Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 342 - Vehicle title and anti-theft law.
342.06 - Application for certificate of title.

342.06 Application for certificate of title.
(1) An application for a certificate of title shall be made to the department upon a form or in an automated format prescribed by it and shall be accompanied by the required fee and any applicable taxes. Information obtained by the department under this subsection shall be provided to the department of revenue for the purposes of administering state taxes and collecting debt. Each application for certificate of title shall include the following information:
NOTE: Sub. (1) (intro.) is affected by 2005 Wis. Acts 25 and 59. The 2 treatments are mutually inconsistent. Sub. (1) (intro.) is shown as affected by the last enacted act, 2005 Wis. Act 59. As affected by 2005 Wis. Act 25, it reads:
(a) The name and address of the owner.
(b) A description of the vehicle, including make, identification number and any other information or documentation that the department may reasonably require for proper identification of the vehicle or for determination of the mileage of the vehicle as disclosed by prior transferors.
(c) The date of purchase by the applicant, the name and address of the person from whom the vehicle was acquired and the names and addresses of any secured parties in the order of their priority.
(d) If the vehicle is a new vehicle being registered for the first time, the signature of a dealer authorized to sell that new vehicle, the total of the number of tires normally used on the vehicle during its operation on the highways plus the number of any spare tires with which the vehicle is normally equipped and the manufacturer's document of origin. The document of origin shall contain the information specified by the department.
(e) Any further evidence of ownership which may reasonably be required by the department to enable it to determine whether the owner is entitled to a certificate of title and the existence or nonexistence of security interests in the vehicle.
(eg) Except as provided in par. (eh), if the applicant is an individual, the social security number of the applicant. The department of transportation may not disclose a social security number obtained under this paragraph to any person except to the department of children and families for the sole purpose of administering s. 49.22, to the department of workforce development for the sole purpose of enforcing or administering s. 108.22, to the department of revenue for the purposes of administering state taxes and collecting debt, and to the elections commission for the sole purpose of allowing the chief election officer to comply with the terms of the agreement under s. 6.36 (1) (ae).
(eh) If the applicant does not have a social security number, a statement made or subscribed under oath or affirmation that the applicant does not have a social security number. The form of the statement shall be prescribed by the department of children and families. A certificate of title that is issued in reliance on a statement submitted under this paragraph is invalid if the statement is false.
(em) Any further evidence which may reasonably be required by the department to enable it to determine whether any of the information specified in s. 342.10 (3) (c) to (h) may be applicable to the vehicle.
(f) If the identification number of the vehicle has been removed, obliterated or altered, or if the original casting has been replaced, or if the vehicle has not been numbered by the manufacturer, the application for certificate of title shall so state. If the identification number of the vehicle was originally based on an engine number and the engine number is no longer pertinent to the vehicle because of subsequent engine changes and no other manufacturer's identification number, chassis number or serial number exists, the department shall assign a new identification number for the vehicle under s. 342.30 (1m).
(g) If the vehicle is a used motor vehicle which was last previously registered in another jurisdiction, the applicant shall furnish any certificate of ownership issued by the other jurisdiction and a statement pertaining to the title history and ownership of such motor vehicle, such statement to be in the form the department prescribes.
(h) If the applicant for certificate of title for a motor vehicle intends to utilize that vehicle as a taxicab or for public transportation, the applicant shall state that fact in the application. If the applicant knows that the vehicle has previously been used as a taxicab or for public transportation and that fact is not noted on the old certificate of title, the applicant shall state in the application that the vehicle has previously been so used.
(hm) If the applicant for certificate of title for a motor vehicle intends to utilize that vehicle as a police vehicle by a law enforcement agency, the applicant shall state that fact in the application. If the applicant knows that the vehicle has previously been used as a police vehicle by a law enforcement agency and that fact is not noted on the old certificate of title, the applicant shall state in the application that the vehicle has previously been so used.
(hr) If the vehicle is less than 7 years old, is damaged by collision or other occurrence to the extent that the estimated or actual cost, whichever is greater, of repairing the vehicle exceeds 30 percent of its fair market value and was transferred to an insurer upon payment of an insurance claim, the insurer shall state that fact in the application. If the applicant knows that the vehicle had been transferred to an insurer upon payment of an insurance claim and that fact is not noted on the old certificate of title, the applicant shall state in the application that the vehicle has previously been so transferred. This paragraph does not apply to salvage vehicles.
(i) The information required under s. 85.103 (2).
(j) For a motor vehicle of a model year 2011 or later that is less than 20 years old, the certificate of title of the person transferring the title to the applicant or, if applicable, the manufacturer's document of origin; the mileage disclosure statement required under s. 342.155 (1); and, if applicable, the power of attorney required under 15 USC 1988 or rules of the department.
(k) If the vehicle is an automobile, station wagon or motor truck having a registered weight of 8,000 pounds or less and a temporary operation plate has been issued for the vehicle under s. 341.09 (2m) (a) 1. b. or 2., the registration number of the temporary operation plate.
(1m) On the form or in the automated format for application for a certificate of title, the department may show the fee under s. 342.14 (3m) separately from the fee under s. 342.14 (1) or (3).
(2) Any person who knowingly makes a false statement in an application for a certificate of title is guilty of a Class H felony.
(3) Any person intending to use a vehicle as a taxicab or for public transportation who fails to state such intent in the application for certificate of title or any person who fails to furnish any other information required by sub. (1) (h) may be required to forfeit not more than $1,000.
History: 1973 c. 218; 1975 c. 121, 286; 1977 c. 29 s. 1654 (7) (a); 1987 a. 110, 349; 1991 a. 39, 269, 309, 316; 1993 a. 63, 159, 165, 490; 1997 a. 27, 191, 283; 1999 a. 9, 80, 88; 2001 a. 109; 2005 a. 25, 59; 2007 a. 20, 138; 2013 a. 36; 2017 a. 59; 2021 a. 172.
A violation of sub. (2) does not require that the person who makes the false statement must submit the application and is not limited to false statements made by an applicant. State v. Williams, 156 Wis. 2d 296, 456 N.W.2d 864 (Ct. App. 1990).