Wisconsin Bill of Sale — Free Template & Generator
Wisconsin writes the odometer rule into its own statute rather than leaving it to federal law: § 342.155 says no transferor may transfer ownership without disclosing the mileage in writing. Pair that with § 342.15, which requires the assignment of title at the moment of delivery and says the transfer is not effective until the section is complied with, and you have the two rules that decide whether a Wisconsin private sale actually happened.
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- Wisconsin pre-selected
How it works
- 01 Wisconsin is already selected
The governing-law clause names the state; change it only if the sale happens elsewhere.
- 02 Enter the item and the parties
Vehicle, boat or general item — VIN and odometer, or HIN — plus price, payment method, seller and buyer.
- 03 Review clause by clause
The as-is terms, the seller’s title warranty and, for vehicles, the federal odometer statement.
- 04 Download, then file Wisconsin’s paperwork
Word & PDF on your device; the state steps and forms are listed below, each cited to the source.
What Wisconsin actually requires
Wisconsin rules for a private sale
Last verified September 6, 2026- What the seller must do Assign the title at delivery
If an owner transfers an interest in a vehicle other than by creating a security interest, the owner must comply with § 342.155 and, “at the time of the delivery of the vehicle, execute an assignment and warranty of title to the transferee in the space provided therefor on the certificate,” and cause the certificate to be mailed or delivered to the transferee. The odometer section is written into the transfer duty itself, not bolted on beside it.
- Odometer Written disclosure, by state statute
“Unless exempted by rule of the department, no transferor may transfer ownership of a motor vehicle without disclosing the vehicle’s mileage in writing to the transferee by specifying the odometer reading.” The disclosure must state either that the reading is known to be actual mileage, or that it is not the actual mileage and should not be relied upon, or that it reflects mileage in excess of the odometer’s limit. Wisconsin makes this a state duty on top of the federal rule in 49 CFR Part 580.
- Buyer’s duty and when the transfer bites Apply promptly · not effective until done
The transferee “shall, promptly after delivery to him or her of the vehicle, execute the application for a new certificate of title in the space provided on the certificate or as the department prescribes, and deliver or mail the certificate and application to the department.” Subsection (3) supplies the sanction: except as between the parties and as provided in § 342.16, a transfer by an owner is not effective until the provisions of the section have been complied with.
How this document fits Wisconsin’s paperwork
Official form: Wisconsin transfers ownership through the assignment and warranty of title executed in the space provided on the certificate under Wis. Stat. § 342.15(1)(a) — there is no separate state bill-of-sale form in that chain. The written mileage disclosure required by § 342.155 is what most private parties record on a bill of sale alongside the title.
The generated bill of sale is where the § 342.155 mileage statement, the price and the date live in one signed document — useful because the statute demands the disclosure be “in writing to the transferee” and specific about whether the reading is actual. Complete the title assignment at the same moment you hand over the vehicle, as § 342.15(1)(a) requires, and get the application to the department promptly: under § 342.15(3) the transfer is not effective against the world until that is done.
FAQ
Wisconsin bill of sale questions
- Does Wisconsin require a bill of sale?
- Chapter 342 moves ownership through the assignment and warranty of title on the certificate, so a bill of sale is not the transfer document. What Wisconsin does require in writing is the mileage: § 342.155(1)(a) forbids transferring ownership without disclosing the odometer reading in writing to the buyer, and a bill of sale is the natural place to put it alongside the price and date.
- Does a Wisconsin bill of sale need to be notarized?
- Section 342.15 sets out the transfer sequence — assignment at delivery, certificate mailed or delivered, buyer’s prompt application — without requiring an oath or acknowledgment. Notarising is a matter of choice, not a statutory condition of the transfer.
- What has to be in the Wisconsin odometer statement?
- The reading itself, plus one of three characterisations the statute names: that the reading is known to be actual mileage; that it is not the actual mileage and should not be relied upon; or that it reflects mileage in excess of the odometer’s mechanical limit. Ticking none of them leaves the disclosure incomplete.
- When does the sale legally take effect in Wisconsin?
- Between the buyer and seller, when they deal. Against everyone else, § 342.15(3) says a transfer by an owner is not effective until the provisions of the section have been complied with — the assignment executed, the certificate delivered, the application made — with the exception for dealers in § 342.16.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. Free Contract Generator provides self-help templates and general information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Vehicle-transfer rules are set by each state and change; confirm the current rule with the agency cited and consult a licensed attorney for advice about your situation.