75.35 Sale of tax-deeded lands; purchase of adjacent lands.
(1) Definition. In this section “tax-deeded lands" means lands which have been acquired by a county through enforcement of the collection of delinquent taxes by tax deed, foreclosure of tax certificate, deed in lieu of tax deed, action in rem under s. 75.521 or other means.
(2) Power of county to sell tax-deeded lands.
(a) Except as provided in s. 75.69, any county shall have the power to sell and convey its tax-deeded lands in such manner and upon such terms as the county board may by ordinance or resolution determine, including without restriction because of enumeration, sale by land contract, or by quitclaim or warranty deed with mortgage from vendee to secure any unpaid balance of the purchase price. Such mortgage may be foreclosed in the same manner as any other mortgage. The title to lands conveyed by land contract shall remain in the county until fully paid for and in the event of default in such payment the county may foreclose the land contract with costs and reasonable attorney fees. When such land contract runs to a person or private corporation, the lands therein conveyed shall be placed on the tax roll and be subject to taxation the same as though absolute title thereto was vested in the purchaser under such land contract. Such purchaser shall be liable to pay all taxes against such land and in the event of failure to make such payment the county may pay the same and add the sum so paid to the amount due on the land contract.
(c) Any conveyance by land contract or deed or satisfaction of mortgage shall be executed by the county clerk under the clerk's hand and the seal of the county.
(d) The county board may delegate its power to manage and sell tax-deeded lands to a committee constituted of such personnel and in such manner and compensated at such rate as the county board may by ordinance determine, provided that the compensation and mileage of county board members serving on such committee shall be limited and restricted as provided in s. 59.13 (2), or the county board may delegate the power of acquisition, management and sale of tax-deeded lands or any part of such power to such officer and departments of the county as the county board may by ordinance determine. Such ordinance shall prescribe the policy to be followed in the acquisition, management and sale of tax-deeded land and shall prescribe generally the powers and duties of such committee, officers, departments, employees and agents. The county board is authorized to engage licensed real estate brokers and salespersons to assist in selling such lands and pay a commission for such service and to advertise such sale in such manner as it deems proper. The county board may appropriate such sums of money as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
(e) Any county acting either by its board or by delegated authority as provided in this section may sell and convey tax-deeded lands to the former owner or owners thereof and such conveyance shall not operate to revive any tax certificate lien or any other lien whatsoever which was cut off and rendered void by the tax deed, foreclosure of tax certificate, deed in lieu of tax deed, action in rem under s. 75.521 or other means by which the county acquired title to such land, nor shall it revive the lien of any tax certificate or tax dated subsequently to the date on which the county acquired its title. The enactment into statute law of the provisions of this paragraph shall not be deemed an expression of legislative intent that the prior common law of this state was otherwise than as herein provided.
(f) If special assessments, as defined in s. 75.36 (1), levied on the tax-deeded land have not been settled in full under s. 74.29 or otherwise paid to the taxing jurisdiction that levied the special assessments, the taxing jurisdiction may purchase the tax-deeded land by notifying the county of its intent to do so at any time within one year after the period of redemption has expired but prior to the date upon which the tax-deeded land is sold to another person by the county. The amount for which the tax-deeded land may be purchased shall be the sum of the following:
1. All expenses incurred by the county to obtain marketable title to the property, except that the time of county employees and officers may not be included in those expenses. The county may establish a reasonable estimate of the average cost to obtain marketable title to property which it may use instead of determining the actual costs for any parcel sold by the county.
2. All amounts of unpaid general property taxes, special assessments, special charges and special taxes levied against the property sold, including interest and penalties imposed under s. 74.47 previously paid to taxing jurisdictions by the county.
3. Any withdrawal tax and any withdrawal fee due under s. 77.84 (3) (b).
4. Any unpaid special assessments or special charges that were not levied by the taxing jurisdiction purchasing the tax-deeded land. The county shall pay any amounts received under this subdivision to the taxing jurisdiction which levied the special assessment or special charge.
(3) Preference to former owner to repurchase. The county board may, at its option, by ordinance provide that in the sale of tax-deeded lands, the former owner who lost his or her title through delinquent tax collection enforcement procedure, or his or her heirs, may be given such preference in the right to purchase such lands as such ordinance shall provide. Such ordinance may provide that such sale be exempt from any or all provisions of s. 75.69 if the net proceeds from the sale to the former owner as determined under s. 75.36 (3) will be sufficient to pay all special assessments and special charges to which the property is subject, including interest imposed under s. 74.47, or if the county settles in full with the taxing jurisdiction for special assessments, as defined in s. 75.36 (1), to which the property is subject. Such ordinance shall not apply to tax-deeded lands which have been improved for or dedicated to a public use by the county subsequent to its acquisition thereof.
(4) Purchase of adjacent lands. A county may purchase lands adjacent to tax-deeded lands in cases where the county board determines that such purchase will improve the salability of such tax-deeded lands or will create access to streets or highways for lands lacking such access.
(7) Liability precluded. Absent fraud, no county is liable for acts or omissions associated with the sale of property under this section.
History: 1987 a. 27, 378; 1989 a. 104; 1993 a. 184; 1995 a. 201; 2003 a. 228.
Cross-reference: See s. 59.52 (6) for power of county to direct county clerk to sell or contract for sale and conveyance of land owned by county, whether acquired by tax deed or otherwise.
An ordinance under sub. (3) allowed a mortgagor to reacquire foreclosed property free of the mortgage lien. Bank of Commerce v. Waukesha County, 89 Wis. 2d 715, 279 N.W.2d 237 (1979).