70.17 Lands, to whom assessed; buildings on exempt lands.
(1) Real property shall be entered in the name of the owner, if known to the assessor, otherwise to the occupant thereof if ascertainable, and otherwise without any name. The person holding the contract or certificate of sale of any real property contracted to be sold by the state, but not conveyed, shall be deemed the owner for such purpose. The undivided real estate of any deceased person may be entered to the heirs of such person without designating them by name. The real estate of an incorporated company shall be entered in the same manner as that of an individual. Improvements on leased lands may be assessed either as real property or personal property.
(2) All lands which have been or may be contracted for sale by any county shall be assessed and taxed to the parties contracting therefor.
The term “leased lands" should be construed broadly to include a number of situations in which the occupier of land not owned by him or her places improvements on the land; a formal lease is not required. Town of Menominee v. Skubitz, 53 Wis. 2d 430, 192 N.W.2d 887 (1972).
The tax lister may, but is not required to, change the ownership designation on joint property on the basis of notification other than formal procedures. 80 Atty. Gen. 73.