Chapter 70

70.83 History History: 1991 a. 316.

70.84 70.84 Inequalities may be corrected in subsequent year. If any such reassessment cannot be completed in time to take the place of the original assessment made in such district for said year, the clerk of the district shall levy and apportion the taxes for that year upon the basis of the original assessment roll, and when the reassessment is completed the inequalities in the taxes levied under the original assessment shall be remedied and compensated in the levy and apportionment of taxes in such district next following the completion of said reassessment in the following manner: Each tract of real estate, and, as to personal property assessments made before January 1, 2024, each taxpayer, whose tax shall be determined by such reassessment to have been relatively too high, shall be credited a sum equal to the amount of taxes charged on the original assessment in excess of the amount which would have been charged had such reassessment been made in time; and each tract of real estate, and, as to personal property assessments made before January 1, 2024, each taxpayer, whose tax shall be determined by such reassessment to have been relatively too low, shall be charged, in addition to all other taxes, a sum equal to the difference between the amount of taxes charged upon such unequal original assessment and the amount which would have been charged had such reassessment been made in time. The department of revenue, or its authorized agent, shall at any time have access to all assessment and tax rolls herein referred to for the purpose of assisting the local clerk and in order that the results of the reassessment may be carried into effect.

70.84 History History: 2023 a. 12.

70.85 70.85 Review of assessment by department of revenue.

70.85(1) (1) Complaint. A taxpayer may file a written complaint with the department of revenue alleging that the assessment of one or more items or parcels of property in the taxation district the value of which, as determined under s. 70.47, does not exceed $1,000,000 is radically out of proportion to the general level of assessment of all other property in the district.

70.85(2) (2) Board of review; timing. A complaint under this section may be filed only if the taxpayer has contested the assessment of the property for that year under s. 70.47. The complaint shall be filed with the department of revenue within 20 days after receipt of the board of review’s determination or within 30 days after the date specified on the affidavit under s. 70.47 (12) if there is no return receipt.

70.85(3) (3) Fee. A taxpayer filing a complaint under this section shall pay a filing fee of $100 to the department of revenue, which shall be credited to the appropriation under s. 20.566 (2) (h).

70.85(4) (4) Revaluation.

70.85(4)(a) (a) In this subsection, “the property” means the items or parcels of property which are the subject of the written complaint filed under sub. (1).

70.85(4)(b) (b) The department of revenue may revalue the property and adjust the assessment of the property to the assessment ratio of other property within the taxation district, if the department of revenue determines that:

70.85(4)(b)1. 1. The assessment of the property is not within 10 percent of the general level of assessment of all other property in the taxation district.

70.85(4)(b)2. 2. The revaluation of the property can be satisfactorily completed without a reassessment of all property within the taxation district.

70.85(4)(b)3. 3. The revaluation can be accomplished before November 1 of the year in which the assessment is made or within 60 days of the receipt of the written complaint, whichever is later.

70.85(4)(c) (c) Appeal of the determination of the department of revenue shall be by an action for certiorari in the circuit court of the county in which the property is located.

70.85(5) (5) Other property. In determining whether to revalue property under sub. (4), the department of revenue may examine the valuation of other property in the taxation district which is owned by the person filing the complaint.

70.85(6) (6) Tax computed on revalued amount. The valuation fixed by the department of revenue under this section shall be substituted for the assessed value of the property shown on the tax roll, and the tax shall be computed on the amount of the valuation determined by the department of revenue.

70.85(7) (7) Delay in revaluation.

70.85(7)(a) (a) If the department of revenue has not completed the revaluation prior to the time established by a taxation district for fixing its tax rate, the taxation district shall base its tax rate on the total value of property contained in the assessment roll, including property whose valuation is contested under this section.

70.85(7)(b) (b) If the department of revenue has not completed the revaluation prior to the time of the tax levy, the tax upon property with respect to which the revaluation has not been completed shall be computed on the basis of the contested value of the property. The taxpayer shall pay in full the tax based upon the contested valuation. If the department of revenue reduces the valuation of the property, the taxpayer may file a claim under s. 70.511 (2) (b) for a refund of taxes resulting from the reduction in value.

70.85(8) (8) Costs. If the department of revenue determines that no change in the assessment of the property is required, the costs related to the department’s determination shall be paid by the department. If the department of revenue changes the property assessment, costs related to the department’s determination that the assessment of that property should be changed, but not more than $300, shall be paid by the taxation district and shall be credited to the appropriation under s. 20.566 (2) (h). Past due accounts for costs shall be certified by the department of revenue on or before the 4th Monday of August of each year and included in the next apportionment of state special charges to local units of government.

70.85(9) (9) County assessor system. In this section, for those taxation districts that are under a county assessor system, the term “local assessor” includes the county assessor and the term “board of review” includes the county board of review.

70.85 History History: 1987 a. 27, 378; 1991 a. 39; 1995 a. 408.

70.85 Annotation This section and ss. 70.47 (13) and 74.37 provide the exclusive methods to challenge a municipality’s bases for assessment of individual parcels. All require appeal to the board of review prior to court action. There is no alternative procedure to challenge an assessment’s compliance with the uniformity clause. Hermann v. Town of Delavan, 215 Wis. 2d 370, 572 N.W.2d 855 (1998), 96-0171.

70.85 Annotation Wisconsin’s Property Tax Assessment Appeal System. Ardern. Wis. Law. Mar. 1996.

70.85 Annotation Over Assessed? Appealing Home Tax Assessments. McAdams. Wis. Law. July 2011.

70.855 70.855 State assessment of commercial property.

70.855(1) (1) Applicability. The department of revenue shall assess real property assessed as commercial property under s. 70.32 (2) (a) 2. if all of the following apply:

70.855(1)(a) (a) The property owner and the governing body of the municipality where the property is located submit a written request to the department on or before March 1 of the year of the assessment to have the department assess the property owner’s real commercial property located in the municipality.

70.855(1)(b) (b) The written request submitted under par. (a) specifies the parcels of real property for the department’s assessment.

70.855(1)(c) (c) The assessed value of the property owner’s commercial property in the municipality in the previous year, as specified under par. (b), is at least $24,000,000.

70.855(1)(d) (d) The assessed value of the property owner’s commercial property in the municipality in the previous year, as specified under par. (b), represents at least 9 percent of the total assessed value of all property in the municipality.

70.855(1)(e) (e) The property is located in a 4th class city.

70.855(2) (2) Valuation.

70.855(2)(a) (a) The department of revenue shall determine the full market value of the property subject to the request under sub. (1). The department may request from the property owner or the municipality where the property is located any information that the department considers necessary to perform its duties under this section. Failure to submit the requested information to the department shall result in denial of any right of redetermination by the tax appeals commission by the party failing to provide the requested information.

70.855(2)(b) (b) The department shall determine the value of the property subject to the request under sub. (1) no later than June 1 and shall provide written notice to the property owner and the governing body of the municipality of its findings and the value it has determined for the affected property.

70.855(2)(c) (c) Appeal of the determination of the department under this subsection shall be made to the tax appeals commission.

70.855(3) (3) Assessor duty. The assessor of the municipality where the property is located shall use the department’s valuation of the property under sub. (2) for determining the property’s value on the assessment roll, adjusted, to the best of the assessor’s ability, to reflect the assessment ratio of other property located in the municipality.

70.855(4) (4) Costs.

70.855(4)(a) (a) The department of revenue shall impose a fee on each municipality in which commercial property is assessed under this section equal to the cost of the department’s assessment of that property under this section. Except as provided in par. (b), each municipality that is assessed a fee under this paragraph shall collect the amount of the fee as a special charge against the taxable property located in the municipality, except that no municipality may apply the special charge disproportionately to owners of commercial property relative to owners of other property.

70.855(4)(b) (b) If the department of revenue does not receive the fee imposed on a municipality under par. (a) by March 31 of the year following the department’s determination under sub. (2) (b), the department shall reduce the distribution made to the municipality under s. 79.02 (1) by the amount of the fee and shall transfer that amount to the appropriation under s. 20.566 (2) (ga).

70.855 History History: 2013 a. 20; 2021 a. 1; 2023 a. 12.

70.86 70.86 Descriptions, simplified system. The governing body of any city, village or town may at its option adopt a simplified system of describing real property in either the assessment roll or the tax roll or in both the assessment roll and tax roll of such city, village or town, and may from time to time amend or change such simplified system. Descriptions in property tax bills shall be as provided under s. 74.09 (3) (a).

70.86 History History: 1987 a. 378; 1993 a. 246.

70.99 70.99 County assessor.

70.99(1) (1) A county assessor system may be established for any county by passage of a resolution or ordinance adopting such a system by an approving vote of 60 percent of the entire membership of the county board. After passage of this enabling resolution or ordinance by the county board, the county executive, or the county administrator, or the chairperson of the county board with the approval of the county board, shall appoint a county assessor from a list of candidates provided by the department of revenue who have passed an examination and have been certified by the department of revenue as qualified for performing the functions of the office. Certification shall be granted to all persons demonstrating proficiency by passing an examination administered by the department. The persons selected for listing shall first have been given a comprehensive examination, approved by the department of revenue, relating to the work of county assessor. A person appointed as county assessor shall thereafter have permanent tenure, after successfully serving the probationary period in effect in the county, and may be removed or suspended only for the reasons named in s. 17.14 (1) or for such cause as would sustain the suspension or removal of a state employee under state civil service rules. If employees of a county are under a county civil service program, the county assessor may, and any person appointed as a member of his or her staff shall, be incorporated into the county civil service program but tenure is dependent on the foregoing provision.

70.99(1m) (1m) Upon request of a county that is considering the creation of an assessment system under this section, the department of revenue may study the feasibility of that creation. The county shall reimburse the department for the costs of the study.

70.99(3) (3) 

70.99(3)(a) (a) The division of personnel management in the department of administration shall recommend a reasonable salary range for the county assessor for each county based upon pay for comparable work or qualifications in that county. If, by contractual agreement under s. 66.0301, 2 or more counties join to employ one county assessor with the approval of the secretary of revenue, the division of personnel management shall recommend a reasonable salary range for the county assessor under the agreement. The department of revenue shall assist the county in establishing the budget for the county assessor’s offices, including the number of personnel and their qualifications, based on the anticipated workload.

70.99(3)(b) (b) The department of revenue shall establish levels of proficiency for all appraisal personnel to be employed in offices of county assessors.

70.99(5) (5) The county assessor and the county assessor’s staff shall be supplied suitable quarters, equipment and supplies by the county.

70.99(6) (6) In respect of any assessment made by a county assessor, the county assessor shall perform all the functions and acts theretofore required to be performed by the local assessor of the taxation district and shall have the same authority, responsibility and status, privileges and obligations of the assessor the county assessor displaces, except as clearly inconsistent with this section.

70.99(7) (7) The county assessor may designate one member of the county assessor’s staff as deputy county assessor who shall have full power to act for the county assessor in the event of the inability of the county assessor to act through absence, incapacity, resignation or otherwise.

70.99(8) (8) Each city, town and village assessor duly appointed or elected and qualified to make the assessment for a city, town or village shall continue in office for all purposes of completing the functions of assessor with respect to such current year’s assessment, but is divested of all authority in respect to the January 1 assessment that comes under the jurisdiction of the county assessor.

70.99(9) (9) In making the first assessment of any city, town or village the county assessor shall equalize the assessment of property within each taxation district. Thereafter, the county assessor shall revalue each year as many taxation districts under the county assessor’s jurisdiction within the county as the county assessor’s available staff will permit so as to bring and maintain each such taxation district at a full value assessment. The county assessor shall proceed with such work so as to complete the revaluation of all taxation districts under the county assessor’s jurisdiction within 4 years. Such revaluation shall be made according to the procedures and manuals established by the department of revenue for the use of assessors.

70.99(10) (10) 

70.99(10)(a) (a) There shall be one board of review for each county under the county assessor system. The board of review in any county having a county executive shall be appointed by the county executive from the cities or villages or towns under the county assessor. The board of review of all other counties shall be appointed by the chairperson of the county board from the tax districts under the county assessor. County board of review appointments in all counties shall be subject to approval by the county board. The board of review shall have 5 to 9 members, no more than 2 of whom may reside in the same city, town or village, and shall hold office as members of said board for staggered 5-year terms and until their successors are appointed and qualified. In counties other than Milwaukee County at least one member shall be from a town. The compensation and reimbursement of expenses of members of the board of review shall be fixed by the county board and shall be borne by the county. Each such board of review shall appoint one of its members present at the hearing as clerk and such clerk shall keep an accurate record of its proceedings. The provisions of s. 70.47, not in conflict with this section, shall be applicable to procedure for review of assessments by county boards of review and to appeals from determinations of county boards of review.

70.99(10)(b) (b) Two members of the board of review may hold the hearing of the evidence but a majority of the board members must be present to constitute a quorum at the meeting at which the determination of the issue is made. A majority vote of the quorum shall constitute the determination. In the event there is a tie vote, the assessor’s valuation shall be sustained.

70.99(10)(c) (c) A board member may not be counted in determining a quorum and may not vote concerning any determination unless, concerning such determination, such member:

70.99(10)(c)1. 1. Attended the hearing of the evidence; or

70.99(10)(c)2. 2. Received the transcript of the hearing no less than 5 days prior to the meeting and read such transcript; or

70.99(10)(c)3. 3. Received a mechanical recording of the evidence no less than 5 days prior to the meeting and listened to such recording; or

70.99(10)(c)4. 4. Received a copy of a summary and all exceptions thereto no less than 5 days prior to the meeting and read such summary and exceptions. In this subdivision “summary” means a written summary of the evidence prepared by one or more board members attending the hearing of evidence, which summary shall be distributed to all board members and all parties to the contested assessment and “exceptions” means written exceptions to the summary of evidence filed by parties to the contested assessment.

70.99(10m) (10m) The county board may by resolution establish a county board of assessors, which board shall be comprised of the county assessor or the deputy county assessor and such other members of the county assessor’s staff as the county assessor annually designates. If so established the county board of assessors shall investigate any objection referred to it by direction of the county board of review. The county board of assessors shall, after having made the investigation notify the person assessed or that person’s agent of its determination by first class mail, and a copy of such determination shall be transmitted to the county board of review. The person assessed having been notified of the determination of the county board of assessors shall be deemed to have accepted such determination unless that person notifies the county assessor in writing, within 10 days, of that person’s desire to present testimony before the county board of review.

70.99(10p) (10p) In counties that enter into a compact for a county assessor system, the board of review shall consist of 2 members appointed by each county with one additional member appointed by the county having the greatest full value.

70.99(11) (11) The county assessor shall annually submit a budget request for funds to cover the operation of the county assessor system for the ensuing year to the county office responsible for preparing the county budget.

70.99(13) (13) 

70.99(13)(a) (a)

70.99(13)(a)1. 1. The department of revenue shall prescribe the due dates, the forms, and the format of information transmitted by the county assessor to the department as to the assessment of property and any other information that may be needed in the department’s work. The department of revenue shall also prescribe the form of assessment rolls, forms, books, and returns required for the assessment and collection of general property taxes by the county. The county shall submit material on or before the due dates that the department prescribes and shall use all of the material that the department prescribes.

70.99(13)(a)2. 2. The department of revenue shall design and make available to any county, basic computer programs for the preparation of assessment rolls, tax rolls and tax receipts which are deemed necessary by the secretary of revenue to the utilization of automatic data processing in the administration of the property tax.

70.99(13)(b) (b) The department of revenue shall prescribe minimum specifications for assessment maps. Any county whose assessment maps do not meet the department’s specifications at the time of converting to the county assessment system shall have 4 years from the first countywide January 1 assessment date to bring its maps in conformance with the department’s specifications.

70.99(13)(c) (c) The department of revenue shall determine the minimum number of staff members required for each county assessor’s office and the level of certification under sub. (3) required for each position.

70.99(13)(d) (d) In order to effect the orderly transition of local property assessment to the county assessor system, as soon as practicable after the effective date of the resolution or ordinance adopting such system, all assessment records, books, maps, aerial photographs, appraisal cards and any other data currently in the possession of any town, village or city shall be made available to and become the property of the county assessor.

70.99(14) (14) A county may discontinue a county assessor system by passage of a resolution or ordinance by an approving vote of a majority of the entire membership of the county board. The effective date of the resolution or ordinance shall be December 31. A county shall, on or before October 31 of the year when the resolution or ordinance is effective, notify all municipalities in the county of its intent to discontinue its county assessor system. As soon as practicable after the effective date of the resolution or ordinance, the county shall transfer to the proper municipality all assessment records, books, maps, aerial photographs, appraisal cards and other assessment data in its possession.

70.99 History History: 1971 c. 40 s. 93; 1973 c. 90; 1975 c. 427; 1977 c. 29 ss. 1646 (3), 1647 (15); 1977 c. 196 s. 130 (10); 1977 c. 273; 1979 c. 34 s. 2102 (58) (a); 1979 c. 177, 221; 1981 c. 20; 1983 a. 27 s. 2200 (15); 1983 a. 192 s. 303 (2); 1987 a. 27; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 316; 1993 a. 16; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 253; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 2001 a. 107; 2003 a. 33 ss. 1558, 9160; 2015 a. 55.

70.99 Annotation The constitutionality of this section is upheld. This section does not allow county boards to appoint officers of cities, towns, and villages in violation of article IV, section 23, of the Wisconsin Constitution, illegally deprive villages and cities of the right to determine their own affairs in violation of article XI, section 3, of the Wisconsin Constitution, or create a nonuniform system of town government in violation of article XIII, section 9, of the Wisconsin Constitution. Thompson v. Kenosha County, 64 Wis. 2d 673, 221 N.W.2d 845 (1974).

70.99 Annotation This section must be read in conjunction with s. 70.32 (1). State ex rel. Kaskin v. Board of Review, 91 Wis. 2d 272, 282 N.W.2d 620 (Ct. App. 1979).

70.99 Annotation The offices of county assessor and town supervisor are compatible. 63 Atty. Gen. 599.

70.995 70.995 State assessment of manufacturing property.

70.995(1) (1) 

70.995(1)(a) (a) In this section “manufacturing property” includes all real property, as defined in s. 70.03, in this state, used in manufacturing, assembling, processing, fabricating, making, or milling tangible personal property for profit. Manufacturing property also includes warehouses, storage facilities, and office structures in this state when the predominant use of the warehouses, storage facilities, or offices is in support of the manufacturing property. Establishments engaged in assembling component parts of manufactured products are considered manufacturing establishments if the new product is neither a structure nor other fixed improvement. Materials processed by a manufacturing establishment include products of agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, and quarrying. For the purposes of this section, establishments which engage in mining metalliferous minerals are considered manufacturing establishments.

70.995(1)(b) (b) Materials used by a manufacturing establishment may be purchased directly from producers, obtained through customary trade channels or secured without recourse to the market by transfer from one establishment to another under the same ownership. Manufacturing production is usually carried on for the wholesale market, for interplant transfer or to order for industrial users rather than for direct sale to a domestic consumer.

70.995(1)(c) (c) Manufacturing shall not include the following agricultural activities:

70.995(1)(c)1. 1. Processing on farms if the raw materials are grown on the farm.

70.995(1)(c)2. 2. Custom gristmilling.

70.995(1)(c)3. 3. Threshing and cotton ginning.

70.995(1)(d) (d) Except for the activities under sub. (2), activities not classified as manufacturing in the standard industrial classification manual, 1987 edition, published by the U.S. office of management and budget are not manufacturing for this section.

70.995(2) (2) In addition to the criteria set forth in sub. (1), property shall be deemed prima facie manufacturing property and eligible for assessment under this section if it is included in one of the following major group classifications set forth in the standard industrial classification manual, 1987 edition, published by the U.S. office of management and budget. For the purposes of this section, any other property described in this subsection shall also be deemed manufacturing property and eligible for assessment under this section:

70.995(2)(a) (a) 10 — Metal mining.

70.995(2)(b) (b) 14 — Mining and quarrying of nonmetallic minerals, except fuels.