Wisconsin title answers · Selling and buying
Is a co-signer on a car loan also an owner on the Wisconsin title?
Short answer
Not automatically. On a Wisconsin title, the owners are the names written in the owner and co-owner lines of the title application, form MV1. A loan co-signer is on the title only if they were listed there, and the lender is recorded separately as lienholder. Check the owner names on your title or Confirmation of Ownership: if the co-signer is not there, they have no ownership on WisDOT's record, whatever the loan papers say.
Two sets of papers, two different questions
The loan contract says who owes the money. The title says who owns the car. They are signed at the same table, often on the same day, which is why people assume they match. They do not have to.
MV1's instructions describe the owner and co-owner lines as the names that will appear on the new title. The lender goes in a separate loan section. Since July 30, 2012, a title with a loan on it is sent to the lender, and the owners get a Confirmation of Ownership instead.
If you have not signed yet, settle it at the table. Decide on purpose whether the co-signer should also be a co-owner, and read the owner lines on the title application before you sign. Changing the names after the title is issued means a new application and another title fee.
How to find out where you stand
Pull out the title, or the Confirmation of Ownership if the loan is still open, and read the owner names. If there are two, look at the word between them. AND means both must sign to sell; OR means either one can sign alone.
Wisconsin law defines the owner as the person who holds legal title. When a lender holds the title and the borrower has the right to keep and use the car, the statute treats the borrower as the owner for the vehicle laws, not the lender. A co-signer who never appears in the owner lines is neither.
If the co-signer is also on the title
Then they are a co-owner, with the same signing rights as anyone else listed. With AND, you cannot sell without their signature, and WisDOT has no form that stands in for a living co-owner who refuses.
Taking a co-owner off is handled as a transfer: a new title application and the $214.50 title fee. While a lender holds the title, talk to the lender first, because the change runs through the title it is holding.
If the co-signer is not on the title
They cannot sign the title to sell the car, and WisDOT will not treat them as an owner. What they owe the lender is a question for the loan contract and the lender, not WisDOT.
Where people get stuck: refinancing to drop a co-signer from the loan, then assuming the title changed too. A new loan does not rewrite the owner names. Only a title application does that, and the reverse is true as well: being removed from a title does not take anyone off a loan.
Common questions
Can I add my co-signer to the title later?
Yes, but WisDOT treats adding a name as a transfer, so it takes a new MV1 and the $214.50 title fee. If a lender holds the title, start with the lender.
Does a co-owner need their own ID number on the application?
Yes. MV1 requires a Social Security number, Wisconsin driver license number or FEIN for each co-owner listed.
Who gets the clear title when the loan is paid off?
WisDOT says the lender releases the lien and a new title is mailed automatically. It goes to the owners on record, not to someone who only co-signed.
My co-signer and I split up. Can they take the car?
On WisDOT's record, ownership follows the owner names on the title. If you disagree about who owns it, that is a dispute for an agreement or a court, not a title form.
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Related answers
No title for your car in Wisconsin
Which path fits: replacement, bonded title, or neither.
Read this guide →What does AND versus OR mean on a Wisconsin title?
AND means every owner on a Wisconsin title must sign to sell. OR means any one owner can. The word also decides what happens after a death.
Read this guide →How do you add someone to a car title in Wisconsin?
There is no add-a-name form. Sign the title over to both names, file form MV1, pick AND or OR, and pay the $214.50 title fee.
Read this guide →How do you remove a name from a car title in Wisconsin?
A living co-owner comes off by signing the title over and filing MV1 ($214.50). A deceased owner comes off with MV2300; a spouse pays no title fee.
Read this guide →What if a co-owner will not sign the car title in Wisconsin?
If the title says OR, one owner can sign alone. If it says AND, WisDOT needs every owner's signature, and only a deal or a court changes that.
Read this guide →How do you get your title after paying off a car loan in Wisconsin?
Usually automatic: the lender releases the lien and WisDOT mails your title. No fee; allow up to six weeks. Older or private loans need a mailed release.
Read this guide →Sources, checked 2026-10-31: WisDOT: MV1 Title and License Plate Application · Wis. Stat. 340.01(42) (definition of owner) · WisDOT: Lien holder search and title-to-lienholder · WisDOT: Sell your vehicle. Rules can change; confirm with WisDOT before you file.
TitleFiled is a document-preparation and title-recovery assistance service operated by Nuvent66 LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company. It is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by any DMV or government agency, including the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). We do not guarantee that any agency will approve or issue a title. Information on this page is provided for general reference, was verified against official WisDOT sources on the date shown, and is not legal advice.