Chapter 74

74.53 Annotation A land contract vendor is not an owner of real estate under this section. City of Milwaukee v. Greenberg, 163 Wis. 2d 28, 471 N.W.2d 33 (1991).

74.55 74.55 Action to collect delinquent personal property taxes.

74.55(1) (1) Civil action. Delinquent personal property taxes, together with any interest and penalty under s. 74.47, may be recovered by the taxation district in a civil action, including an action under ch. 799, if the action is brought within 6 years after the January 1 of the year in which the taxes are required to be paid.

74.55(2) (2) Certain property not exempt from execution. In a proceeding to enforce a judgment rendered in an action under this section to recover delinquent personal property taxes, the personal property on which the taxes were delinquent is not exempt from execution under s. 815.18.

74.55 History History: 1987 a. 378.

subch. VII of ch. 74 SUBCHAPTER VII

ISSUANCE OF TAX CERTIFICATE

74.57 74.57 Issuance of tax certificate.

74.57(1) (1) Issuance. Annually, on September 1, the county treasurer shall issue to the county a tax certificate which includes all parcels of real property included in the tax roll for which real property taxes, special charges, special taxes or special assessments remain unpaid at the close of business on August 31.

74.57(2) (2) Effect.

74.57(2)(a) (a) Issuance of a tax certificate commences the redemption period on all real property included in the tax certificate unless s. 74.59 (2) applies.

74.57(2)(b) (b) Two years after the issuance of the tax certificate, unless s. 74.59 (2) or 75.03 applies, the county is entitled, as to any property included in the tax certificate which has not been redeemed, to do any of the following:

74.57(2)(b)1. 1. Take a tax deed under s. 75.14.

74.57(2)(b)2. 2. Commence an action to foreclose the certificate under s. 75.19.

74.57(2)(b)3. 3. Commence an action to foreclose the tax lien represented by the certificate under s. 75.521.

74.57(3) (3) Certificate not transferable. Except as provided under s. 74.635, the county may not sell, assign, or otherwise transfer a tax certificate. However, if a city authorized to act under s. 74.87 pays delinquent taxes under an agreement entered into under s. 74.83, the county treasurer shall issue or reissue tax certificates to the city on all property for which the delinquent taxes have been paid.

74.57(4) (4) Form.

74.57(4)(a) (a) The tax certificate shall group by taxation district all parcels for which real property taxes, special assessments, special charges or special taxes remain unpaid.

74.57(4)(b) (b) Unless it is issued by a city authorized to act under s. 74.87, the tax certificate shall:

74.57(4)(b)1. 1. Contain a legal description of each parcel of property.

74.57(4)(b)2. 2. For each parcel, state the amount of the unpaid real estate taxes, special assessments, special charges or special taxes and the date from which the interest and any penalty accrue.

74.57(4)(b)3. 3. State the earliest date upon which the county may be entitled to a tax deed or equivalent evidence of title.

74.57(4)(c) (c) The format of the tax certificate shall be prescribed by the department of revenue under s. 70.09 (3).

74.57(4)(d) (d) If a parcel of property is redeemed after the tax certificate is issued, the date on which the property was redeemed shall be noted on the certificate, together with the amount for which the property was redeemed.

74.57(5) (5) Certain lands exempt. This section does not apply to public lands held on contract, lands mortgaged to the state or lands subject to s. 74.65.

74.57 History History: 1987 a. 378; 1989 a. 104; 1991 a. 39; 2003 a. 33.

74.59 74.59 Notice of issuance of tax certificate.

74.59(1) (1) Notice of issuance of tax certificate.

74.59(1)(a) (a) Within 90 days after issuance of the tax certificate under s. 74.57, the county treasurer shall mail a notice to each owner of record, as shown in the tax roll, of property included in the certificate for which real property taxes, special assessments, special charges or special taxes remain unpaid as of the date the notice is mailed. Unless it is issued by a city authorized to act under s. 74.87, the notice shall state all of the following:

74.59(1)(a)1. 1. That real property taxes, special assessments, special charges or special taxes remain unpaid as of the date of mailing on property which the tax roll shows is owned by the addressee.

74.59(1)(a)2. 2. That the records showing the delinquency under subd. 1. are available for inspection in the treasurer’s office.

74.59(1)(a)3. 3. That, on the previous September 1, a tax certificate was issued to the county for all property for which real property taxes, special assessments, special charges or special taxes remained unpaid at the close of business on August 31.

74.59(1)(a)4. 4. That failure to pay the delinquent real property taxes, special charges, special taxes or special assessments will result in eventual transfer, no earlier than 2 years after issuance of the tax certificate, of the ownership of the property to the county.

74.59(1)(b) (b) The format of the notice under this subsection shall be prescribed by the department of revenue under s. 70.09 (3).

74.59(2) (2) Notice not timely mailed. If a treasurer fails to mail the notice required under sub. (1), the notice may be mailed later and the 2-year period of redemption commences on the date of the mailing.

74.59(3) (3) Affidavit of mailing. After completing the mailing under sub. (1) or (2), the treasurer, except the treasurer of a city authorized to proceed under s. 74.87, shall sign an affidavit attesting that the treasurer has complied with the mailing requirements under this section. The affidavit shall do all of the following:

74.59(3)(a) (a) Identify the property owners and the addresses to which the notice was mailed.

74.59(3)(b) (b) Contain a description of each parcel of property, as shown on the tax certificate, for which a notice was mailed.

74.59(3)(c) (c) State the amount of unpaid real property taxes, special assessments, special charges or special taxes for each description of property included under par. (b).

74.59(4) (4) Effect of not receiving notice. Failure of a person to receive a notice under this section does not affect the ability of a county or city to acquire ownership of property for which a tax certificate has been issued.

74.59 History History: 1987 a. 378; 1991 a. 39.

74.61 74.61 Correction of description on tax certificate.

74.61(1) (1) Error discovered. If the treasurer determines that the description of any property in a tax certificate is erroneous, the treasurer shall direct the assessor of the taxation district in which the property is located to prepare and deliver to the county treasurer an affidavit that provides a correct description of the property.

74.61(2) (2) Notice to interested persons. After the treasurer receives the affidavit, he or she shall notify any person with a recorded interest in the property that the description of the property is to be corrected as shown in the assessor’s affidavit. The format of the notice shall be prescribed by the department under s. 70.09 (3). Notice shall be given as provided in s. 801.11 (4).

74.61(3) (3) Objection; court resolution. Not more than 20 days after notice is given under sub. (2), any person with a recorded interest in the property may file with the treasurer a written objection to the proposed correction of the description of the property. If an objection is filed and cannot be resolved, the treasurer shall bring an action in circuit court to correct the property description.

74.61(4) (4) No objection; description corrected. If no objection is made under sub. (3), the treasurer shall correct the description as prescribed in the affidavit of the assessor. The treasurer shall verify in writing on the tax certificate that the correction was made and shall sign the verification. Any tax certificate corrected under this section is valid as of the date the tax certificate was originally issued, and any tax deed or equivalent evidence of title issued on the corrected tax certificate is valid.

74.61 History History: 1987 a. 378.

74.63 74.63 Retention of tax certificate and other information. Following issuance of a tax certificate under s. 74.57 and notice of issuance under s. 74.59, the treasurer shall retain all of the following:

74.63(1) (1) The tax certificate.

74.63(2) (2) The affidavit of mailing, executed under s. 74.59 (3).

74.63(3) (3) The tax roll upon which were included the real property taxes, special charges, special taxes or special assessments for which the tax certificate was issued.

74.63 History History: 1987 a. 378.

74.635 74.635 Sale of tax certificate revenues.

74.635(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

74.635(1)(a) (a) “County” includes a city that is authorized to act under s. 74.87.

74.635(1)(b) (b) “Tax certificate” means a tax certificate issued under s. 74.57.

74.635(1)(c) (c) “Tax certificate revenues” means, with respect to each parcel of real property included in a tax certificate, payments of real property taxes, special charges, special taxes, and special assessments indicated on a tax certificate, including interest and penalties on such amounts.

74.635(2) (2) Sale. A county may sell to any person all or a portion of the county’s right to receive tax certificate revenues. The county shall distribute the proceeds from a sale under this subsection as provided under s. 75.05.

74.635(3) (3) Administration. A county may enter into an agreement for the sale of the county’s right to receive tax certificate revenues. The agreement may include any provisions that the county considers necessary and may permit any person who purchases all or any portion of a county’s right to receive tax certificate revenue to sell, assign, or otherwise transfer such right, in whole or in part, to another person.

74.635 History History: 2003 a. 33.

74.65 74.65 Lands acquired by state.

74.65(1) (1) Excluded from tax certificate. A tax certificate may not, at the time of issuance, include real property which was acquired by the state after taxes have become a lien on the property. Within a reasonable time after the tax roll in which the delinquent real property taxes, special charges, special taxes or special assessments charged to such property are included is delivered to the county treasurer under s. 74.43, or within a reasonable time after a delinquency occurs, if it occurs after delivery of the tax roll to the county treasurer, or, if the roll is retained by a city authorized to act under s. 74.87, on or before July 1, the treasurer shall certify to the state agency acquiring the property the amount of the delinquency, including interest and penalty, and include the description of the property contained in the tax roll. Within a reasonable time after receipt of the certification from the treasurer, the state agency shall transmit the certification and a voucher to the department of administration, directing that the amount of delinquency, including interest and penalty, be paid.

74.65(2) (2) No tax deeds issued. No tax deed or equivalent evidence of title may be issued for real property which is acquired by the state after a tax certificate which included the property was issued. A state agency which purchases property which is included on an outstanding tax certificate shall pay to the treasurer an amount sufficient to redeem the property. If by mistake a tax deed or equivalent evidence of title is issued contrary to this subsection and the state brings an action to set aside the deed or equivalent evidence of title, the court shall require, as a condition of relief, that the state indemnify the county, city authorized to act under s. 74.87 or persons having an interest in the property which is founded upon the tax deed or equivalent evidence of title.

74.65(3) (3) How liens paid. The amount of unpaid liens against property purchased by the state shall, when paid, be charged to the appropriation to which the purchase price is charged. Liens on property forfeited under s. 24.28 shall be paid out of the appropriation to which payments by the person forfeiting the property were credited.

74.65 History History: 1987 a. 378.

subch. VIII of ch. 74 SUBCHAPTER VIII

MISCELLANEOUS

74.67 74.67 Effect on taxes of revision of taxing jurisdiction boundary. A revision of the boundaries of a taxing jurisdiction after the January assessment date does not affect the levy or collection of property taxes based upon that assessment. Section 66.0235 governs any adjustment of assets and liabilities following revision of the boundaries.

74.67 History History: 1987 a. 378; 1999 a. 150 s. 672.

74.69 74.69 Timely payment.

74.69(1) (1) General rule. If payment is required by this chapter to be made by a taxpayer on or before a certain date, the payment is timely if it is mailed in a properly addressed envelope, postmarked before midnight of the prescribed due date for making the payment, with postage prepaid, and is received by the proper official, regardless of when it is received.

74.69(2) (2) Postal service delay. A payment which fails to satisfy the requirements of sub. (1) solely because of a delay or administrative error of the U.S. postal service shall be considered to be timely.

74.69(3) (3) County determination of postal service delay or error.

74.69(3)(a) (a) In this subsection, “late payment” means a payment required under s. 74.11 or 74.12 which is not timely made under sub. (1).

74.69(3)(b) (b) Any person required to pay interest or a penalty because of a late payment may, within 10 days of payment of interest or a penalty, but not later than December 1 of the year that the general property tax, special tax, special charge or special assessment was due, file a written request with the county treasurer requesting that the county board find that the late payment was timely under sub. (1) because the sole reason it was not timely was a delay or administrative error on the part of the U.S. postal service. The county board shall act on the request within 30 days after receipt of the request by the treasurer.

74.69(3)(c) (c) The county board shall find that a late payment was timely under sub. (1) if it determines that the sole reason the payment was not timely was a delay or administrative error by the U.S. postal service. If it so finds, the county board shall direct that any interest or penalty paid because of the late payment be reimbursed to the taxpayer by the taxation district or county which collected the interest or penalty. A taxation district treasurer or county treasurer shall comply with a directive issued under this paragraph within 10 days.

74.69(3)(d) (d) The county board may delegate the authority to make a determination under this subsection to any committee of the county board or committee or official of the county.

74.69(3)(e) (e) This subsection does not affect the authority of a taxation district treasurer or county treasurer to consider payment timely under sub. (1) if the treasurer concludes that the payment fails to satisfy the requirements of sub. (1) solely due to a delay or administrative error by the U.S. postal service.

74.69(3)(f) (f) This section does not apply to a city authorized to proceed under s. 74.87.

74.69 History History: 1987 a. 378; 2019 a. 40.

74.71 74.71 Treasurer’s receipts. When a taxation district treasurer pays money to a county treasurer under this chapter, the county treasurer shall give the taxation district treasurer a receipt prescribed by the department of revenue for the amount paid.

74.71 History History: 1987 a. 378; 1991 a. 39.

74.73 74.73 Rights of occupant or tenant who pays taxes. An occupant or tenant of property who pays real property taxes, special assessments, special charges or special taxes levied against the property, including any interest or penalties, may recover the amounts paid, plus interest at the rate of 1.0 percent per month or portion of a month, from the person under whom he or she is an occupant or tenant. Unless otherwise agreed between the parties, the occupant or tenant may deduct the amounts paid, plus interest, from rental payments otherwise due to the person under whom he or she is an occupant or tenant.

74.73 History History: 1987 a. 378.

74.75 74.75 Vacancies in office; how taxes collected. If property within a taxation district is not assessed because of a vacancy in a county, city, village or town office, the department of revenue shall appoint a person certified under s. 73.09 to perform the functions of the office of assessor. If property taxes, special charges, special assessments or special taxes are not collected on property because of a vacancy in a city, other than a city authorized to proceed under s. 74.87, village or town office, the county treasurer shall perform the functions of taxation district treasurer.

74.75 History History: 1987 a. 378.

74.77 74.77 Effect on lien of payment of taxes by lienholder.

74.77(1) (1) Payment increases lien. A person who holds a lien on real property and pays real property taxes, special assessments, special charges or special taxes levied against the property or any interest or penalty increases the amount of his or her most senior lien against the property by the amount paid, plus interest at the rate of 1.0 percent per month or fraction of a month. An increase in the amount of a lien by this section does not affect the priority or enforcement of the lien.

74.77(2) (2) Applicability. This section applies to all payments made by lien holders, regardless of whether they are made against current amounts, delinquent amounts or in redemption under ch. 75.