Property tax in Portage County, Wisconsin
In Portage County, the property tax bill comes from the Portage County Treasurer's Office (the City of Stevens Point and four towns collect some payments themselves). 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 Portage County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Portage County, Wisconsin is $3,492 a year, which is about 1.44% of the county's median home value of $243,100. That effective rate is higher than 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 Portage County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Portage County Treasurer's Office (the City of Stevens Point and four towns collect some payments themselves). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, your town, village or city assessor (each municipality in Portage County has its own assessor), 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 22 of Portage County's 27 towns, villages and cities, the county treasurer collects both installments. In the Towns of Almond, Belmont, Eau Pleine and Lanark, the town treasurer collects the first installment and the county collects the second. The City of Stevens Point collects all of its own installments; the county collects only its delinquent taxes. The payment stubs on your bill show where to send each payment. Assessments are made by each municipality's own assessor, not by the county. Card payments carry a 2.39% vendor fee (Point and Pay), a Visa debit card paid online costs $3.95, and an e-check costs $1.50.
When are property taxes due in Portage County?
For the 2026 taxes (billed in December 2026, payable in 2027) bill, Portage County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due January 31, 2027 and the last July 31, 2027. If an installment is not received by the end of its 5-working-day grace period, the installment option is lost and the whole unpaid balance becomes delinquent. Portage County then charges 1.5% a month in interest and penalty, and state law counts it from February 1 of the year the taxes are payable, even when it is the July installment that was missed. A lien is placed on the parcel on September 1 of the year the taxes were due.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First installment (or full payment) | January 31, 2027 | January 31, 2027 is a Sunday. State law counts the first installment as on time if it is received within 5 working days of January 31, and when January 31 falls on a weekend that period ends at close of business on the first Friday in February, which is February 5, 2027. In the Towns of Almond, Belmont, Eau Pleine and Lanark and the City of Stevens Point, the first installment is paid to the municipal treasurer, not the county. |
| Second installment | July 31, 2027 | July 31, 2027 is a Saturday. State law counts the second installment as on time if it is received within 5 working days of July 31, and when July 31 falls on a weekend that period ends at close of business on the first Friday in August, which is August 6, 2027. The county sends one bill a year with two payment stubs and does not mail a reminder for the second installment. The City of Stevens Point collects its own taxes and splits the bill into three installments, due January 31, April 30 and July 31. |
From Portage 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 Portage County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Portage County's average effective rate of 1.44% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $3,501 / year
Property tax in Portage County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $3,492 |
| Median home value | $243,100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.44% |
| 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 Portage County compare in Wisconsin?
Among Wisconsin's 72 counties, Portage County has the 24th highest effective property-tax rate: 23 rank higher and 48 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Wisconsin. Nationally, it ranks 426th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Wisconsin county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Portage County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Portage County's 20,695 owner-occupied homes, 61% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 82.7% pay at least $2,000, and 2.7% pay under $800. Another 1.9% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 567 | 2.7% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,140 | 5.5% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 1,466 | 7.1% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 4,499 | 21.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 12,631 | 61% |
| No property tax paid | 392 | 1.9% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $3,570 and owners without one pay $3,380. That is within 10% either way, so in Portage County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Portage County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $3,492 is about 3.7% of the median income of Portage County homeowner households, $94,276 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 69.7% of Portage 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 Portage County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,766 in 2015-2019 to $3,492 in 2020-2024, a 26.2% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 44.6%, from $168,100 to $243,100. 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 Portage County
Portage County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County, WI | 1.54% | $2,697 | $175,600 |
| Marathon County, WI | 1.47% | $3,218 | $219,600 |
| Portage County, WI (this county) | 1.44% | $3,492 | $243,100 |
| Waupaca County, WI | 1.38% | $2,924 | $211,400 |
| Shawano County, WI | 1.36% | $2,644 | $194,000 |
| Waushara County, WI | 1.21% | $2,464 | $203,100 |
| Adams County, WI | 1.2% | $2,407 | $200,800 |
How is a home assessed in Portage County?
Wisconsin assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Portage County included. How Wisconsin assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Portage 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 Portage County. Wisconsin's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Portage County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Wisconsin ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Portage County property assessment
In Portage County you appeal to the The Board of Review of the town, village or city where the property is located. The deadline: State law sets the schedule: each municipality's Board of Review meets once a year, some time in the 45 days starting the fourth Monday in April. You must give the board's clerk written or oral notice that you intend to object at least 48 hours before the board's first meeting, then file the written objection within the first 2 hours of that meeting. The 2026 boards have already met; check the 2027 meeting date with your own 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 Portage 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 Portage County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Portage 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.