Wisconsin title forms · Lien sales and abandoned vehicles
Form MV2881: titling a car sold for a mechanic, towing or storage lien
Short answer
MV2881 is the WisDOT form a mechanic, tow company, self-storage operator or landlord uses after selling or junking a vehicle to recover unpaid charges. The business fills out and signs it; the buyer then sends it with an MV1 and the title fees to WisDOT's Special Plate Unit. The public cannot use it to claim a car someone left behind. If you bought a car at one of these sales, the paperwork you need comes from the seller.
TitleFiled is not WisDOT. The official form is free at wisconsindot.gov.
MV2881 at a glance
- Form
- MV2881, Involuntary Lien Transfers and Abandonment of Property to a Landlord
- Version we read
- Revision 09/2024, checked 2026-10-31
- Fee
- The form has no fee of its own. The buyer pays what the MV1 lists for title, sales tax and plates, including the $214.50 title fee. Junking the vehicle needs no MV1.
- Paid to
- Check or money order to Registration Fee Trust (WisDOT)
- Where it goes
- Special Plate Unit, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 7911, Madison WI 53707-7911
- What goes with it
- Every page of the MV2881, completed and signed
- Form MV1 (or MV11), unless the vehicle is being junked
- Form MV2488 for a 2011 or newer model year (photocopies are refused)
- The signed repair order, towing bill or rental agreement behind the lien
- Copies of the certified letters sent to the owners and lien holders
- Proof of the public sale notice, if it was a public sale
- Any lien release, and proof of the owners on record if the car is titled in another state
Who fills it out, and who mails it
Four kinds of businesses can enforce a lien on a vehicle in Wisconsin and use this form: a mechanic owed for authorized repairs, a tow operator owed for towing and storage, a self-service storage operator whose tenant defaulted, and a landlord whose tenant left a vehicle behind. Each one signs a statement that it followed the notice steps the statutes require.
The buyer at the sale is the other half. The business hands you the completed MV2881, a title application and, for newer cars, the odometer form. You mail the package. Local DMV service centers cannot answer questions about this process or forward the application for you, and it cannot be done online.
When MV2881 is the wrong form
It is not a way for a private person to title a car that was abandoned on their land. The form itself says the general public may not use it for that, and falsifying it carries a fine of up to $10,000, prison of up to five years, or both.
If a town or police department sold you the car, you should have an MV2419 instead, and the MV2881 checklist says the two cannot be combined. And if the vehicle has no title record in any state, WisDOT says the route is a bonded title or a court order, not a lien sale.
What each part of MV2881 asks
In our words, not WisDOT's. Read the form's own instructions before you sign; your answers are yours to give.
- The disclaimer page
- Explains who may enforce a lien, warns about false statements, and gives the Special Plate Unit's contact details. The person enforcing the lien signs that they read and understand it.
- The lien type page
- Four boxes, one per kind of lien, and only one may be chosen. Each box carries a sworn statement describing the notices that kind of lien holder had to give before selling, with a signature line for that business.
- What the new title will show
- For a mechanic or towing lien, the new title is issued without the old secured parties. For a storage or landlord sale, any loan already recorded on the title carries over to the buyer's title unless a lien release comes with the application.
- The sale page
- Whether the vehicle was sold or junked; the VIN, year, make and the state where it is titled; the owners and lien holders on record and whether releases are attached; the seller's details; the buyer's name, address and license number; and whether the sale was public or private, with the date and price. A shop, tow operator or storage operator cannot sell the vehicle to itself through a private sale.
- The checklist
- WisDOT's own list of what must be in the envelope, including the certified mail tracking number and proof of the public sale posting.
Where people get stuck
- Only one side of a page sent. The form says copies must include both sides, fully completed and signed, or it comes back.
- No proof that the owners and lien holders were notified by certified mail.
- A public sale with no proof of the sale notice showing the dates, the vehicle and who ran the sale.
- A photocopied MV2488 on a 2011 or newer vehicle.
Common questions
I bought a car at a tow lot sale. What do I need from them?
The completed and signed MV2881, the towing bill, copies of their certified letters, proof of the sale notice if it was public, and an MV2488 for a 2011 or newer car. You add your MV1 and the fees.
Will the old owner's loan follow the car?
After a mechanic or towing lien sale, the title is issued free of the old secured parties. After a storage or landlord sale, a recorded loan carries over unless a lien release is sent in.
Who do I call with questions?
WisDOT's Special Plate Unit, at the email address and phone number printed on the form. Service center staff are not set up to help with lien transfers.
Still working out which forms you need? Browse plain answers to Wisconsin title questions or see every form we explain.
Related forms and answers
How does a towing or storage lien sale title work in Wisconsin?
After 20 days' certified notice, a Wisconsin tower can sell an unclaimed car. You title it with the tower's signed MV2881 plus your MV1.
Read this guide →Can a repair shop get a title for an unpaid car in Wisconsin?
No, not just by keeping it. A Wisconsin shop can hold the car, then sell it after 2 months unpaid, 20 days' certified notice and a proper sale.
Read this guide →How do you title a car bought at a police auction in Wisconsin?
A Wisconsin city or county selling an abandoned car must give you form MV2419. Send it with an MV1 for a regular title, and remove the car in 10 days.
Read this guide →Form MV2882, explained
For a Wisconsin landlord whose tenant moved out and left a titled vehicle behind. The landlord sells or keeps it and the new owner titles with this form.
Read this guide →No title for your car in Wisconsin
Which path fits: replacement, bonded title, or neither.
Read this guide →Sources, checked 2026-10-31: WisDOT: form MV2881 (09/2024) · WisDOT: involuntary lien transfers · Wisconsin Statutes chapter 342. Forms are revised from time to time; use the current version from WisDOT.
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.