Tax Deeds, Auctions and Sales

Wisconsin State Law provides for the transferring title to land when taxes are delinquent. The delinquency must be more than one year in Milwaukee County and Milwaukee City (in other Wisconsin Counties it is 2 years). Milwaukee County has chosen to use the "in rem" foreclosure process. Milwaukee County does not sell foreclosed properties for back taxes. That is a fiscally unsound practice for the county. All foreclosed property is sold for fair market value, the way any other piece of property is sold. If you wish to inquire about any tax foreclosure properties that are currently on the market, you can call The Department of Economic Development at 414-278-4905 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central Time). The Milwaukee County Sheriff holds real estate auctions every Monday morning on properties that are lender foreclosures. This means for non-payment of the mortgage. More information is available by calling 414-278-4907   (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central Time). If you are interested in a property that is in one of the Sheriff's auctions be sure to check for delinquent taxes. Most of the Sheriff sale properties are located in the City of Milwaukee. For a listing of City of Milwaukee delinquent real estate tax accounts, please click here.