For most Taylor County homeowners, the house is what drags an estate into probate. A transfer-on-death deed or a living trust keeps it out—here is how to set up either one and record it locally.
For a Taylor County property owner, the biggest probate risk is the home itself. Real estate is what forces most families into the Circuit Court. The two tools that keep a Taylor County home out of probate are a transfer-on-death deed recorded with the Register of Deeds, and a revocable living trust that holds title to the property.
Skipping this planning step means the Circuit Court decides who receives the property: a simple Wisconsin probate takes 6+ months and opens with about $36 in court filing fees.
A transfer on death deed names a beneficiary who receives Taylor County property automatically at the owner's death, without probate. It is recorded with the Register of Deeds during the owner's lifetime and can be revoked at any time.
Before recording, a Wisconsin transfer on death deed is signed with notary acknowledgmentWis. Stat. 705.15Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. The deed takes effect only if it is recorded before the owner's deathWis. Stat. 705.15Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Deeds and other real property documents for Taylor County are recorded with the Register of Deeds at 224 South Second Street, Courthouse 2nd Floor, Medford, WI 54451. Phone: 1-715-748-1483. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM.
The Register of Deeds charges $30 flat, regardless of page count. A 2-page transfer on death deed costs $30 to record in Taylor County. A transfer on death deed is exempt from transfer tax.
Taylor County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile.
Recording Office Record
Taylor County
Phone
Hours
Office
Website
E-recording
Fax
Recording fees
| Flat fee (any length) | $30 |
| Transfer tax on a TOD deed | TOD deeds are exempt from transfer tax |
Wis. Stat. 59.43(2)(ag)
Verified October 17, 2026 · Source
FirmAshland, WI
Two-attorney general practice in Ashland serving the surrounding Northern Wisconsin area, with roots dating to 1904. Handles probate and estate administration from the initial filing through final distribution, including validating wills, inventorying assets, settling debts, and distributing inheritances, and drafts wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbate
FirmSuperior, WI
Family-owned general practice in Superior serving Douglas County and the Twin Ports, in operation since 1987. Its wills and trusts practice handles probate proceedings and estates alongside wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, powers of attorney, and elder law. Offers same-day, emergency, and live video consultations.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateElder Law
Solo PracticeMercer, WI
Solo practice in Mercer serving Northern Wisconsin. Files probate petitions and guides personal representatives through intestate estates, creditor claims, estate taxes, final accountings, and distributions, assists trustees with notices, creditors, and distributions, and drafts wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Roxanne Lutgen is licensed in Wisconsin as both an attorney and a CPA.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planning
FirmHurley, WI
Estate planning and elder law office based in Hurley, with satellite offices in Ashland and Woodruff serving Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Handles probate and trust administration (court forms, inventories, accountings, and distributions), guardianships with their inventories and annual accountings, special needs trusts, and Medicaid and nursing home planning.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateElder Lawand 4 more
Solo PracticeThorp, WI
Solo practice in Thorp serving Clark and Taylor counties. Attorney Johanna R. Kirk probates estates, mostly on a flat fee, and has handled estates in litigation between family members or creditors, represented beneficiaries against personal representatives, and handles guardianships of elderly or disabled adults. She practiced in Superior from 2006 to 2024 before moving the office to Thorp.
PracticesEstate PlanningProbateProbate LitigationElder Lawand 3 more
FirmMilwaukee, WI
Serves Wisconsin from seven offices in the state, led by Milwaukee and Madison. The Trusts and Estates group handles formal and informal probate, post-mortem trust administration, claims against estates and trusts, and estate tax returns, and represents personal representatives, trustees, and beneficiaries in will contests, trust disputes, and contested guardianships. Founded in 1904.
PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateProbate Litigationand 9 more
Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.
Data sourced from Wisconsin statutes and official state code. How we research.
Free forms for planning your estate in Wisconsin: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Wisconsin.
In Wisconsin, a will is signed before 2Wis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and a self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyWis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
In Wisconsin, a codicil is signed before 2Wis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, like a will, and the self-proving affidavit signed with it lets the court admit it without witness testimonyWis. Stat. § 853.04; Wis. Stat. § 851.31Verified Oct 25, 2026View source.
Wisconsin requires 2Wis. Stat. § 155.30Verified Jul 15, 2026View source witnesses for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not requiredWis. Stat. § 155.30Verified Jul 15, 2026View source.
In Wisconsin, a HIPAA release names who may receive your records and, as the state requires, names HIV/AIDS-related informationWis. Stat. § 252.15(1)(ac), (3m)(a), (3m)(b) (1989 a. 201; renumbered and amended by 2009 a. 209)Verified Jun 19, 2026View source expressly before a provider releases it.
Wisconsin treats a power of attorney as durable by defaultWis. Stat. § 244.05Verified Sep 20, 2026View source, and it is signed with no witness or notary requirementWis. Stat. § 244.05Verified Sep 20, 2026View source.
In Wisconsin, a transfer on death deed is signed before a notaryWis. Stat. 705.15Verified Oct 19, 2026View source, then recorded with the county before the owner's deathWis. Stat. 705.15Verified Oct 19, 2026View source. Wisconsin does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.
In Wisconsin, the living will is the Declaration to Health Care Professionals (Wisconsin Living Will)Wis. Stat. ch. 154, subch. II (§§ 154.02-154.15), with definitions in § 154.01Verified Sep 27, 2026View source, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.
In Wisconsin, a pour-over will is signed before 2Wis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses and moves anything left outside the trust into it through probate.
Free tools for planning your estate in Wisconsin: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Wisconsin.
In Wisconsin, a will is signed before 2Wis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredWis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
Wisconsin recognizes a will signed under the law of the place where it was signedWis. Stat. § 853.05Verified Oct 19, 2026View source; a will signed in Wisconsin itself needs 2Wis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not requiredWis. Stat. § 853.03Verified Oct 19, 2026View source.
In Wisconsin, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.9%Modeled estimate under Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.
An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Wisconsin runs $3,320Estimate: 10 hours at $332, Clio's Wisconsin Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $4,980Estimate: 15 hours at $332, Clio's Wisconsin Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.
An attorney-prepared will in Wisconsin runs $981Estimate: 3 hours at $327, Clio's Wisconsin Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $1,962Estimate: 6 hours at $327, Clio's Wisconsin Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $22,090Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys)Verified Sep 9, 2026View source.
Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.
In Wisconsin, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writingWis. Stat. § 48.9795(2)(c)1 (parent nomination of guardian of the PERSON, by will or other written instrument; "the court shall appoint the person nominated ... unless ... not in the child's best interests"); § 54.15(6) (parent will nomination of guardian of the ESTATE, via § 48.9795(2)(b)1); § 853.03 (will execution)Verified Sep 16, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18Wis. Stat. § 990.01(20)Verified Sep 16, 2026View source.
Probate in Wisconsin takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.8%Modeled estimate under Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source to 2.9%Modeled estimate under Wis. Stat. § 851.40(1) (just and reasonable compensation for services under chs. 851-879, incl. ch. 865 informal administration; no statutory percentage for attorneys): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 9, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.
Estate planning articles for Wisconsin.
Estate planning articles for Wisconsin.
