Property tax in Waukesha County, Wisconsin
In Waukesha County, the property tax bill comes from the Waukesha County Treasurer (in some towns, villages and cities the local treasurer collects the full payment or first installment, and the Cities of New Berlin, Oconomowoc and Waukesha and the Village of Sussex collect every installment themselves). 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 Waukesha County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Waukesha County, Wisconsin is $4,554 a year, which is about 1.14% of the county's median home value of $398,200. 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 Waukesha County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Waukesha County Treasurer (in some towns, villages and cities the local treasurer collects the full payment or first installment, and the Cities of New Berlin, Oconomowoc and Waukesha and the Village of Sussex collect every installment themselves). The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the assessor for your town, village or city (each municipality in Waukesha County hires its own assessor; the county does not value property), 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.
Who takes your payment depends on where you live. The Waukesha County Treasurer collects both installments for the Town of Brookfield, City of Delafield, Town of Delafield, and the Villages of Dousman, Elm Grove, Lac La Belle, Lannon, Lisbon, Menomonee Falls, Merton, Nashotah, North Prairie, Oconomowoc Lake, Pewaukee, Wales and Waukesha. In the other towns, villages and cities, except the four with their own plans, the full payment or first installment goes to your local treasurer and the second installment goes to the county. The Cities of New Berlin, Oconomowoc and Waukesha and the Village of Sussex collect every installment themselves. The county warns that since August 2025 the Postal Service applies postmarks at regional sorting centers, so a payment dropped in a mailbox on the due date may be postmarked late; mail early or pay another way. Online payments to the county cost $1.50 by direct debit from a checking account ($10 for payments over $10,000), $3.95 by debit card, or 2.39% by credit card (at least $1.50). The county treasurer is at 515 W. Moreland Blvd., Room AC148, Waukesha, and has a drive-up drop box on the east side of the building; payments left there by 7:30 a.m. are dated the previous day.
When are property taxes due in Waukesha County?
For the 2026 (payable 2027) bill, Waukesha County splits the bill into 2 payments, the first due January 31, 2027 and the last July 31, 2027. If you pay in installments and miss one, the whole remaining balance becomes delinquent. Delinquent taxes carry interest and penalty of 1.5% a month, counted back to February 1, until paid. A mailed payment counts as on time only if it is postmarked before midnight on the due date and reaches the county treasurer within 5 business days after it; a postage meter date does not count as a postmark.
| Payment | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Full payment, or first installment | 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. Depending on where you live, this payment goes to the Waukesha County Treasurer or to your town, village or city treasurer; your bill says which. |
| Second installment (paid to the Waukesha County Treasurer) | July 31, 2027 | July 31, 2027 is a Saturday. The Waukesha 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. This date does not apply in the four places that run their own installment plans: the City of New Berlin, the Village of Sussex and the City of Waukesha collect installments due January 31, March 31 and May 31, and the City of Oconomowoc collects installments due January 31, April 30 and July 31. May 31, 2027 is Memorial Day, a legal holiday in Wisconsin, and state law moves a deadline that falls on a legal holiday to the next business day, Tuesday, June 1, 2027. |
From Waukesha 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 Waukesha County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Waukesha County's average effective rate of 1.14% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $4,539 / year
Property tax in Waukesha County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $4,554 |
| Median home value | $398,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 1.14% |
| 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 Waukesha County compare in Wisconsin?
Among Wisconsin's 72 counties, Waukesha County has the 59th highest effective property-tax rate: 58 rank higher and 13 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Wisconsin. Nationally, it ranks 839th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Wisconsin county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Waukesha County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Waukesha County's 128,147 owner-occupied homes, 85.9% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 94.6% pay at least $2,000, and 1.4% pay under $800. Another 1% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 1,759 | 1.4% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 1,469 | 1.1% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 2,292 | 1.8% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 11,190 | 8.7% |
| $3,000 or more | 110,097 | 85.9% |
| No property tax paid | 1,340 | 1% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $4,595 and owners without one pay $4,481. That is within 10% either way, so in Waukesha County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Waukesha County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $4,554 is about 3.6% of the median income of Waukesha County homeowner households, $125,238 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 76% of Waukesha 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 Waukesha County?
Yes. The median bill went from $4,148 in 2015-2019 to $4,554 in 2020-2024, a 9.8% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 41.1%, from $282,300 to $398,200. 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 Waukesha County
Waukesha County borders 7 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County, WI | 1.93% | $4,444 | $230,700 |
| Racine County, WI | 1.63% | $4,099 | $251,400 |
| Dodge County, WI | 1.48% | $3,422 | $231,900 |
| Jefferson County, WI | 1.46% | $4,005 | $274,100 |
| Walworth County, WI | 1.33% | $4,036 | $302,700 |
| Ozaukee County, WI | 1.19% | $4,631 | $390,200 |
| Waukesha County, WI (this county) | 1.14% | $4,554 | $398,200 |
| Washington County, WI | 1.1% | $3,802 | $344,800 |
How is a home assessed in Waukesha County?
Wisconsin assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Waukesha County included. How Wisconsin assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County. Wisconsin's exemptions and relief programs in full.
Waukesha County does not add relief programs of its own beyond the Wisconsin ones (checked September 23, 2026).
How to appeal your Waukesha County property assessment
In Waukesha 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
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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 Waukesha 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 Waukesha County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Waukesha 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.