Free Wisconsin Trailer Bill of Sale Template

A Wisconsin trailer bill of sale records a private trailer sale. The department runs titling through its title and licence plate application, and publishes a separate application just for light trailers.

Below 3,000 pounds, yes. The application states that trailer registration is optional for private operation at 3,000 pounds or less, and required above that weight.

Titling is a different question. The department publishes a dedicated application for a certificate of title for a light trailer under 3,000 pounds, which tells you the paperwork exists whether or not you plate the thing.

Plate expiry also splits by weight. Trailers at 3,000 pounds or less carry plates expiring in June, while those at 4,500 pounds or more expire in December.

What counts as proof of ownership here is broader than most states allow.

Bank and insurance paperwork counts

The light trailer application accepts lien or bank documents listing the trailer alongside the boat, and insurance documents showing the trailer’s year, make and identification number.

So does the original purchase agreement

An original or copy of the purchase agreement from the original purchase works too, such as the carbon from a Wisconsin trailer dealer.

Homemade trailers need photographs

A homemade trailer requires photographs of the complete assembled trailer from all four sides, including the hitch.

And a written account

You submit a written statement explaining how you built or acquired it, with the original receipts for parts showing that sales tax was paid.

Buying someone else’s build

Where you bought the homemade trailer rather than made it, an original bill of sale is required that includes the year it was built and the purchase price.

The date of sale is the seller’s date

That is the date the seller signed the title, found beside their signature. If it is more than a year in the past, the application has to go by post.

Blue or black ink only

The title and licence plate application specifies blue or black ink, so a pencil draft will not survive the counter.

And means everyone signs

Where owner names are joined by the word and on the title, every one of those owners has to sign.

The electronic record governs

Wisconsin treats the electronic record held by the department as the official title record, which is worth knowing if a paper copy goes missing.

Plates move only between partners

Licence plates may be transferred between spouses or domestic partners, but not between other family members.

Gather whatever ownership evidence exists, in whatever form.

1. Collect the title, purchase agreement, or bank and insurance paperwork naming the trailer.
2. Write up the bill of sale, covering the price, the date and a full description.
3. Complete the title and licence plate application in blue or black ink.
4. Add the light trailer application where the trailer is under 3,000 pounds.
5. Send everything with the fees, made payable as the form directs.

Fees and tax are set by the state and change from time to time, so confirm current figures before you file.

Record the year, make and model, the identification number, the purchase price, the date, and both parties’ names, addresses and signatures.

Add the year the trailer was built if it was homemade. Wisconsin asks for that specifically on a purchased homemade trailer, alongside the price.

Both parties keep a copy.