Wisconsin storage, towing and repair lien sale checklist

Documents to gather

• Mechanic: copy of the signed repair order with shop and customer names and addresses, the vehicle and plate, each repair and its price
• Towing company: copy of the signed towing bill on letterhead with the company, the vehicle and the towing and storage fees
• Self-storage: copy of the signed rental agreement on letterhead with the location, customer, vehicle, dates and storage fees
• Copies of the certified mail sent to every owner and lien holder (or the lessor, if leased)
• Public sale notice with the bidding dates, the vehicle and the business named as sellerNot needed for a private sale or if the vehicle is junked.
• Owner and lien holder proof from the other state, if titled outside Wisconsin
• A lien release, where one exists

Forms

• MV2881: Involuntary Lien Transfers and Abandonment of Property to a Landlord
• MV1 or MV11: Title application in the buyer's name (not needed if junked)
• MV2488: Odometer disclosure, model year 2011 or newer
• MV2896: Vehicle/Driver Record Information Request, to find owners and lien holders

Signatures

• The repair order, towing bill or rental agreement, signed
• MV2881 eligibility certification by the businessMV2881 warns that falsifying it can bring a fine up to $10,000.
• Buyer signs the title application

Fees and who you pay

• Title fee: $214.50 on the buyer's title applicationPaid to: WisDOT, paid by the buyer
• Sales tax on the sale price and any registration fees, figured on the title applicationPaid to: WisDOT, paid by the buyer
• Certified mail for every required noticePaid to: Postage, paid by the business enforcing the lien

Mail to

Order of steps

1. 1. Mechanic: wait until the claim has been unpaid for 2 months after the debt was incurred (section 779.48(2)).
2. 2. Find the recorded owners and lien holders (MV2896 for a Wisconsin title).
3. 3. Send certified notice to each of them at least 20 days before the sale or junking.
4. 4. Publish the sale notice if the sale is public, then hold the sale.
5. 5. Give the buyer the completed MV2881 and the supporting copies.
6. 6. Buyer mails them with the title application and fees.

Check before you mail

• A business that is not an eligible lien holder for that vehicle.
• Missing certified mail copies, or notice fewer than 20 days before the sale.
• No public sale notice when the sale was public.
• No record of the vehicle in any state. WisDOT then requires the bonded process or a court order.