Ch. 847: Miscellaneous Real Estate Actions · Last amended 2001 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 847.07 lets a circuit court order correction of an erroneous or ambiguous property description in a recorded conveyance, or one where the grantor cannot act and the grantee has held peaceable possession since, without a full reformation lawsuit unless the court has doubts.
(1)The circuit court of any county in which a conveyance of real estate has been recorded may make an order correcting the description in the conveyance on proof being made to the satisfaction of the court that any of the following applies:
(a)The conveyance contains an erroneous description, not intended by the parties to the conveyance.
(b)The description is ambiguous and does not clearly or fully describe the premises intended to be conveyed.
(c)The grantor of the conveyance is dead, a nonresident of the state, a corporation that has ceased to exist, or a personal representative, guardian, trustee, or other person authorized to convey who has been discharged from his or her trust and the grantee or his or her heirs, legal representatives, or assigns have been in the quiet, undisturbed, and peaceable possession of the premises intended to be conveyed from the date of the conveyance.
(2)This section does not prevent an action for the reformation of any conveyance, and if in any doubt the court shall direct the action to be brought.
Plain-English Summary
Section 847.07 offers a shortcut for fixing a bad legal description in a recorded deed or other conveyance. The circuit court of the county where the conveyance was recorded can order the description corrected on proof of one of three things: the conveyance contains an erroneous description the parties did not intend; the description is ambiguous and does not clearly or fully describe the intended premises; or the grantor is dead, a nonresident of the state, a corporation that has ceased to exist, or a personal representative, guardian, trustee, or other authorized person who has since been discharged, and the grantee, or the grantee’s heirs, legal representatives, or assigns, have held quiet, undisturbed, peaceable possession of the intended premises since the date of the conveyance.
This streamlined route has a limit. It does not prevent a full reformation action, and if the court has any doubt about using the correction procedure instead, it has to direct that a reformation action be brought.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Wisconsin court fix a mistaken property description in a recorded deed without a full lawsuit?
Yes, the circuit court can order a correction on proof of an erroneous or ambiguous description, or of the grantor’s death, nonresidence, or dissolution combined with the grantee’s long peaceable possession.
What if the deed’s legal description is unclear about what was conveyed?
That is one basis for a correction order, an ambiguous description that does not clearly or fully describe the premises intended to be conveyed.
What if the person who signed the deed has since died or moved out of state?
Correction is available if the grantee, or the grantee’s heirs, legal representatives, or assigns, have been in quiet, undisturbed, peaceable possession of the intended land since the conveyance.
Does this replace a lawsuit to reform the deed?
No, the section does not prevent an action for reformation, and the court has to direct that one be brought if it has any doubt.
Where is this kind of correction request filed?
In the circuit court of the county in which the conveyance of real estate has been recorded.
Amendment History
History: Sup. Ct. Order, 67 Wis. 2d 585, 768 (1975); 1977 c. 449; 2001 a. 102.
Source & verification. Section text and official notes are
reproduced verbatim from the Wisconsin Statutes, published by the
Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau). Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
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