Wisconsin Real Estate Condition Report (RECR) — the statutory disclosure form under Chapter 709, commonly distributed alongside form WB-11 (Residential Offer to Purchase); a separate Vacant Land Disclosure Report applies to unimproved land. For homes built before 1978, a federal Lead-Based Paint Disclosure (implemented in Wisconsin practice via a standard addendum, commonly called Addendum S) is also required. — Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 709 ("Disclosures by Owners of Real Estate"), principally sec. 709.01 (who must furnish a report / exemptions), sec. 709.02 (timing, delivery, and buyer rescission rights), and sec. 709.03 (mandated form and content of the Real Estate Condition Report). The exemption for transfers exempt from the real estate transfer fee cross-references Wis. Stat. sec. 77.25. The federal lead-paint overlay derives from 42 U.S.C. sec. 4852d (Title X, Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act) and 24 CFR Part 35 / 40 CFR Part 745.
Wisconsin is not a "minimal disclosure" caveat emptor state in the way some states are — Chapter 709 imposes an affirmative, statute-mandated seller disclosure duty for residential real estate. Any person transferring Wisconsin real estate improved with a 1-4 unit dwelling (including condominium units and time-shares) by sale, exchange, or land contract must furnish the buyer a completed Real Estate Condition Report unless a specific statutory exemption applies. The duty is limited to the owner's actual knowledge — the RECR is expressly not a warranty and does not require the owner to inspect or investigate the property, only to disclose defects and conditions they actually know about. The completed report must be delivered no later than 10 days after acceptance of the contract of sale or option contract. If the buyer does not receive a fully completed report within that 10-day window, the buyer may rescind the contract by delivering written notice within 2 business days after the window closes, and is entitled to return of earnest money and option fees. Layered on top of the state RECR, federal law requires a separate lead-based paint disclosure for any residential property built before 1978, regardless of any state-law exemption that might otherwise apply.
The 2023-24 Wisconsin Statutes (the current codification covering Chapter 709) are updated through 2025 Wisconsin Act 247 and remain in effect as of mid-2026; no major substantive overhaul of the core Chapter 709 disclosure duty, the 10-day delivery deadline, or the 2-business-day rescission window has been identified for 2025-2026. The Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) Real Estate Contractual Forms Advisory Council continues periodic administrative updates to the standard RECR/WB-11 forms (form revisions were discussed at its January 2026 meeting), so practitioners should confirm they are using the current-year form revision from DSPS or the Wisconsin REALTORS Association rather than an outdated template, but the underlying statutory disclosure obligations in sec. 709.01-.03 have not been repealed or fundamentally restructured.
Facts on this page reflect research current as of 2026-07-05. Programs, rates, and laws change — confirm current figures with the relevant state agency before relying on them.