Wisconsin Statutes 867.046 – Summary confirmation of interest in property
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Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 867.046
- Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Decedent: A deceased person.
- Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Following: when used by way of reference to any statute section, means the section next following that in which the reference is made. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols or figures. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Joint tenancy: A form of property ownership in which two or more parties hold an undivided interest in the same property that was conveyed under the same instrument at the same time. A joint tenant can sell his (her) interest but not dispose of it by will. Upon the death of a joint tenant, his (her) undivided interest is distributed among the surviving joint tenants.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Land: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments and all rights thereto and interests therein. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Life estate: A property interest limited in duration to the life of the individual holding the interest (life tenant).
- Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
- Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
- Oath: includes affirmation in all cases where by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
- Person: includes all partnerships, associations and bodies politic or corporate. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Personal representative: means a person, however denominated, who is authorized to administer a decedent's estate. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Preceding: when used by way of reference to any statute section, means the section next preceding that in which the reference is made. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Probate: Proving a will
- Property: includes real and personal property. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- real property: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments and all rights thereto and interests therein. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- seal: includes the word "seal" the letters "L S" and a scroll or other device intended to represent a seal, if any is affixed in the proper place for a seal, as well as an impression of a seal on the instrument. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- State: when applied to states of the United States, includes the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the several territories organized by Congress. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
- Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; "year" alone means "year of our Lord". See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
(1) Definitions. In this section:
(a) “Beneficiary of a marital property agreement” means a designated person, trust or other entity having an interest in property passing by nontestamentary disposition under s. 766.58 (3) (f).
(b) “Survivorship marital property” means property held under s. 766.60 (5) (a).
(c) “TOD beneficiary” means a person designated on a deed as a transfer on death beneficiary under s. 705.15 or a person designated on a document as a transfer on death beneficiary under s. 705.18.
(1m) Upon death; generally. If a domiciliary of this state dies who immediately prior to death had an interest in property in this state, including an interest in survivorship marital property or an interest in property passing under s. 705.10 (1) or 705.18 (2), or if a person not domiciled in this state dies having an interest in property in this state, including an interest in survivorship marital property or an interest in property passing under s. 705.10 (1) or 705.18 (2), upon petition of the decedent‘s spouse, a beneficiary of a marital property agreement, a TOD beneficiary, or a beneficiary of a transfer under s. 705.10 (1) or 705.18 (2) to the court of the county of domicile of the decedent or, if the decedent was not domiciled in this state, of any county where the property is situated, the court shall issue a certificate under the seal of the court. The certificate shall set forth the fact of the death of the decedent, the termination or transfer of the decedent’s interest in the property, the interest of the petitioner in the property and any other facts essential to a determination of the rights of persons interested. The certificate is prima facie evidence of the facts recited, and if the certificate relates to an interest in real property or to a debt secured by an interest in real property, the petitioner shall record a certified copy or duplicate original of the certificate in the office of the register of deeds in each county in this state in which the real property is located.
(2) Upon death; interest in property. As an alternative to sub. (1m), upon the death of any person having an interest in any real property, a vendor’s interest in a land contract, an interest in a savings or checking account, an interest in a security, a mortgagee‘s interest in a mortgage, or an interest in property passing under s. 705.10 (1) or 705.18 (2), including an interest in survivorship marital property, the decedent’s spouse, a beneficiary of a marital property agreement, a TOD beneficiary, or a beneficiary of a transfer under s. 705.10 (1) or 705.18 (2) may obtain evidence of the termination of that interest of the decedent and confirmation of the applicant’s interest in the property by providing to the register of deeds of the county in which the property is located, on an application supplied by the register of deeds for that purpose, the name, residence, and post-office address of the decedent, the name, residence, and post-office address of the applicant, and the date of the decedent’s death. A person providing an application to the register of deeds under this subsection or, if the person is not an individual, a representative of the person shall sign the application and verify, under oath, the correctness of the information provided in the application. The applicant shall also provide to the register of deeds the following information:
(i) In the case of real property, a copy of the property tax bill for the year preceding the year of the decedent’s death and a legal description of the property, which description shall be imprinted on or attached to the application. The register of deeds shall record the bill. The required recording of the property tax bill may be waived by an agreement between the register of deeds and the county real property lister.
(j) In the case of a joint tenancy, life estate, or TOD beneficiary designation, a copy of the deed that creates the interest.
(k) In the case of a transfer under s. 705.10 (1), except as described in par. (i) or (j), a copy of the document described in s. 705.10 (1).
(L) In the case of a transfer under s. 705.18 (2), except as described in par. (j), a copy of the document described in s. 705.18 (2).
(2m) Third-party confirmation. If the personal representative or decedent’s spouse or a beneficiary of a marital property agreement or TOD beneficiary does not commence proceedings to confirm an interest under this section or s. 863.27 or 865.201 within 90 days after the decedent’s death, any interested person may petition or apply under this section.
(3) Completion of application. The register of deeds or other person authorized under s. 706.06 or ch. 140 shall complete a statement at the foot of the application, declaring that the applicant or, if the applicant is not an individual, a representative of the applicant appeared before him or her and verified, under oath, the correctness of the information required by sub. (2).
(4) Delivery of application. The register of deeds shall mail or deliver a copy of the application to the circuit court for the county of residence of the decedent, unless the clerk of courts notifies the register of deeds in writing that this procedure is not necessary.
(5) Recording; termination of property interest. Upon the recording, the application constitutes prima facie evidence of the facts recited and constitutes the termination of the property interest, with the same force and effect as if issued by the court assigned to exercise probate jurisdiction for the county of domicile of the decedent under s. 867.04.
(6) Purchasers from petitioners protected. If an interest in property transferred under this section is acquired from the petitioner by a purchaser or lender in good faith, for value and without actual notice that the transfer was improper, the purchaser or lender takes title free of any claims of the decedent’s estate and incurs no personal liability to the estate, whether or not the transfer was proper. Purchasers and lenders have no duty to inquire whether a transfer was proper.