The Milwaukee County Register of Deeds records deeds and loan papers for about 300,000 parcels of land1. A deed is the signed paper that passes title, or legal ownership, of a home or lot to a new owner.
Here is what the office, a state appeals court, prosecutors and police have said about deed fraud, and what each statement means for your home. For the basics, start with our guide to deed theft.
What does the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds say about its fraud alert?
It calls the alert an early warning, not a shield. The free Property Fraud Alert, or PFA, tells you when a document with your name on it is recorded, or added to the public record. Here is how the office puts it2:
"While PFA will not prevent fraud from happening, it provides an early warning system ..."
What it means for owners: the alert speaks up after a deed or loan paper is already on file. That gives you time to act, but it does not take the paper back off the record.
The county runs PFA with Fidlar Technologies, a land records company. It is free, and the sign-up site says your information will never be resold3,4. Many other counties offer something similar, and our map of free county alerts shows which ones.
No one could watch this office by eye. It recorded 92,579 documents in 2025, up from 85,007 in 20245. The report sorts them by type and does not say how many were forged.
We found no public count of forged deeds in Milwaukee County, so the two cases below are examples, not a measure of how often it happens. A foreclosure filing in the chart is a lis pendens, a recorded notice that a lawsuit involves the property.
About 1 in 4 documents recorded in 2025 moved a property to a new owner
Documents recorded by the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds in 2025, by type (5 of the largest groups)
Show the numbers
| Mortgages | 25,145 |
|---|---|
| Mortgage releases | 25,101 |
| Deeds and other transfers | 22,390 |
| Mortgage assignments | 5,426 |
| Foreclosure filings | 1,232 |
Source: Milwaukee County Register of Deeds, Statistical Report, Annual 2025. "Deeds and other transfers" adds 14,162 transfers that paid the state transfer fee and 8,228 that did not. Other document types make up the rest of the 92,579.
Why does the alert need your exact name?
Because it reads names, not addresses. The county states the rule this way:
"Participants will be notified only when the exact name they have submitted ... is listed as a grantor or grantee on a document recorded in the Register of Deeds office."
What it means for owners: a grantor signs a property away, and a grantee receives it. A forged deed to your home would name you as the grantor. If the index and your sign-up spell your name differently, no alert comes.
The sign-up site's help page gives a few rules for typing names4:
- Shorten your first name to its first letter or two, so every spelling still matches.
- Skip middle names and endings such as Jr. and Sr.
- Add a separate entry for each spelling of your last name or your trust's name.
- Choose how to hear: email, text or a voice call. For two kinds of alerts, sign up the same name twice.
Each alert lists the document number, document type and recording date4. Keep that number. A copy request by mail skips the $10 search fee when you include it1.
What did Wisconsin's appeals court find in a Milwaukee forged-deed case?
It upheld a jury's finding that a Milwaukee owner's signature was forged on a quitclaim deed while he lived in New York6. A quitclaim deed hands over whatever share of a property the signer has, with no promises about the title.
"... conspired to deprive Gustavo Montalvo of his interest, title and rights over property ... by forging Montalvo’s signature on a quit claim deed ..."
- 1995 to 2002He and his partner buy a Milwaukee home in both names. They later marry and separate, and he moves to New York.
- Aug. 2005For a refinance, a title company prepares a quitclaim deed. It is dated August 23 and bears what appears to be his signature.
- Dec. 2006The home is refinanced several times, then sold.
- Mar. 2007He comes back to Wisconsin and learns what happened. He sues a year later.
- Dec. 2012The appeals court upholds the judgment for him. The jury had awarded actual damages for his losses, plus punitive damages, an extra sum meant to punish.
What it means for owners: about 19 months passed between the deed's date and the day he found out, and by then the home had been sold. If you live away from a Milwaukee home you own, a name alert is a free way to hear about a filing while you are gone.
He sued for conspiracy and for slander of title, a claim against whoever records a false document about your property. The jury found a conspiracy, and it took almost five years from his lawsuit to the appeals ruling.
What are prosecutors alleging in the 2025 estate-house case?
They say a Milwaukee house was bought from a late owner's grandson who had no right to sell it. In October 2025, Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Milwaukee's former elected city attorney, then 68, and a real estate agent, 507. Both are charged, not convicted.
"I was swindled."
According to the complaint, the grandson never owned the house and had no authority to sell it. It says the two "acted in concert to intentionally deceive" him, bought the house for $8,000 in 2023 and tried to sell it for almost $250,0007.
The former city attorney's lawyer said he did "nothing wrong."7
What it means for owners: the report says the deal went ahead without the knowledge of the lawyer handling the estate, the property the late owner left behind. If a late parent's home is still in their name, add that name to the free alert. Tell the estate's lawyer at once about any offer or deed you did not expect.
What do Milwaukee police tell fraud victims to do?
Get your loan papers, then go to your police district station. The Milwaukee Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit says it in one line:
"Contact the Milwaukee Police Department district station where you reside."
What it means for owners: first, write to your mortgage lender for a full copy of your loan papers, and send the letter by certified mail8. Then bring what you get to your station, or call the city's non-emergency line at 414-933-44449. In a suburb, call your own police department.
What does Wisconsin's 2026 deed law add?
It made handing in a forged deed its own felony and gave registers of deeds new duties. The changes come from 2025 Wisconsin Act 234, enacted April 8, 202610.
| Law | What it covers | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Wis. Stat. 946.77, new in 2026 | Knowingly giving a register of deeds a forged document about a transfer of land, for recording | Crime: Class I felony |
| Wis. Stat. 943.60 | Filing a title document you know, or should know, is false, a sham or frivolous | Crime: Class H felony |
| Wis. Stat. 943.38 | Forging a writing that creates or transfers legal rights | Crime: Class H felony |
| Wis. Stat. 706.13 | An owner's lawsuit over that kind of false filing | Civil: $1,000 plus actual damages |
| Wis. Stat. 841.01 | A lawsuit asking a judge to declare who owns the property | Civil: the judgment can be recorded |
Sources: Wisconsin Legislature, 2025 Wisconsin Act 23410 and Wis. Stat. 943.6011, 943.3812, 706.1313 and 841.01 and 841.1014, read October 25, 2026.
Three more parts of the new law matter to owners10:
- Trying counts. An attempt to file a forged deed carries the same penalty as a filing that works.
- Registers can turn a filing away. A register "may not record a document that the register of deeds reasonably believes is being recorded for a fraudulent or other unlawful purpose."
- Free alerts become the rule. Counties keep 20 percent of the state's real estate transfer fee15, and the law says a county that keeps it must run a free recording notification system. Milwaukee County's share in 2025 was $3,281,938.745.
Wisconsin's lawsuit to declare who owns a home works like a quiet title action in other states.
What can Milwaukee owners do today for free?
Four of these five steps are free. Only a copy of your deed has a fee. Do the first two today.
- Sign up for the county's alert at propertyfraudalert.com/WIMilwaukee. Agree to the terms and pick email, text or a call. The sign-up help line is 800-728-38583.
- Add every version of your name, plus a late parent's name if their home is still in it.
- Check your record. For a City of Milwaukee home, the Assessor's free Real Property Search shows the owner the city lists16. For the deed itself, Tapestry shows its fee before you search, and most deed copies from the office cost $141,17.
- Read each alert the day it comes. Look up the document number, and if it is not something you signed, order a copy.
- Report a filing you did not sign to your police district station, then call a lawyer. Legal Action of Wisconsin gives free legal help to people who qualify at (855) 947-252918. Our guide to a fraudulent deed on your home covers the court side.
Who do you call in Milwaukee County?
Call the Register of Deeds about records and the police about a crime. Every number here was checked against each office's own website on October 25, 2026.
| Who | Call for | Phone | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register of Deeds | Copies, recording questions, the free alert | (414) 278-4021. Records: (414) 278-4001. Spanish: 414-335-0723 | 901 N. 9th St., Room 103. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays |
| Register of Deeds, vital records | Birth, death and marriage certificates | (414) 278-4027 | Email: RODVitalRecords@milwaukeecountywi.gov |
| Property Fraud Alert help | Trouble signing up | 800-728-3858 | propertyfraudalert.com/WIMilwaukee |
| Milwaukee Police | Reporting a forged deed or loan | Non-emergency: 414-933-4444, or your district station | The Contact MPD page lists all 7 stations |
| District Attorney | Questions about a criminal case | (414) 278-4646 | 821 W. State St., Room 405 |
| Legal Action of Wisconsin | Free legal help if you qualify | (855) 947-2529 | Apply online at legalaction.org |
| City of Milwaukee Assessor | Who the city lists as owner, and your home's value | 414-286-3651 | City Hall, 200 E. Wells St., Room 507 |
Sources: Register of Deeds1,2, Property Fraud Alert3, Milwaukee Police9, District Attorney19, Legal Action of Wisconsin18, City of Milwaukee Assessor16.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a copy of a deed in Milwaukee County?
Search and print it yourself on Tapestry, or mail a written request to Room 103 at 901 North 9th Street1. You can also ask in person, with or without an appointment. The office says most deed copies cost $14 in total, and a certified copy costs $1 more.
How do I look up a deed in Wisconsin?
Each county's register of deeds, the office some states call the recorder of deeds, keeps the deeds for land in that county. For a Milwaukee County deed search, Tapestry finds deeds from April 1948 on by name, and older ones back to 1835 by document number or book and page1. For a hard search, call the office at (414) 278-4001.
How do I find out who owns a property in Milwaukee?
For a home in the City of Milwaukee, the Assessor's free Real Property Search at assessments.milwaukee.gov lets you search by tax key, address or owner16. The recorded deed at the Register of Deeds shows how that owner got title. In a suburb, start with your own city or village website.
Who holds the original deed to my house?
After recording, the Register of Deeds mails a paper deed back, which takes a few weeks1. A deed filed electronically goes back electronically to whoever sent it, and no paper copy is mailed. The county keeps the recorded copy, so you can order one at any time.
Start with the free name alert
Sign up for the county's Property Fraud Alert today. Then make sure the city's owner record and your deed still show your name.
Sign up for the free Milwaukee alertSources
- Real Estate Records, Milwaukee County Register of Deeds, checked October 25, 2026
- Register of Deeds, Milwaukee County Register of Deeds, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Fraud Alert: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin (sign-up page), Fidlar Technologies in partnership with Milwaukee County, checked October 25, 2026
- What is Property Fraud Alert (PFA)?, Fidlar Technologies, checked October 25, 2026
- Statistical Report, Annual 2025 as Compared with Annual 2024 (PDF), Milwaukee County Register of Deeds, read October 25, 2026
- Montalvo v. U.S. Title and Closing Services, LLC, 2013 WI App 8, No. 2012AP102, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, decided December 4, 2012
- Former City Attorney Charged With Four New Felonies, Jeramey Jannene, Urban Milwaukee, October 20, 2025
- Mortgage Fraud, Milwaukee Police Department, Financial Crimes Unit, checked October 25, 2026
- Contact MPD, Milwaukee Police Department, checked October 25, 2026
- 2025 Wisconsin Act 234 (2025 Assembly Bill 445), Wisconsin Legislature, enacted April 8, 2026, published April 9, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 943.60, criminal slander of title, Wisconsin Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 943.38, forgery, Wisconsin Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 706.13, slander of title, Wisconsin Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 841.01 to 841.10, declaration of interest in real property, Wisconsin Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 77.24, division of fee, Wisconsin Legislature, checked October 25, 2026
- Assessor's Office, City of Milwaukee, checked October 25, 2026
- Tapestry frequently asked questions, Fidlar Technologies, checked October 25, 2026
- Legal Action of Wisconsin (home page and intake line), Legal Action of Wisconsin, checked October 25, 2026
- Milwaukee County District Attorney, Milwaukee County, checked October 25, 2026
