Racine County, Wisconsin

Tax Deed198,651 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 tax-deed county — no lien certificates. Racine County Treasurer sells properties taken in tax foreclosure via a tiered county-run process: (1) initial sealed-bid sale with minimum bid and deposit, (2) subsequent sealed-bid with no minimum, (3) ongoing over-the-counter sales of remaining parcels. Not a competitive online tax-deed free-for-all. Example window documented July 21 – Aug 11, 2026 for sealed-bid — confirm current packet on county site.

Auction logistics

Format

Sealed bid / over-the-counter

Frequency

Roughly annual sealed-bid windows plus ongoing OTC for unsold inventory — check Treasurer page for open periods

Platform

Racine County Treasurer — Public Sale of Properties Taken in Tax Foreclosure ↗

Deposit rules

Initial sealed-bid tier often requires ~20% deposit and published minimum bid; subsequent tiers and OTC rules differ. Sold AS IS after in-rem foreclosure. Confirm exact deposit, cashier’s check, and closing terms in the current sale packet.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

In-rem foreclosure is intended to clear title into county ownership subject to federal liens and sale exceptions. Special assessments may remain issues — run municipal search before bid.

Quiet title

Foreclosure judgment is primary clearing; quiet title may still be used after county deed for residual defects.

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

Racine County Treasurer ↗

Clerk of court

Racine County Register of Deeds / Clerk of Circuit Court ↗

Property appraiser

Municipal assessors / Racine County land records ↗

GIS / parcel map

Racine County GIS / parcel map resources ↗

Areas trending up

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

Downtown Racine / lakefront

Waterfront revitalization and relative value versus north-shore Milwaukee suburbs

Mount Pleasant / Foxconn–I-94 corridor

Industrial investment and new infrastructure supporting housing demand west of the city

Caledonia / north-county fringe

Suburban SF inventory with Milwaukee-commute access