Back to Wisconsin

SB698 • 2025

managed forest land recording fees

managed forest land recording fees

Housing
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Senators Wall, Dassler-Alfheim, Hesselbein, Keyeski and Ratcliff, cosponsored by Representatives Mursau, Palmeri, Bare, Clancy, DeSmidt, Madison, Melotik, Miresse, Phelps, Roe, Stroud, Stubbs and Johnson
Last action
2026-03-23
Official status
S - Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

managed forest land recording fees

managed forest land recording fees Status: S - Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry

What This Bill Does

  • managed forest land recording fees Status: S - Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-23 Sen.

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

  2. 2026-02-20 Sen.

    Representative Sheehan added as a cosponsor

  3. 2026-02-09 Sen.

    Representative J. Jacobson added as a cosponsor

  4. 2026-01-06 Sen.

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. 2025-12-18 Sen.

    Representative Subeck added as a cosponsor

  6. 2025-12-02 Sen.

    Introduced by Senators Wall , Dassler-Alfheim , Hesselbein , Keyeski and Ratcliff ; cosponsored by Representatives Mursau , Palmeri , Bare , Clancy , DeSmidt , Madison , Melotik , Miresse , Phelps , Roe , Stroud , Stubbs and Johnson

  7. 2025-12-02 Sen.

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry

Official Summary Text

managed forest land recording fees
Status: S - Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Wisconsin Legislature: SB698: Bill Text

Skip navigation

Home

Documents

Senate

Assembly

Committees

Service Agencies

Docs

Options

Help

2025 Biennium

Statutes

Admin. Rules

Indices

Miscellaneous

Archives

Home

Bill, Rule, and Appointment Histories

Senators

Representatives

Committees

Text of Introduced Proposals

Amendment Text

Acts

Veto Messages

Enrolled Bills

Votes

Assembly and Senate Floor Calendars

Schedule of Committee Activities

Assembly and Senate Journals

Committee Records (ROCPs)

Legislative Rules

All Session-Related Documents

Subject Index to Acts

Subject Index to Legislation

Subject Index to Journals

Author Index to Legislation

Subject Index to Clearinghouse Rules

Miscellaneous Budget Documents

Executive Orders

Rulings of the Chair

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules

Opinions of the Attorney General

Town Law Forms

Law

Districts

Session

Drafting Files

Feeds

Preferences

Show tree

Hide tree

Feedback

Help

Home

Senate Home

Senators

Committees

Session

Chief Clerk

Sergeant at Arms

Civics Education

Human Resources
Assembly Home

Representatives

Committees

Session

Chief Clerk

Sergeant at Arms

Human Resources
Schedule

Joint

Senate

Assembly

Study
Legislative Audit Bureau

Legislative Council

Legislative Fiscal Bureau

Legislative Human Resources Office

Legislative Reference Bureau

Legislative Technology Services Bureau

Menu
»
2025
»
Related Documents
»
Proposal Text
»
SB698: Bill Text

Up

Up

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-4256/1
ZDW:wlj
2025 SENATE BILL 698
December 2, 2025 - Introduced by Senators
Wall
,
Dassler-Alfheim
,
Hesselbein
,
Keyeski
and
Ratcliff
, cosponsored by Representatives
Mursau
,
Palmeri
,
Bare
,
Clancy
,
DeSmidt
,
Madison
,
Melotik
,
Miresse
,
Phelps
,
Roe
,
Stroud
,
Stubbs
and
Johnson
. Referred to Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry.
SB698,1,2
1
An Act

to amend
20.370 (2) (cr), 77.88 (2) (ac) 1. and 77.88 (5m) of the statutes;
2
relating to:
managed forest land recording fees.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources administers the managed forest land (MFL) program, under which the owner of a parcel of land designated as MFL makes an annual acreage share payment in lieu of property taxes. In exchange, the owner must comply with certain forestry practices and, subject to exceptions, must open the land to the public for recreational activities. Certain actions relating to a parcel designated as MFL must be recorded by the appropriate register of deeds, and DNR must pay any required fee for the recording.
Under current law, MFL may be transferred from one owner to another with payment of a $100 fee, which is deposited into the conservation fund. Of that amount, $30 is credited to a DNR appropriation for the payment of registers of deeds fees. Land may also be withdrawn from the MFL program with payment of a $300 fee.
Under this bill, $100 transfer fees and $300 withdrawal fees are deposited into the conservation fund and credited to the DNR appropriation for the payment of fees to the registers of deeds.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SB698,1
1
Section

1
.
20.370 (2) (cr) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB698,2,5
2
20.370
(2)
(cr)
Forestry — recording fees.
From the conservation fund, all
3
moneys received under ss. 77.82 (2m) (d) and (4) and 77.88
(1) (c),
(2) (ac) 1.
, 2., and
4
3., (am), and (c), (3), (3j) (c), and (3m)
for the payment of fees to the registers of
5
deeds under s. 77.91 (5).
SB698,2
6
Section

2
.
77.88 (2) (ac) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
SB698,2,21
7
77.88
(2)
(ac) 1. If the land transferred under par. (a) meets the eligibility
8
requirements under s. 77.82 (1) (a), (ag), and (b), the land shall continue to be
9
designated as managed forest land if the transferee, within 30 days after a transfer
10
of ownership, files a form provided by the department signed by the transferee. By
11
signing the form, the transferee certifies to the department an intent to comply
12
with the existing management plan for the land and any amendments to the plan.
13
The transferee shall provide proof that each person holding any encumbrance on
14
the land agrees to the designation. The transferee may designate an area of the
15
transferred land closed to public access as provided under s. 77.83. The department
16
shall issue an order continuing the designation of the land as managed forest land
17
under the new ownership. The transferee shall pay a $100 fee that will accompany
18
the report. The fee shall be deposited in the conservation fund
. Twenty dollars of
19
the fee or a different amount of the fee as may be established under subd. 2. shall be

20
and
credited to the appropriation under s. 20.370 (2) (cr). The department shall
21
immediately notify each person entitled to notice under s. 77.82 (8).
SB698,3
22
Section

3
.
77.88 (5m) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB698,3,4
1
77.88
(5m)

Withdrawal fee.
The withdrawal fee assessed by the
2
department under subs. (1) (c), (2) (ac) 2.
and 3.
, (am), and (c), (3),
and

(3j) (c), and
3
(3m) shall be $300.
The fee shall be deposited in the conservation fund and credited
4
to the appropriation under s. 20.370 (2) (cr).
SB698,3,5
5
(end)

Down

Down

/2025/related/proposals/sb698

true

proposaltext

/2025/related/proposals/sb698

proposaltext/2025/REG/SB698

proposaltext/2025/REG/SB698

section

true

Menu
»
2025
»
Related Documents
»
Proposal Text
»
SB698: Bill Text

×

Details for

PDF view

Link
(Permanent link)

Bookmark this location

View toggle

Go to top of document

Search in this chapter

Search in this section

Search in this agency

Search in this chapter group

Search in this chapter

Search in this section

Cross references for section

Acts affecting this section

References to this

1970 Statutes Annotations

Appellate Court Citations

Administrative Code Index

Reference lines

Clear highlighting