Last Update: May 8, 2025
All Columbia County Sheriff Mortgage Foreclosure Sales are conducted on Mondays of each week beginning at 11 a.m. at the Columbia County Courthouse located at 400 DeWitt Street, Portage, Wisconsin. Sale dates are listed below. Sales are subject to cancellation or rescheduling right up until time of sale. This is only a listing. For full details, please refer to the terms of sale, the legal announcements in the designated county newspaper of the Portage Daily Register, and/or one of the posting sites in the City of Portage or City, Town or Village where the property is located. We do not set up viewings of the property. The Sheriff's Office does not have keys to the properties that are scheduled for sale. The prospective purchaser buys the property, more or less, "as is." The Sheriff's Office does not have any specific information about the properties. The Sheriff's Office cannot provide legal advice on how to properly investigate what financial obligations may be outstanding. Please feel free to check with the attorney or mortgage holder for specifics or do online searches to aid you. All properties may include, but are not limited to, additional mortgages, liens, unpaid utilities, unpaid property taxes and unpaid special assessments. Individuals interested in bidding on a property must determine the legal encumbrances associated with the property and the buyer assumes all liens and legal encumbrances on the property and they must be paid in addition to the bid price. In some cases, other defendants listed on the notice may also have a financial interest in the property. The Sheriff's Office cannot provide legal advice as to how to determine what financial interests are outstanding.
NOTE: Attorneys: The Columbia County Sheriff's Office does not accept or present opening bids on behalf of the Plaintiff. Please be present or have a representative from the financial institution present at the time of the sale to present opening bids.
Wisconsin's foreclosure statute (Chapter 846) has been amended. Under the new law, certain buyers are prohibited from bidding at sheriff's sales or acquiring foreclosed property. You can see this entire Act by clicking https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2017/related/acts/339. Act 339 creates 846.155 and 846.16(1)(d) of the statutes, relating to: eligible bidders at foreclosure sales, eligible purchasers of foreclosed property, and instituting penalties.
To review Chapter 846, click this link https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/846.
All third-party bidders or their representatives must meet the bidder qualifications.
Required Forms:
A third-party affidavit form must be completed and submitted with each awarded sale. A copy of this form will be available at the time of the sale. (Eligible Third-Party Bidder Affidavit)
A third-party verification form must be completed and turned in no later than 10:45 a.m. on the date of the sheriff's sale. A valid photo ID with current information must be presented with the verification form. A copy of this form will be available at the time of the sale. (Third-Party Bidder Verification)
In most instances, 10% of the successful bid will be due to the Clerk of Court immediately following the sale of the property. The highest bidder will be required to deposit 10% of the bid in the Clerk of Courts Office by cash, money order, or cashier's check payable to "Columbia County Clerk of Courts." This is required at the time of the sale. A personal check will not be accepted.