Probate and Recording Deeds in Brown County (Green Bay), Wisconsin
Where to file a will or open probate, and where to record a deed, in Brown County (Green Bay) — with the state rules that apply.
Probate court
Brown County Register in Probate
Address: 100 S. Jefferson Street, Room 160, Green Bay, WI 54301
Phone: (920) 448-4275
Recording deeds
Brown County Register of Deeds
Wisconsin rules that apply
| Small estate affidavit | Yes, 'transfer by affidavit.' If the decedent's property subject to administration in Wisconsin does not exceed $50,000 in gross value, an heir, the trustee of the decedent's revocable trust, the person named in the will as personal representative, or the decedent's guardian at death may collect money and receive property by giving the holder an affidavit describing the property and stating the total value of the property subject to administration and whether the decedent or spouse received certain public long-term care or medical assistance benefits (if so, notice must first be sent to the Department of Health Services by certified mail). Real property may be included: at least 30 days before recording the affidavit with the register of deeds, the affiant must give the heirs a copy and notice by certified mail or personal service. A person named as personal representative who is not also an heir, trustee or guardian may not take real property this way, and holders must wait 30 days before transferring to such a person. The affiant must use the property to pay the decedent's obligations in statutory priority and distribute the rest to those entitled. There is no general waiting period after death in the statute; the 30-day waits apply only in the situations described. The Wisconsin court system's notice (PR-1831) states that the transfer by affidavit form is now maintained by the State Bar of Wisconsin. Source: Wis. Stat. § 867.03 |
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| Probate steps | 1) File a petition for formal administration with the circuit court, or an application for informal administration with the probate registrar (Register in Probate), in the proper county. 2) Give notice to interested persons; the court or registrar appoints the personal representative, who files any required bond and receives letters. 3) The court or registrar sets a deadline for creditor claims 3 to 4 months after the order, and notice to creditors is published. 4) The personal representative prepares an inventory within six months after appointment (in informal administration it is given to interested persons rather than filed). 5) Pay valid claims, expenses and taxes. 6) Distribute the estate and close it by final judgment or, in informal administration, by filing a sworn closing statement. |
| Signing and recording a deed | A deed must identify the parties, the land and the interest conveyed, be signed by each grantor (and by both spouses if it conveys a married person's homestead, except between spouses), and be delivered. To be recorded with the county register of deeds, the signatures must be authenticated, either by notarial acknowledgment or by authentication by a Wisconsin attorney or an officer entitled to administer oaths, and the document must include a full legal description. A real estate transfer return must be filed and a transfer fee of 30 cents per $100 of value paid by the grantor at recording unless an exemption applies (for example, transfers between spouses, between parent and child for nominal consideration, or by will, descent or survivorship). |
| Transfer-on-death deed | Yes. An owner may designate a 'TOD beneficiary' for real property in a document that names the owner(s) and beneficiary and states that the transfer is effective only at death; for marital property, both spouses must sign. The document must be recorded with the register of deeds in the county where the property is located before the owner's death (or the last owner's death). It has no effect on ownership during life and may be revoked by a later recorded and acknowledged instrument. It requires the same mental capacity as a will. Claims to recover the property from the beneficiary are generally barred unless an action is filed, and a lis pendens recorded, within 120 days after death. Section 705.15 was most recently amended by 2025 Wis. Act 60. No real estate transfer fee is due to designate a TOD beneficiary or on the transfer at death (Wis. Stat. § 77.25). Source: Wis. Stat. § 705.15 |
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General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.