NEWS: Last month, The League alerted you about the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) plans to require that motor vehicle lien releases be submitted electronically, ending the optional use of paper forms in early 2025. The DOT has now announced that this change will take effect Jan. 5, 2025.
This change will not affect “exempt secured parties,” defined in the DOT regulations to mean those that filed 48 or fewer security interests in the previous calendar year.
The DOT has clarified that “regardless of if you are holding an electronic or paper title, you will be required to release the lien electronically if you are a non-exempt secured party. Neither a signed title release nor a paper lien release will be accepted.”
For more information, please see:
- The DOT’s updated “Lien Holder Processing FAQs”;
- A 26-minute recording of the DOT’s fall information sessions, titled “Electronic Lien Release Non-Exempt Lien Holders” along with the presentation slides; and
- This DOT web page with other information on vehicle liens.
Any questions related to this updated procedure can be emailed to the DOT with the subject line: 2025 Electronic Lien Release.
Now that we have a concrete effective date for this change, The League will update ii Release No. B044 – “Motor Vehicle Liens.”