Wisconsin Doesn't Use One Bonding System— It Uses Five

WisDOT ties the bond amount to what a dealer is licensed to sell, not to a flat statewide rule. Under Wis. Stat. § 218.0114(5)(a), retail new/used dealers and recreational vehicle dealers post $50,000. Wholesale, salvage, and auction dealers (§ 218.0114(5)(c), § 218.21(4)(a), § 218.33(1)) post $25,000 because they never sell direct-to-consumer. Motorcycle-only and moped dealers (§ 218.0114(5)(a), § 218.41(2)(c)) post $5,000 since transaction values are lower. One form, WisDOT MV2511, covers all seven license categories -- which box you check on that form determines your bond amount.

2023 Wisconsin Act 164 moved recreational vehicle dealers out of the $25,000 wholesale/salvage/auction tier and into the $50,000 retail tier, effective October 1, 2024. The statute, Wis. Stat. § 218.11(2)(e), now reads "not less than $50,000." WisDOT's own bond form (MV2511, last revised 2/2017) still lists the pre-2024 citation, so RV dealers who quote off the form instead of the current statute can end up under-bonded.

Yes, by amount required. Wis. Stat. § 140.02(1)(d) sets the Wisconsin notary bond at $500 -- the statutory floor, not a range. That is a fixed dollar figure, not a percentage or formula, and it has not scaled with any other bond family on this page. Many competitor sites still cite the repealed Wis. Stat. § 137.01; the correct current citation is Chapter 140, enacted by 2019 Wisconsin Act 125. See our full Wisconsin notary bond page for the exam and non-cancelable-bond details.

WisDOT sets it at 1.5 times the vehicle's value as determined by the department, per Wis. Stat. § 342.12(3)(b) -- but by department policy the minimum bond it will request is $2,500, so a $1,000 car still needs a $2,500 bond, not $1,500. WisDOT reviews price guides to land on the vehicle value, then sends a letter with the exact bond figure. The bond is held for 5 years from issuance and is released early if the ownership chain resolves or the vehicle leaves Wisconsin registration.

Most states peg mortgage bonds to origination volume, so the bond grows as the business grows. Wisconsin does not. Wis. Stat. § 224.72(4)(am) sets flat amounts -- $120,000 for mortgage brokers, $300,000 for mortgage bankers -- regardless of how many loans you close. A one-person broker shop and a 50-loan-officer shop post the identical $120,000 bond. Wisconsin also layers on a separate net worth requirement ($100,000 broker / $250,000 banker) on top of the bond, so the real capital bar is higher than the bond figure alone suggests.

No -- and this is the one bond family on this page with no formula at all. Illinois uses 1.5x estate value and Ohio uses a flat 2x, but Wis. Stat. § 878.01(1) sets the bond "for such sum...as the court or probate registrar directs," with no multiplier written into the statute. In formal administration a circuit court judge sets it; in informal administration, Wis. Stat. § 865.07(1)(f) hands that same authority to the county Probate Registrar. The amount depends on the personal estate under the representative's control and how much risk the judge or registrar sees in the specific case.