Wisconsin title answers · Inherited and family
What if the car title is still in a deceased parent's name in Wisconsin?
Short answer
Use WisDOT form MV2300, sent with the title and form MV1. As the child, you are a qualifying family member, so the title fee is waived as long as everyone on the new title is a Wisconsin resident on WisDOT's family list. The detail people miss is the estate size: the heir route is for a parent whose solely owned property was $50,000 or less, and above that WisDOT wants court-issued personal representative papers instead. If your parent's spouse is still living, that spouse has their own route.
Start with who is still living
When a parent dies and the car stays in their name, families often leave it for months or years. Before you fill anything out, sort out who has the first claim on paper.
If your parent was married or had a registered domestic partner, that person can take the car through MV2300 as a surviving spouse or partner, or sign it over to you. If your parent was the only owner and had no spouse, you and any brothers or sisters are heirs. If there is a will or an open probate case that mentions the car, the personal representative named by the court is the one who signs, and the probate court is where questions about who gets what are answered.
The heir route for a child
An heir other than a spouse can use MV2300 when your parent left solely owned property worth $50,000 or less. You certify that on the form. If the estate is larger, WisDOT's heir page says to send a copy of the personal representative papers instead, and the personal representative signs the title as seller with "personal representative" after their name.
You can title the car in your own name, or sign as heir and sell it. If you plan to trade it in at a dealer, WisDOT says you must title it in your name first.
Brothers and sisters on the same title
If more than one child will own the car, list each of you on MV2300. The form has room for two new owners, and WisDOT says to add more MV2300 forms when there are more than two.
Every person who will be on the new title counts for the fee. A child, a child's spouse, a grandchild and a sibling of the decedent are all on WisDOT's qualifying list. If one new owner is a friend or a cousin, the full $214.50 title fee applies to the transfer.
What about the plates and the old registration?
MV2300 says WisDOT will transfer existing plates and registration to qualifying family members when everyone on the new title is a Wisconsin resident. A non-qualifying heir cannot take the plates unless another owner qualifies or the plate is a type that normally stays with the vehicle.
The car still has to be legal to drive on its own terms. If the registration has run out while it sat, the MV1 you send with MV2300 is also where you apply for plates and pay the registration fee.
Where these packets come back
MV2300 is a short form, but a few gaps send it back or cost a fee you did not need to pay:
- No title in the envelope. If it is lost, add form MV2119. MV2300 says qualifying family members also get the replacement title fee waived, so do not pay the $20 if you qualify.
- The wrong box in Section A. Check whether you are transferring the car to yourself or to someone else. If you are selling it, the buyer submits MV2300 with their MV1, and WisDOT notes a separate odometer statement (MV2488) may also be needed.
- A guessed estate value. You sign a statement that the solely owned property does not exceed $50,000. If you honestly do not know, settle that before you sign; it is a probate question, not a DMV one.
- A loan still on the car. If a lender holds the title, the lender has to be dealt with first.
Step by step
- Find the title. If a lender holds it, contact the lender. If it is lost, plan to add form MV2119.
- Confirm whether a surviving spouse, a probate case, or the heir route applies.
- Each new owner completes their part of MV2300 and signs the right statement.
- Complete MV1 for the new owners and mail everything to WI Dept. of Transportation, P.O. Box 7949, Madison WI 53707-7949.
Common questions
Is there a deadline to move the car out of my parent's name?
WisDOT's death-transfer pages do not state a deadline. Until it is transferred, though, you cannot register it in your name or trade it in at a dealer, so most families do it before anyone uses the car.
My parent died years ago. Can I still use MV2300?
WisDOT's pages do not set a time limit on MV2300. What matters is that the car still has a current Wisconsin title in your parent's name and that you can honestly sign the statement on the form.
Do I pay sales tax when I inherit the car?
WisDOT sends sales tax exemption questions to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue at (608) 266-2776. Call them about your specific transfer rather than guessing on the MV1.
Can my sibling sign for me?
Each new owner signs their own section of MV2300 and the MV1. Only a court-appointed personal representative signs for the estate itself.
Want us to do the paperwork?
You tell us your situation. We fill out the WisDOT forms for it and give you a checklist of what to include. You review, sign and mail the package yourself.
If the state asks for a bond, you buy it from a licensed surety of your choosing. We take no commission.
- ✓ $299, one flat fee, bonded titles included
- ✓ Track your case online
- ✓ The application is in your name from the start
State fees are paid to WisDOT. Any bond premium is paid to the surety you choose.
Prefer to fill out the forms yourself? The $97 do-it-yourself kit walks you through every form field, the real costs, and the 12 reasons packets get rejected.
Related answers
Can you transfer a car title after a death without probate in Wisconsin?
Often yes. WisDOT accepts form MV2300 instead of court papers for a surviving spouse, and for other heirs when the estate is $50,000 or less.
Read this guide →How does a surviving spouse transfer a car title in Wisconsin?
A Wisconsin surviving spouse or domestic partner mails MV2300, the title and MV1. No title fee, up to five newer vehicles, and plates can stay.
Read this guide →How do you title an inherited car with no title in Wisconsin?
Lost title on an inherited Wisconsin car? Add MV2119 to the MV2300 transfer; family pays no fee. Lender-held or never-titled cars follow other routes.
Read this guide →Do you pay a title fee to transfer a car to family in Wisconsin?
Between living relatives: $214.50, but close family can skip sales tax. After a death: $0 for qualifying family with MV2300. Here is the split.
Read this guide →Car title after a death
Transferring a vehicle from an estate or a spouse.
Read this guide →Sources, checked 2026-10-31: WisDOT: Transfer a vehicle to an heir · WisDOT form MV2300 (PDF) · WisDOT: Guide for family members of the recently deceased (BDS367) · WisDOT: Transfer a vehicle to a surviving spouse or domestic partner · Wis. Stat. 342.14 (title fees and waivers) · WisDOT: eMV Public FAQs, purchase price and tax exemptions. Rules can change; confirm with WisDOT before you file.
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