax when titling the car. In the City of Milwaukee that totals 7.9%.
Read this guide →How much does it cost to transfer a title in Wisconsin?
The Wisconsin title transfer fee is $214.50. Add 5% state sales tax, any county or city tax, and $85 for car plates. How to total it up.
Read this guide →Sources, checked 2026-10-31: WisDOT: eMV Public FAQs, purchase price and tax exemptions · WisDOT form MV1, Title and License Plate Application (PDF) · WisDOT: Selling your vehicle · WisDOT form MV1020, Title/Registration Correction Request (PDF) · Wis. Stat. 342.17 (involuntary transfers, including decedents) · Wis. Stat. 342.14 (title fees and waivers). Rules can change; confirm with WisDOT before you file.
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