Wisconsin Statutes Marriage and Family (Ch. 765 to 770) § 766.60. Optional forms of holding property; survivorship ownership

(4)(a) Spouses may hold property in any other form permitted by law, including but not limited to a concurrent form or a form that provides survivorship ownership. Except as provided in par. (b) and except with respect to any remedy a spouse has under this chapter, whether a tenancy in common or joint tenancy was created before or after the determination date, to the extent the incidents of the tenancy in common or joint tenancy conflict with or differ from the incidents of property classification under this chapter, the incidents of the tenancy in common or of the joint tenancy, including the incident of survivorship, control.

(5)(a) If the words “survivorship marital property” are used instead of the words “marital property” in the form described in sub. (1) or (2), the marital property so held is survivorship marital property. On the death of a spouse, the ownership rights of that spouse in the property vest solely in the surviving spouse by nontestamentary disposition at death. The first deceased spouse may not dispose at death of any interest in survivorship marital property. Holding marital property in a form described in sub. (1) or (2) does not alone establish survivorship ownership between the spouses with respect to the property held.

(b) A real estate mortgage, a security interest under ch. 409 or a lien under s. 71.91(5)(b) or ch. 49 or 779 on or against the interest of a spouse in survivorship marital property does not defeat the right of survivorship on the death of the spouse. The surviving spouse takes the interest of the deceased spouse subject to the mortgage, security interest or lien.

(c) A judgment lien on the interest of a spouse in survivorship marital property does not defeat the right of survivorship on the death of the spouse. If execution on the judgment lien was issued before the spouse's death the surviving spouse takes the interest of the deceased spouse subject to the lien. If execution on the judgment lien was not issued before the spouse's death, the surviving spouse takes the interest of the deceased spouse free of the judgment lien, unless the judgment lien is on the interests of both spouses in the survivorship marital property and all of the property of the spouses was available under s. 766.55 to satisfy the obligation for which the judgment was rendered.