Property tax in Columbia County, Wisconsin
In Columbia County, the property tax bill comes from your city, village or town treasurer for the first installment or full payment; the Columbia County Treasurer for the second installment and any late taxes. The 2026 taxes bill is paid in 2 installments, and the next one is due January 31, 2027. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Columbia County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Columbia County, Wisconsin is $3,855 a year, which is about 1.36% of the county's median home value of $283,200. That effective rate is about the same as the typical Wisconsin county (1.36%) and higher than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Columbia County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from your city, village or town treasurer for the first installment or full payment; the Columbia County Treasurer for the second installment and any late taxes. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the assessor for your city, village or town (each municipality in Columbia County has its own assessor, listed in the county directory), which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
In Columbia County the tax bill has two collectors: the first installment or full payment goes to your city, village or town treasurer, and the second installment and any late taxes go to the Columbia County Treasurer in Portage. The payment stubs on your bill show where to send each payment. The county's online system takes only second installment and delinquent payments; ask your local treasurer how to pay the first installment. Online payments run through Point and Pay, which charges 2.39% for a credit or debit card and $1.50 for an electronic check.
When are property taxes due in Columbia County?
For the 2026 taxes (billed in December 2026, payable in 2027) bill, Columbia County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due January 31, 2027 and the last July 31, 2027. If an installment is not paid on time, the installment option is lost and the whole remaining balance is delinquent, and late taxes are paid to the Columbia County Treasurer. Columbia County charges a penalty of 0.5% a month on top of the state's 1% a month interest, 1.5% a month in all, added on the first of each month, and on a missed July installment it is charged back to February 1.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full payment, or first installment (paid to your municipal treasurer) | January 31, 2027 | Local treasurers mail the bills in December. The first installment or full payment goes to the treasurer of your city, village or town; the county treasurer does not accept first installment payments. January 31, 2027 is a Sunday; Wisconsin law moves a deadline that falls on a Sunday to the next business day, Monday, February 1, 2027. State law also does not treat the first installment as late if the treasurer receives it within 5 working days after January 31, which in 2027 ends at the close of business on Friday, February 5. A mailed payment postmarked by the due date also counts as on time. Paying in two installments is allowed only when the real estate tax on the parcel is $100 or more. |
| Second installment (paid to the Columbia County Treasurer) | July 31, 2027 | July 31, 2027 is a Saturday. The county treasurer's office is closed on Saturdays, and Wisconsin law then moves the deadline to the next business day, Monday, August 2, 2027. State law does not treat the second installment as late if the county treasurer receives it within 5 working days after July 31, which in 2027 ends at the close of business on Friday, August 6. |
From Columbia County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Columbia County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Columbia County's average effective rate of 1.36% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $3,852 / year
Property tax in Columbia County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,855 |
| Median home value | $283,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.36% |
| Typical Wisconsin county rate | 1.36% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Columbia County compare in Wisconsin?
Among Wisconsin's 72 counties, Columbia County has the 35th highest effective property-tax rate: 34 rank higher and 37 rank lower. That is near the middle for Wisconsin. Nationally, it ranks 514th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Wisconsin county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Columbia County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Columbia County's 18,520 owner-occupied homes, 66.6% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 85.3% pay at least $2,000, and 3.3% pay under $800. Another 2.5% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 608 | 3.3% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 766 | 4.1% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 897 | 4.8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 3,460 | 18.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 12,333 | 66.6% |
| No property tax paid | 456 | 2.5% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,909 and owners without one pay $3,723. That is within 10% either way, so in Columbia County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Columbia County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,855 is about 4% of the median income of Columbia County homeowner households, $96,772 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 76.7% of Columbia County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Columbia County?
Yes. The median bill went from $3,385 in 2015-2019 to $3,855 in 2020-2024, a 13.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 46.8%, from $192,900 to $283,200. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Columbia County
Columbia County borders 7 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dane County, WI | 1.63% | $6,420 | $394,800 |
| Dodge County, WI | 1.48% | $3,422 | $231,900 |
| Juneau County, WI | 1.47% | $2,605 | $177,700 |
| Sauk County, WI | 1.45% | $3,755 | $258,600 |
| Columbia County, WI (this county) | 1.36% | $3,855 | $283,200 |
| Green Lake County, WI | 1.26% | $2,718 | $215,400 |
| Marquette County, WI | 1.26% | $2,659 | $210,400 |
| Adams County, WI | 1.2% | $2,407 | $200,800 |
How is a home assessed in Columbia County?
Wisconsin assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Columbia County included. How Wisconsin assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Columbia County?
No. Wisconsin has no homestead exemption; owner-occupants instead see the Lottery and Gaming Credit and the School Levy Tax Credit printed on the bill. That is the Wisconsin rule, and it applies in Columbia County. Wisconsin's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Columbia County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Wisconsin ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Columbia County property assessment
In Columbia County you appeal to the The Board of Review of your city, village or town. The deadline: Talk to your municipal assessor first. To appeal to the Board of Review, give the board's clerk written or oral notice of your intent to object at least 48 hours before the board's first meeting, then file a written objection within the first 2 hours of that meeting. State law lets each board meet at any time during the 45 days starting on the fourth Monday in April and requires the date to be published at least 15 days ahead (30 days in a revaluation year). Check the meeting date with your municipal clerk. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Wisconsin's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Wisconsin rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Wisconsin page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Columbia County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Wisconsin income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Wisconsin actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Columbia County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Columbia County, Wisconsin: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.