Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Tax Deed93,956 residents

County research last verified 2026-07. Office holders, platforms, and deposit rules change — re-confirm anything time-sensitive.

Sale typestate default

Tax Deed

Redemption periodstate default

None once the county forecloses (roughly 2 years of delinquency before that)

Investor returnstate default

N/A — outright deed transfer

Governing statutestate default

Wisconsin Statutes Ch. 75

Notes

Wisconsin in-rem tax foreclosure / tax-deed county. Ozaukee County (Port Washington / Mequon fringe; Milwaukee north shore) does not run investor tax-lien certificate auctions. County takes certificates then forecloses in rem and sells tax-deeded property when inventory is ready (Foreclosure Property For Sale page — often thin/no current listings). Separate Sheriff mortgage foreclosure sales run Mondays & Thursdays 1:30 p.m. at Justice Center — not tax deeds. Monitor ozaukeecounty.gov Foreclosure Property For Sale and Treasurer (262) 284-8280. High-value suburban market; tax-deed inventory is infrequent.

Auction logistics

Format

Tax-deed listings / sealed offers when inventory posts; separate Sheriff sales in-person

Frequency

As in-rem dockets complete and Board authorizes sale (often sparse); Sheriff sales twice weekly when noticed

Platform

Ozaukee County — Foreclosure Property For Sale / Treasurer ↗

Deposit rules

Tax deed: per published notice of appraisal and sale / offer instructions. Sheriff sales: Eligible Third-Party Bidder Affidavit and published terms. Confirm each channel before bidding.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

Tax deed after in-rem foreclosure generally cuts off most prior private liens; federal liens can survive. Quit claim / limited warranty practice — full title search mandatory in this high-value market.

Quiet title

Title companies often require quiet title or extended seasoning before insuring WI tax-deed property.

Deal maths for Wisconsin

Assessment ratio: 1× of market value
Typical quiet title: $1,800–$5,000 · 5 mo
Recording and transfer: $250

Wis. Stat. § 70.32(1) requires real property to be valued at the full value which could ordinarily be obtained at private sale, and § 70.05(5)(b) requires each taxation district to assess at full value at least once in every 5-year period. The Department of Revenue computes the actual assessed-to-full-value ratio for every district annually under § 70.05(5)(c) and notifies districts that drift more than 10% off over four years.

Offices and records

Tax collector

Ozaukee County Treasurer ↗

262-284-8280

Clerk of court

Ozaukee County Clerk of Court ↗

Property appraiser

Ozaukee County Land Records / Ascent parcel search ↗

GIS / parcel map

Ozaukee County Land Records GIS ↗

Areas trending up

Directional read from dated market analysis — not a guarantee, and not a substitute for your own comps.

Mequon / Thiensville north shore edge

Premium Milwaukee suburban demand with strong SF liquidity

Port Washington / lakefront county-seat

Tourism and local employment supporting selective SF turns

Grafton / Saukville I-43 corridor

Industrial and retail employment with more attainable entry than Mequon