Declination, resignation, incapacity, death or removal of custodial trustee, designation of successor custodial trustee
Wis. Stat. § 54.974
in effect(1) Before accepting the custodial trust property, a person designated as custodial trustee may decline to serve by notifying the person who made the designation, the transferor or the transferor’s legal representative. If an event giving rise to a transfer has not occurred, the substitute custodial trustee designated under s. 54.954 becomes the custodial trustee, or, if a substitute custodial trustee has not been designated, the person who made the designation may designate a substitute custodial trustee pursuant to s. 54.954. In other cases, the transferor or the transferor’s legal representative may designate a substitute custodial trustee.
(2) A custodial trustee who has accepted the custodial trust property may resign by doing all of the following:
(a) Delivering written notice to a successor custodial trustee, if any, the beneficiary and, if the beneficiary is incapacitated, to the beneficiary’s conservator or guardian of the estate, if any.
(b) Transferring or registering, or recording an appropriate instrument relating to, the custodial trust property, in the name of, and delivering the records to, the successor custodial trustee identified under sub. (3).
(3) If a custodial trustee or successor custodial trustee is ineligible, resigns, dies or becomes incapacitated, the successor designated under s. 54.952 (7) or 54.954 becomes custodial trustee. If there is no effective provision for a successor, the beneficiary, if not incapacitated, may designate a successor custodial trustee. If the beneficiary is incapacitated or fails to act within 90 days after the ineligibility, resignation, death or incapacity of the custodial trustee, the beneficiary’s conservator or guardian of the estate becomes successor custodial trustee. If the beneficiary does not have a conservator or a guardian of the estate, or the conservator or guardian of the estate fails to act, the resigning custodial trustee may designate a successor custodial trustee.
(4) If a successor custodial trustee is not designated pursuant to sub. (3), the transferor, the legal representative of the transferor or of the custodial trustee, an adult member of the beneficiary’s family, the guardian of the person of the beneficiary, a person interested in the custodial trust property or a person interested in the welfare of the beneficiary may petition the court to designate a successor custodial trustee.
(5) A custodial trustee who declines to serve or resigns, or the legal representative of a deceased or incapacitated custodial trustee, as soon as practicable, shall put the custodial trust property and records in the possession and control of the successor custodial trustee. The successor custodial trustee may enforce the obligation to deliver custodial trust property and records and becomes responsible for each item as received.
(6) A beneficiary, the beneficiary’s conservator, an adult member of the beneficiary’s family, the beneficiary’s guardian, a person interested in the custodial trust property or a person interested in the welfare of the beneficiary may petition the court to remove the custodial trustee for cause and designate a successor custodial trustee, to require the custodial trustee to furnish a bond or other security for the faithful performance of fiduciary duties or for other appropriate relief.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/54.974Fetched: 10/7/2026