Bill

Bill > AB216


WI AB216

The amount and distribution of the real estate transfer fee, grants under the land information program, real property recording notification systems, and making an appropriation. (FE)


summary

Introduced
04/23/2025
In Committee
04/23/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

Potential new amendment
2025-2026 Regular Session

Bill Summary

Current law, generally, requires a person who conveys an interest in real property to file a real estate transfer return with the county register of deeds and pay a real estate transfer fee equal to 30 cents for each $100 of the value of the conveyance. The county retains 20 percent of the fees collected and transmits the remainder to the state. This bill decreases the real estate transfer fee to 20 cents for each $100 of the value of the conveyance. Under the bill, 30 percent of the fees collected are deposited into the general fund, 20 percent of the fees are deposited into the land information fund, and the county retains 50 percent of the fees. Under current law, the Department of Administration administers a land information program, using revenue from the land information fund, that provides funding to counties for the modernization of local land records. Under the land information program, DOA awards land information system base budget grants to counties to enable county land information offices to develop, maintain, and operate basic land information systems. Currently, the minimum amount of a grant is $100,000 less the amount of certain fees retained by the county in the preceding fiscal year. The bill increases that base amount to $175,000 less the retained fees. Under current law, DOA may award a grant under the land information program to any county in an amount not less than $1,000 per year to be used for the training and education of county employees for the design, development, and implementation of a land information system. The bill increases the minimum training and education grant amount from $1,000 to $5,000. The bill directs DOA to award additional local government contribution based grants to counties to fully distribute 46 percent of the amount of real estate transfer fees that are deposited into the land information fund under the bill in each fiscal year. Under the bill, DOA annually must award 46 percent of those deposited amounts as grants to counties based on the relative proportion of the fees each county collected. This bill also requires any county that retains real estate transfer fee moneys to establish a real property recording notification system to be administered by the county[s register of deeds. Upon application by a person, such a system monitors publicly recorded real property records for activity and changes related to properties owned by a specific person or a specific property, and, upon the recording of a new document against a monitored property, notifies the person who applied for monitoring. The bill specifies that no fee may be charged to an applicant for application, monitoring, or notification under such a system. For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

AI Summary

This bill modifies the real estate transfer fee system by reducing the fee from 30 cents to 20 cents per $100 of property value and changing how the collected fees are distributed. Counties will now retain 50 percent of the fees (up from 20 percent), with 30 percent going to the general fund and 20 percent deposited into the land information fund. The bill increases the minimum land information system base budget grant from $100,000 to $175,000 and raises the training and education grant for county employees from $1,000 to $5,000. Additionally, the Department of Administration (DOA) is required to distribute 46 percent of the land information fund fees to counties based on their proportional fee collection. The bill also mandates that counties receiving real estate transfer fees establish a free real property recording notification system, which allows individuals to monitor publicly recorded property records and receive notifications when new documents are recorded against a specific property or owned by a specific person. These changes aim to support local government land information systems and provide more transparency in real estate transactions.

Committee Categories

Housing and Urban Affairs

Sponsors (27)

Last Action

Fiscal estimate received (on 06/11/2025)

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