Sales tax in Waukesha County, Wisconsin
There is no single sales tax rate in Waukesha County. It runs from 5% to 7% depending on the exact address, because cities and special districts inside the county levy their own on top of the 5% state rate. The 5% state rate applies everywhere in the county; everything above that depends on where you are standing.
What is the sales tax rate in Waukesha County?
| Wisconsin state rate | 5% |
|---|---|
| Lowest combined rate in the county | 5% |
| Highest combined rate in the county | 7% |
The two combined figures are the lowest and highest totals found anywhere inside the county. They are not a state rate plus a county rate added together, and adding the rows above will not reproduce them, because cities and special districts levy in between.
Why the rate here is not the whole story
Wisconsin's state sales and use tax is 5 percent and Waukesha County has not adopted the 0.5 percent county sales and use tax, so its county rate is a confirmed zero and almost every address in the county pays the 5 percent state rate alone. The ceiling of 7 percent comes from one place only: the city of Milwaukee reaches into Waukesha County, and the 2 percent city of Milwaukee sales and use tax effective January 1, 2024 applies in that small part, which is why the Department's rate chart prints a city of Milwaukee row under this county. Treat 7 percent as that sliver rather than as a countywide possibility. Groceries are mostly untaxed here: Wisconsin exempts all food and food ingredients except candy, dietary supplements, prepared food and soft drinks, so a normal grocery receipt carries no sales tax at any of these rates. No stadium district tax is in effect anywhere in Wisconsin. The Brown County football stadium tax ended September 30, 2015 and the professional baseball park district tax ended March 31, 2020, and the Department's current rate chart and rate and boundary files list no district tax other than the Milwaukee County local exposition taxes on lodging, prepared food and beverages and short term car rentals, which are separate taxes on certain sellers.
How do I find the exact rate for an address in Waukesha County?
Because the rate changes within the county, an address is the only way to get it right. Use Wisconsin's own lookup. A vendor's calculator is not the state speaking.
Who has to collect sales tax in Waukesha County?
A seller with a physical presence in Wisconsin collects at the rate for the address where the sale takes place. A remote seller collects once it passes Wisconsin's economic nexus threshold, which is a separate question from the rate and is covered on our sales tax nexus checker. Marketplace facilitators generally collect on behalf of their sellers.
How does Waukesha County compare?
See Wisconsin sales tax for the statewide picture, including the average local rate and what is exempt. Property tax is a separate tax with separate rules: property tax in Waukesha County.
Sources
- Waukesha County rates: Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Tax Rates common questions, Sales Tax Rate Chart of state, county and city sales and use tax rates with adoption dates, guidance document 100047 dated January 16, 2026, https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/FAQS/pcs-taxrates.aspx#txrate11, cross checked against the Department's County and City Sales and Use Taxes page, guidance document 100112 dated February 11, 2026, the Department's Premier Resort Area Tax page and Publication 403, Publication 201 and Publication 220, and per address results returned by the Department's Wisconsin State and Local Sales Tax Rate Lookup at https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/Apps/strb.aspx
- Collected and verified September 9, 2026. Confidence: P on the rate components, S on the range (P read on a primary agency page, S strong but indirect, U unverified).