Washington County, Wisconsin

Tax Deed138,727 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 (Wis. Stat. ch. 75) — no investor tax-lien certificates. After in-rem foreclosure, Washington County takes fee title and resells tax-deed properties; Treasurer page links Wisconsin Surplus (Tax Deed Properties) as the public channel and separately lists Sheriff Sales (primarily mortgage/judgment, Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. at Justice Center — not the tax-deed pipeline). Online Wisconsin Surplus auctions use earnest-money rules (historically 10% by next business day 4:00 p.m. on peer WI Surplus tax-deed sales). Confirm active listings with Treasurer (262-335-4324). Milwaukee-north exurb (West Bend, Germantown, Hartford, Slinger).

Auction logistics

Format

Online when listed (Wisconsin Surplus); confirm with Treasurer

Frequency

As tax-foreclosed parcels become available after in-rem foreclosure (often late summer/early fall cycles historically); no fixed retail certificate calendar

Platform

Wisconsin Surplus — Washington County tax deed properties ↗

Deposit rules

Per active Wisconsin Surplus listing: typically earnest money (often 10%) due next business day after close; balance and deed recording per county/auction terms. Sold AS IS with no buildability warranty. Contact Treasurer for current inventory and bidder instructions. Do not confuse Sheriff Sales room process with tax-deed surplus auctions.

Title risk

Liens that survive the sale

In-rem foreclosure is intended to convey clear county title subject to federal liens and sale-specific exceptions. Special assessments may be handled separately — read each listing.

Quiet title

Judgment of foreclosure is the main clearing step; quiet title may still be used for residual defects or insurer requirements.

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

Washington County Treasurer ↗

262-335-4324

Clerk of court

Washington County Register of Deeds / Clerk of Circuit Court ↗

Property appraiser

Washington County Tax Inquiry / Real Property ↗

GIS / parcel map

Washington County land records / tax inquiry ↗

Areas trending up

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

Germantown / Menomonee River corridor

Milwaukee-north job access and premium suburban SF demand

West Bend county-seat

Government and manufacturing employment with liquid local resale market

Hartford / Slinger US-41 edge

Industrial and logistics growth supporting workforce housing