Skip to content

Bills · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 172

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: prohibiting filing or recording contracts for services or materials that do not improve real estate and providing a penalty. (FE)

Contracts Court — Procedure Legislature — Criminal penalties joint review committee on Real property Real property — Agent or appraiser Register of deeds

  1. Introduced, completed
  2. Passes Senate, completed
  3. Passes Assembly, completed
  4. Governor signs, completed
  5. Law, completed

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill provides that, with certain, specified exceptions, no person may file or record with, or present for filing or recording to, a register of deeds a non-improvement contract or a notice, memorandum, or other instrument related to a non-improvement contract (document) and authorizes the register of deeds to reject such a document and return it unrecorded. The bill defines “non-improvement contract” as a contract 1) under which a person agrees to perform, furnish, or procure any work, labor, service, materials, plans, or specifications that are not used or consumed for the improvement of real estate, and 2) that purports to create a lien, encumbrance, or other security interest on real estate. A person that violates the recording or filing prohibition in the bill may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than nine months, or both.

In addition, under the bill, an owner of real estate affected by such a filing or recording may bring a civil action against the person that files or records the document. If the owner prevails in the action, the court must order the real estate released from the effect of the document and may award actual damages, costs, and reasonable attorney fees.

Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Dassler-Alfheim (D) , Marklein (R) , Nass (R) , Quinn (R) , Spreitzer (D) , Wall (D)

18 cosponsors

Allen (R) , Behnke (R) , Dittrich (R) , J. Jacobson (D) , Knodl (R) , Kreibich (R) , Maxey (R) , Murphy (R) , Ortiz-Velez (D) , Penterman (R) , Piwowarczyk (R) , Pronschinske (R) , Ratcliff (D) , Stroud, O'Connor, Miresse and Stubbs , Summerfield (R) , Tucker (R) , Udell (D) , Wirch (D)

Registered lobbying interests · 6

Organizations that registered lobbying activity on this bill with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Registration means interest, not a position for or against. Official record

Votes

Senate: Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0

Passed 5–0 May 9, 2025 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Senate: Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0

Passed 5–0 May 9, 2025 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Senate: Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0

Passed 5–0 May 9, 2025 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Full history

  1. Apr 3, 2025 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Quinn, Marklein, Dassler-Alfheim, Nass, Spreitzer and Wall; cosponsored by Representatives Maxey, Piwowarczyk, Behnke, Dittrich, Knodl, Kreibich, Murphy, Pronschinske, Summerfield and Ortiz-Velez

  2. Apr 3, 2025 · Senate

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

  3. Apr 7, 2025 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senator Quinn

  4. Apr 8, 2025 · Senate

    Representative Allen added as a cosponsor

  5. Apr 9, 2025 · Senate

    Representative Tucker added as a cosponsor

  6. Apr 10, 2025 · Senate

    Representative Udell added as a cosponsor

  7. Apr 16, 2025 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  8. Apr 17, 2025 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  9. Apr 25, 2025 · Senate

    Senator Wirch added as a coauthor

  10. May 6, 2025 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 2 offered by Senator Quinn

  11. May 9, 2025 · Senate

    Representative Penterman added as a cosponsor

  12. May 9, 2025 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  13. May 9, 2025 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Amendment 1 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  14. May 9, 2025 · Senate

    Report adoption of Senate Amendment 2 recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  15. May 9, 2025 · Senate

    Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  16. May 9, 2025 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  17. May 13, 2025 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 5-15-2025 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  18. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Senator Ratcliff added as a coauthor

  19. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Read a second time

  20. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 1 adopted

  21. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Senate Amendment 2 adopted

  22. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  23. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Rules suspended to give bill its third reading

  24. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Read a third time and passed

  25. May 15, 2025 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  26. May 15, 2025 · Assembly

    Received from Senate

  27. May 27, 2025 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Rules

  28. May 28, 2025 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  29. Jun 20, 2025 · Assembly

    Withdrawn from Committee on Rules and referred to calendar of 6-24-2025

  30. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Representatives Stroud, O'Connor, Miresse and Stubbs added as cosponsors

  31. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up

  32. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  33. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  34. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  35. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Read a third time and concurred in

  36. Jun 24, 2025 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  37. Jun 24, 2025 · Senate

    Received from Assembly concurred in

  38. Jun 26, 2025 · Senate

    Report correctly enrolled

  39. Aug 7, 2025 · Senate

    Presented to the Governor on 8-7-2025

  40. Aug 11, 2025 · Senate

    Report approved by the Governor on 8-8-2025. 2025 Wisconsin Act 32

  41. Aug 11, 2025 · Senate

    Published 8-9-2025

  42. Nov 4, 2025 · Senate

    Representative J. Jacobson added as a cosponsor