Fees
| $400 | Initial |
| $400 | Renewal* |
| $200 | Post-Effective Amendment** |
*Renewal filings must be submitted prior to the registration expiration date to maintain an effective registration.
**Post-Effective Amendment filings must be submitted if you are making a material change to your FDD after your initial or renewal filing is approved.
Notes
- Wisconsin filings are completed online and payment of filing may be made via ACH or credit card. For ACH payments, you will be required to complete and submit an ACH authorization form to us before we will submit the filing for you. For credit card payments, you will be required to complete and submit a credit card authorization form to us before we will submit the filing for you.
- There is no application required for filings in Wisconsin, but you must provide the name and title of an officer of the franchisor entity to input on the website authorizing the uniform consent to service of process.
- Wisconsin requires the submission of the current FDD, but the state does not review the document and all filings are typically approved within an hour.
- If you are a first-year start-up franchisor Wisconsin will allow unaudited financials in the FDD in lieu of an audit.
Exemptions (from registration with the state and/or from disclosure with a specific prospect)
- Large Investment – exemption from registration only
- Where a sale satisfies both requirements:
- Cash payment of at least $100,000 is due by franchisee at time of purchase and the amount of the payment cannot be more than 20% of the franchisee’s net worth
- You must believe the franchisee has the appropriate knowledge and experience to in this business to correctly evaluate it
- No filing or fees are required, but if there is any doubt about qualifying for the exemption, you may apply to the Division for an opinion confirming the exemption
- Fees:
$500 Opinion
- Fractional Franchises – exemption from registration and disclosure
- Where the franchisee (or any of its current officers or directors) has been in the type of business of the franchise for more than two years and both you and the franchisee anticipated or should have anticipated that the sales arising from the relationship would account for no more than 20% of gross sales revenue of the franchisee for a period of at least one year
- No filing or fees are required
- Sales to Existing Franchisees – exemption from registration and disclosure
- Where the sale is for an additional franchise to a current franchisee who is still operating the same franchised business as is being offered
- No filing or fees are required
- Renewal of an Existing Agreement – exemption from registration and disclosure
- Where the sale is a renewal or extension of an existing franchise and there has been no interruption in the operation of the business
- No filing or fees are required, but if there is any doubt about qualifying for the exemption, you may apply to the Division for an opinion confirming the exemption
- Fees:
$500 Opinion
- Sales by Existing Franchisees – exemption from registration and disclosure
- Where the sale by the franchisee is for its own account and is not effected by or through you
- The sale may be by the franchisee back to you
- No filing or fees are required
- Out-of-State Sales – exemption from registration only
- Where the offer or sale is (a) made to a prospect not domiciled in Wisconsin, (b) the franchised business will not be operated in Wisconsin, and (c) in compliance with the laws of the state where the business will operate or where the prospect is domiciled
- No filing or fees are required, but if there is any doubt about qualifying for the exemption, you may apply to the Division for an opinion confirming the exemption
- Fees:
$500 Opinion
- Non-Franchisor Exemptions – The following exemptions are for atypical franchise offerings, are very rare, and in general, will not apply to you if you are an active franchisor with an FDD.
- Nominal Fee
- Cooperatives
- By Order