The Wisconsin MV3598 form is the ignition interlock installation record that a convicting court submits to the Wisconsin DMV to exempt a specific vehicle from the IID installation requirement when you no longer own or operate it. You do not download it, fill it out, or mail it in yourself. Your job is to contact the court that handled your OWI case; the court completes the form, transmits it electronically to the DMV, and sends you a copy for your records.1Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Device (IID)
How to Request the Exemption
Call or visit the clerk of court in the county where your OWI was adjudicated. Tell them you have sold, transferred, or otherwise parted with a vehicle that is still tied to your IID order, and that you need an MV3598 submitted for it.
Be ready with specifics. The court will want to identify the vehicle by make, model, year, and VIN, and will want to know how it left your possession. A bill of sale or title transfer receipt helps if you sold it. Once the court is satisfied, it fills out the MV3598 and transmits it to the DMV electronically.1Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Keep the copy the court gives you. It is your proof that the IID obligation for that vehicle was addressed.
What the Exemption Does Not Do
An MV3598 exempts one vehicle from installation. It does nothing to your driving restriction. Your license still only permits you to operate IID-equipped vehicles for the full court-ordered period.1Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Device (IID) If you drive any vehicle without a functioning IID during that period, you are violating the order, even if you have an MV3598 on file for a vehicle you used to own.
The exemption also does not shorten the restriction. The court sets the length, typically a minimum of 12 months, and the clock only starts when the DMV issues you a license on or after the conviction date.1Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Device (IID) Choosing not to drive does not run out the timer.
Which Vehicles the IID Order Covers
An IID must be installed on every vehicle for which your name appears on the certificate of title or registration, whether it’s a car, truck, motor home, or any other qualifying motor vehicle under Wisconsin law.2Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 343.301 Motorcycles, mopeds, and autocycles are not subject to the installation requirement, and neither are vehicles the Wisconsin DMV has not approved for IID installation.1Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Device (IID)
So the MV3598 is the right tool when a specific titled or registered vehicle is no longer yours. If the vehicle still shows your name but a family member is the only one driving it, that does not qualify; ownership on the title is what triggers the installation requirement.
Financial Hardship Is a Different Path
If installing IIDs on every vehicle you own would cause undue financial hardship, the court has discretion to exempt one or more vehicles from installation on that basis.2Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 343.301 That is a judicial determination made by the judge, not a request processed through the MV3598. If cost rather than ownership is your issue, raise it with the court directly as a hardship question.
There are no medical exceptions to a mandatory IID order.1Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Device (IID)
What Happens If You Ignore the Order
Wisconsin law treats several actions as violations of an IID order: failing to have the device installed as ordered, removing or disconnecting it, having someone else blow into it on your behalf, or tampering with or circumventing it in any other way.2Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 343.301 The Wisconsin DOT warns that failure to install, early removal, or tampering can result in cancellation of your driving privileges altogether.1Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Ignition Interlock Device (IID)
A common assumption is that exempting your vehicles and simply not driving will make the problem go away. It will not. The IID restriction period only begins counting down once the DMV issues you a valid license after conviction. Sit for two years without a license and the timer has not moved. Whenever you need to drive again, you still owe the full IID period.
When the IID Is Required in the First Place
If you’re trying to confirm whether any of this applies to you, Section 343.301 requires a court to order an IID in three situations: any repeat OWI offender (anyone with a prior OWI conviction, suspension, or revocation), a first-time OWI offender with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.15 or higher, and anyone who refuses to provide a breath or blood sample during a traffic stop.2Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 343.301 The order restricts your driving privilege to IID-equipped vehicles and requires installation on every vehicle titled or registered in your name. The MV3598 exists to handle the second half when a vehicle is no longer actually yours.