Wisconsin · Milwaukee County · Verified Aug 2026

How do I find distressed property records in Milwaukee, Wisconsin?

The short answer

Milwaukee's distressed property lists are free on data.milwaukee.gov: the Vacant Buildings registry (code violation leads with address, ZIP, and date opened) and the Treasurer's Delinquent Real Estate Tax Accounts spreadsheet, which already includes owner names and mailing addresses.

COST FREE LISTS 2 VERIFIED Aug 2026

How do I pull code violations records step by step?

The City of Milwaukee's official open data site hosts the city's registry of buildings officially recorded as vacant — one of the strongest distress signals you can pull.

Go to the City of Milwaukee Open Data Portal

Navigate to data.milwaukee.gov. This is the City of Milwaukee's official open data site.

Open the Vacant Buildings dataset

Search for Vacant Buildings or go straight to the dataset page. This is the city's registry of buildings officially recorded as vacant — one of the strongest distress signals you can pull.

Open the data table

Under Data and Resources, click the CSV resource to open the preview table (around 1,600 vacant buildings). Each column has a filter box under its header, and an Add Filter button sits above the table.

Sort by date opened and narrow by ZIP

Click the DATEOPENED column header to sort the most recently registered vacants to the top. Use the filter box under ZipCode to focus on the neighborhoods you buy in — the VALUEIMPROVED column also gives you the assessed improvement value at a glance.

Download the list as CSV

Click the Download button on the resource page to export the whole registry as a CSV for Excel or Google Sheets.

Record the Data

For each vacant building, capture the PARCELNBR (the city tax key / parcel ID, which also serves as the case reference), ADDRFULLLINE (full property address), ZipCode, and DATEOPENED (when the vacancy case was opened). Look up the tax key on the City of Milwaukee property records to find the owner and mailing address.

How do I pull tax delinquent records step by step?

The Treasurer publishes the Delinquent Real Estate Tax Accounts list on the City of Milwaukee's open data portal, and every property on it owes back real estate taxes to the city.

Go to the City of Milwaukee Open Data Portal

Navigate to data.milwaukee.gov. This is the City of Milwaukee's official open data site, where the Treasurer publishes delinquency lists.

Open the Delinquent Real Estate Tax Accounts dataset

Search for Delinquent Real Estate Tax Accounts or go straight to the dataset page. Every property on this list owes back real estate taxes to the city.

Preview the spreadsheet

Under Data and Resources, click the Delinquent Real Estate Tax Accounts resource. The portal opens an embedded Excel preview — check the sheet tab at the bottom (named like Balance as of 07-06-26) to confirm how current the balances are.

Download the spreadsheet

Click the Download button on the resource page to save the Excel file, then open it in Excel or Google Sheets. Working in your own spreadsheet is easier than the embedded preview for sorting and filtering.

Sort by levy year to find the oldest debts

Sort the Levy Year column oldest-first — owners delinquent since earlier years are further down the road toward tax foreclosure and usually more motivated. Owners whose Owner's Mailing Address differs from the Property Address are likely absentee landlords, another strong signal.

Record the Data

For each account, capture the Tax Key # (the parcel ID and case reference), Owner's Name, Property Address with City and Zip, and the Levy Year the delinquency dates from. The owner name and mailing address are already on the list, so you can go straight to skip tracing and mail.

What property data does Milwaukee County publish?

Code Violations	data.milwaukee.gov · CKAN · FREE
Tax Delinquent	data.milwaukee.gov · CKAN · FREE

Common questions

Is Milwaukee's vacant building registry free to access?Yes. The Vacant Buildings dataset is published for free on data.milwaukee.gov, the City of Milwaukee's official open data site, and the whole registry is downloadable.

What does each vacant building record include?Each record carries the PARCELNBR (the city tax key/parcel ID, which also serves as the case reference), ADDRFULLLINE (full property address), ZIP code, DATEOPENED (when the vacancy case was opened), and a VALUEIMPROVED column showing the assessed improvement value at a glance. Look up the tax key on City of Milwaukee property records to find the owner and mailing address.

How do I find the newest vacant properties or narrow by neighborhood?Click the DATEOPENED column header to sort the most recently registered vacants to the top, and use the filter box under the ZipCode column to focus on the neighborhoods you buy in.

Can I download the Milwaukee vacant building list as a spreadsheet?Yes. Click the Download button on the resource page to export the whole registry as a CSV for Excel or Google Sheets.

Is the Milwaukee delinquent tax list free to download?Yes. The Treasurer publishes the Delinquent Real Estate Tax Accounts dataset for free on data.milwaukee.gov, and you can download it as an Excel file to open in Excel or Google Sheets.

What information is on each delinquent tax account?Each account shows the Tax Key # (the parcel ID and case reference), the owner's name, the property address with city and ZIP, and the levy year the delinquency dates from. Because the owner name and mailing address are already on the list, you can go straight to skip tracing and mail.

How do I find the most motivated sellers on the Milwaukee list?Sort the Levy Year column oldest-first — owners delinquent since earlier years are further down the road toward tax foreclosure and usually more motivated. Owners whose mailing address differs from the property address are likely absentee landlords, another strong signal.

How do I know how current the tax balances are?Open the embedded Excel preview under Data and Resources and check the sheet tab at the bottom — it is named with the balance date (like Balance as of 07-06-26), so you can confirm how current the balances are before working the list.

Live in CountyPull for Milwaukee County right now

List type	Records	New in 30 days
Tax Delinquent	11,206	11,206
Code Violation	555	555

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