Property tax in Washburn County, Wisconsin
In Washburn County, the property tax bill comes from the Washburn County Treasurer (your town, village or city treasurer collects the full payment or first installment). The 2026 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 Washburn County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Washburn County, Wisconsin is $2,377 a year, which is about 1.05% of the county's median home value of $226,100. That effective rate is lower 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 Washburn County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Washburn County Treasurer (your town, village or city treasurer collects the full payment or first installment). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the assessor for your town, village or city (each municipality in Washburn County values its own properties; the county does not), 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.
Washburn County taxes are paid to two offices. The full payment or first installment goes to your town, village or city treasurer by January 31, and the second installment and any late taxes go to the Washburn County Treasurer at the courthouse, 10 4th Avenue, Shell Lake (mail to P.O. Box 340, Shell Lake, WI 54871). The county's online and phone payments run through an outside processor, Official Payments; by phone, call 1-800-272-9829 and give Washburn County jurisdiction code 5931. To add or remove a lottery and gaming credit before January 31, contact your local treasurer; after January 31, contact the county treasurer.
When are property taxes due in Washburn County?
For the 2026 (payable 2027) bill, Washburn County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due January 31, 2027 and the last July 31, 2027. If the first installment is late, the installment option is lost and the whole unpaid balance becomes delinquent as of February 1. A late second installment makes the remaining balance delinquent as of August 1. Delinquent taxes are paid to the Washburn County Treasurer and carry interest of 1% a month under state law, counted back to February 1. State law also lets a county add a penalty of up to 0.5% a month; Washburn County's code of ordinances does not impose one, but its pages do not state the rate it charges, so ask the county treasurer before paying a late bill.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full payment, or first installment (paid to your town, village or city treasurer) | January 31, 2027 | 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, and because January 31 falls on a weekend that period ends at the close of business on Friday, February 5, 2027; the payment must arrive by then. Paying in installments is allowed only when the real estate tax on the parcel is $100 or more; smaller bills must be paid in full by January 31. |
| Second installment (paid to the Washburn County Treasurer) | July 31, 2027 | July 31, 2027 is a Saturday. The Washburn County Treasurer's office is open Monday through Friday, 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, and because July 31 falls on a weekend that period ends at the close of business on Friday, August 6, 2027; the payment must arrive by then. |
From Washburn County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. The county had not posted a calendar labeled for this cycle when we checked, so these dates come from state law and the county's standing schedule; the date on your bill is the one that binds you.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Washburn County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Washburn County's average effective rate of 1.05% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,374 / year
Property tax in Washburn County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,377 |
| Median home value | $226,100 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.05% |
| 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 Washburn County compare in Wisconsin?
Among Wisconsin's 72 counties, Washburn County has the 66th highest effective property-tax rate: 65 rank higher and 6 rank lower. That places it among the least taxed counties in the state. Nationally, it ranks 1010th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Wisconsin county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Washburn County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Washburn County's 6,218 owner-occupied homes, 34.4% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 58.1% pay at least $2,000, and 8.6% pay under $800. Another 1.8% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 533 | 8.6% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,186 | 19.1% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 780 | 12.5% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 1,473 | 23.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 2,137 | 34.4% |
| No property tax paid | 109 | 1.8% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,288 and owners without one pay $2,491. That is within 10% either way, so in Washburn County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Washburn County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,377 is about 3.3% of the median income of Washburn County homeowner households, $71,889 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 82.2% of Washburn 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 Washburn County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,011 in 2015-2019 to $2,377 in 2020-2024, a 18.2% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 43.6%, from $157,400 to $226,100. 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 Washburn County
Washburn County borders 6 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barron County, WI | 1.31% | $2,843 | $216,600 |
| Douglas County, WI | 1.26% | $2,599 | $205,800 |
| Rusk County, WI | 1.12% | $1,834 | $163,400 |
| Washburn County, WI (this county) | 1.05% | $2,377 | $226,100 |
| Bayfield County, WI | 1.01% | $2,425 | $240,800 |
| Burnett County, WI | 0.93% | $2,140 | $231,300 |
| Sawyer County, WI | 0.8% | $1,897 | $236,200 |
How is a home assessed in Washburn County?
Wisconsin assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Washburn County included. How Wisconsin assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Washburn 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 Washburn County. Wisconsin's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Washburn County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Wisconsin ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Washburn County property assessment
In Washburn County you appeal to the The Board of Review of your town, village or city. The deadline: Talk to your municipal assessor first. To appeal to the Board of Review, 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 a written objection within the first 2 hours of that meeting. State law sets this schedule: each board meets once a year, some time in the 45 days starting on the fourth Monday in April; check the 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
-
How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Washburn County's tax rate to hand.
-
Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
-
Wisconsin income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Wisconsin actually taxes.
-
Sales tax in Washburn County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Washburn 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.