How to Register a Trademark in Wisconsin (2026)
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Wisconsin · Last updated August 12, 2026
A Wisconsin trademark is registered through the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) under Wis. Stat. Chapter 132, not through the Secretary of State. Wisconsin charges a flat $15 per mark and does not add a per-class fee, which makes it one of the least expensive state registrations in the country. A registration lasts 10 years and can be renewed for further 10-year terms. State registration protects a mark only inside Wisconsin, so businesses selling across state lines usually file federally with the USPTO instead of, or in addition to, filing here.
How much does it cost to register a trademark in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin charges a flat $15 to register a mark with the Department of Financial Institutions under Wis. Stat. Chapter 132, and the same $15 to renew. Unlike the USPTO and most states, Wisconsin does not charge a separate fee per class of goods or services, so the cost stays $15 no matter how many classes your mark covers.
Who handles trademark registration in Wisconsin?
The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), not the Secretary of State, administers state trademark registration through its Division of Corporate and Consumer Services. Since March 2020 the DFI accepts trademark filings, renewals, assignments, and cancellations only online through its portal or in person, and no longer processes them by mail.
How long does a Wisconsin trademark registration last?
A Wisconsin registration is effective for 10 years from the date it is recorded with the DFI. You can renew it for additional 10-year periods by filing a renewal and paying the $15 fee. A renewal may be filed within the six months before the registration expires, so calendar the deadline to avoid losing your priority.
Should I register in Wisconsin or with the USPTO?
A Wisconsin registration protects your mark only inside Wisconsin and costs just $15, which suits a purely local business. If you sell across state lines or online, a federal USPTO registration at $350 per class gives nationwide priority and the right to use the registered mark symbol, so most growing businesses file federally instead of, or alongside, the state filing.
Wisconsin's flat $15 fee and the DFI filing office
Wisconsin is unusual on two fronts. First, its trademark law sits in Wis. Stat. Chapter 132 ("Trademarks, badges and labeled products") and is administered by the Department of Financial Institutions rather than the Secretary of State, a role most other states assign to their Secretary or Department of State. Second, the DFI charges a single flat fee of $15 per mark for an original registration, a renewal, or the recording of an assignment, and does not tack on a per-class surcharge the way the USPTO and many states do. That makes Wisconsin one of the cheapest state registrations in the country. Registrations recorded on or after May 1, 1990 run for 10 years and renew in 10-year increments. Since March 2020 the DFI has required all trademark transactions to be completed online through its portal or in person, retiring mail-in filing. Separate from trademarks, Wisconsin protects confidential business information under the Wisconsin Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Wis. Stat. 134.90, and protects a person's name, portrait, or picture from unauthorized commercial use under its right of privacy statute, Wis. Stat. 995.50, enacted in 1977 and modeled on New York's privacy law.
Relevant Laws
Wis. Stat. Chapter 132 (Trademarks, badges and labeled products)
Wisconsin's state trademark statute, including the definition of a mark in 132.01 and the registration, fee, and renewal provisions administered by the Department of Financial Institutions.
Wisconsin DFI Trademark Registration (filing office)
The Department of Financial Institutions trademark pages, where marks are registered, renewed, and searched online for a flat $15 fee under Chapter 132.
Wisconsin Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Wis. Stat. 134.90
Wisconsin's adoption of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, protecting confidential business information from misappropriation and providing injunctive relief and damages.
Wisconsin Right of Privacy, Wis. Stat. 995.50
Wisconsin's 1977 privacy statute barring unauthorized commercial use of a living person's name, portrait, or picture for advertising or trade, subject to newsworthiness and incidental-use limits.
Regional Variances
Wisconsin state registration vs. federal registration
Wisconsin (DFI, Wis. Stat. Ch. 132)
Flat $15 per mark with no per-class fee, filed online with the Department of Financial Institutions. Effective 10 years, renewable in 10-year periods. Protection is limited to Wisconsin.
Federal (USPTO)
$350 per class, nationwide priority, the registered mark symbol, and federal-court enforcement under the Lanham Act. Lasts 10 years and is renewable indefinitely with maintenance filings.
Common law (use alone)
Rights arise automatically from use in Wisconsin, limited to your actual trading area. Free, but harder to enforce and without the registered mark symbol.
How Wisconsin's brand and information laws fit together
Trademarks (Wis. Stat. Ch. 132)
Registered with the DFI for a flat $15 and a 10-year term. Protects the mark itself within Wisconsin.
Trade secrets (Wis. Stat. 134.90)
Wisconsin adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, protecting confidential business information without any registration, through injunctions and damages.
Right of privacy (Wis. Stat. 995.50)
The 1977 statute protects a living person's name, portrait, or picture from unauthorized advertising or trade use, subject to newsworthiness limits.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Confirm use of the mark in Wisconsin
Before filing days after startingVerify you are actually selling goods or offering services under the mark in Wisconsin, since Chapter 132 registration is for marks in use and Wisconsin offers no intent-to-use track.
Search DFI and USPTO records for conflicts
Before filing days after startingSearch the DFI trademark and business entity databases plus the USPTO Trademark Search for confusingly similar marks that could defeat your application or lead to an infringement claim.
Prepare the Registration of Trademark filing
Before filing days after startingGather the owner name, a description or drawing of the mark, the goods or services and their classes, and the date of first use in Wisconsin for the DFI online form.
File online with the DFI and pay $15
When ready days after startingSubmit the registration through the DFI online portal at dfi.wi.gov and pay the flat $15 fee. Mail filing is not accepted; file online or in person only.
Calendar the 10-year renewal deadline
Within 6 months before expiration days after startingDiarize the 10-year expiration date and file the $15 renewal within the six months before it expires so the registration does not lapse.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confirm use of the mark in Wisconsin | Verify you are actually selling goods or offering services under the mark in Wisconsin, since Chapter 132 registration is for marks in use and Wisconsin offers no intent-to-use track. | - | Before filing |
| Search DFI and USPTO records for conflicts | Search the DFI trademark and business entity databases plus the USPTO Trademark Search for confusingly similar marks that could defeat your application or lead to an infringement claim. | - | Before filing |
| Prepare the Registration of Trademark filing | Gather the owner name, a description or drawing of the mark, the goods or services and their classes, and the date of first use in Wisconsin for the DFI online form. | trademark-application | Before filing |
| File online with the DFI and pay $15 | Submit the registration through the DFI online portal at dfi.wi.gov and pay the flat $15 fee. Mail filing is not accepted; file online or in person only. | - | When ready |
| Calendar the 10-year renewal deadline | Diarize the 10-year expiration date and file the $15 renewal within the six months before it expires so the registration does not lapse. | - | Within 6 months before expiration |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Wisconsin charges a flat $15 per mark to the Department of Financial Institutions, whether the mark covers one class or several. This differs sharply from the USPTO, which charges $350 for each class. The flat fee makes Wisconsin one of the least expensive states in which to hold a registered mark.
No. Since March 2020 the Department of Financial Institutions has required all trademark registrations, renewals, amendments, assignments, and cancellations to be filed online through its portal or in person. Mail-in filing was discontinued, so plan to complete your Chapter 132 filing electronically at dfi.wi.gov.
Yes. Wisconsin adopted the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, codified as the Wisconsin Uniform Trade Secrets Act at Wis. Stat. 134.90. It protects information that has independent economic value from not being generally known and that is the subject of reasonable efforts to keep it secret, and it allows injunctions and damages for misappropriation.
No. A registration under Wis. Stat. Chapter 132 gives rights only within Wisconsin. It does not stop someone from using a similar mark in another state and does not grant nationwide priority. For protection beyond Wisconsin you need a federal registration from the USPTO, which covers the entire United States.
Yes, through its right of privacy statute, Wis. Stat. 995.50, rather than through trademark law. The statute bars using a living person's name, portrait, or picture for advertising or trade without written consent, and allows equitable relief and compensatory damages. It is limited by newsworthiness and incidental-use defenses.
Other Wisconsin guides
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