The Office of the Register
of Deeds (noted often hereafter, as ROD) was established in
Wisconsin in 1836. Before that, land registration was handled by
the Register in Probate. The 1848 Wisconsin Constitution
established the ROD as a permanent element of the county-level
governmental structure. Each county in Wisconsin has a Register of
Deeds.
The Register of Deeds files, records, and issues
instruments and documents of significance both to the community as
a whole and to its individual citizens. Vital records document the
span of our lives from birth to death. Land records documenting
title in Wisconsin are maintained.
The filing or recording of
other documents with the ROD is a way of putting the world on
notice that something important has happened or will happen. The
time of the act or transaction is often an important element in
rights or relationships. The ROD records the time when, in effect,
the public record is established |