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Midwest

Surplus funds in Wisconsin.

When a property in Wisconsin sells at a tax sale or a foreclosure sale for more than what was owed, the extra can belong to the former owner. Here is who holds it, the law behind it, and every county office linked so you can check for yourself, free.

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Foreclosure sales here

Judicial, through the courts.

Our fee here

We don't offer paid help in Wisconsin. You can claim surplus here yourself, free; see below.

Tax sale surplus

When a county takes a tax deed, the county treasurer must notify the former owner by registered or certified mail that they may be entitled to part of the proceeds of a later sale. After the county sells the property, it must send the former owner the net proceeds left after costs, taxes and other charges. If the payment is returned or not claimed within one year after it is mailed, it is disposed of as unclaimed funds under Wis. Stat. §59.66(2) (§75.36(2m)(b), (3)).

Foreclosure surplus

Foreclosure type
Judicial
Who holds the surplus

The clerk of the circuit court. The sheriff or referee who conducts the confirmed foreclosure sale pays any surplus into court.

A party to the foreclosure, or anyone who held a lien on the property at the time of sale, files a notice of claim with the clerk stating the nature and amount of the claim. The court decides who gets the surplus after 8 days' notice to those who appeared or filed claims (Wis. Stat. 846.162). If money sits unclaimed for a year, the clerk reports it to the county treasurer. After published notice and 6 months the treasurer takes it, and the owner then has 10 years from that delivery to prove the claim before it becomes county property (Wis. Stat. 59.66(2)).

Fees and assignments. No Wisconsin statute specifically caps fees for recovering court-held foreclosure surplus. The foreclosure consultant and reconveyance laws (Wis. Stat. 846.45, 846.40) regulate paid services to homeowners in foreclosure, such as stopping a sale or saving the home. It is not clear they reach post-sale surplus recovery. The 10% locator-fee cap and the 24-month bar (Wis. Stat. 177.1301-177.1302) apply only to property held by the state unclaimed property administrator.

Claiming it yourself

We don't offer paid help in Wisconsin. You can claim surplus here yourself, free.

See the free self-filing steps →

Every Wisconsin county office(72)

Surplus is public record. Call the office that held the sale with the parcel or case number; in most places it will confirm whether a surplus exists, how much, and the deadline. Self-filing is free. Each entry links the county's tax office and court clerk where the directory lists them, plus the full set of county offices.

Each dot is a county below. Pick one from the list to see it up close.© OpenStreetMap contributors

Check this yourself

This page is plain-language orientation, not legal advice. Statutes were checked against official sources in October 2026, and county links come from the NETR public-records directory, an independent resource. Laws and county procedures change, so confirm with the office before you rely on any of it. You can always file a claim yourself with no recovery fee (a court or notary may charge a small fee).