(1) The sheriff shall without delay seize so much of the property of the defendant, in the sheriff’s county, as will satisfy the demand of the plaintiff, with costs and expenses, and make an inventory thereof; the sheriff shall cause all personal property attached by the sheriff to be appraised by 2 disinterested residents of the county, who shall be first sworn by the sheriff to make a true appraisement thereof, which appraisement shall be signed by them, and the appraisement and inventory shall be returned with the writ; the sheriff shall serve copies of the writ, affidavit and bond, and inventory, upon the defendant in the same manner as a summons. In case of a nonresident or a foreign corporation the sheriff shall serve the copies of the writ, affidavit and bond, and inventory, on any agent of such defendant in the county, if any be known to the sheriff.
811.10.Directions to sheriff; several writs.
Ch. 811: Attachment · Last amended 1993 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 811.10 directs the sheriff to seize and inventory enough of the defendant’s property to satisfy the plaintiff’s demand, have personal property appraised by two disinterested residents, serve copies of the attachment papers on the defendant, and, when multiple writs target the same property, consolidate the inventory and appraisement into a single action.
Full Text of Section 811.10
(2) If 2 or more writs against the same defendant shall be executed on the same property an inventory and appraisement shall be made in but one of the actions, and the sheriff shall endorse on the copy served upon the defendant in the other action a notice that the property seized is the property seized in the action in which the inventory and appraisement are made, giving the title of the action; and the officer shall state in his or her return the fact of such endorsement.
Plain-English Summary
Section 811.10 is the operational core of an attachment: it tells the sheriff exactly what to do once a writ arrives. Subsection (1) requires the sheriff to act without delay, seizing as much of the defendant’s property in the sheriff’s county as will satisfy the plaintiff’s demand plus costs and expenses, and to make an inventory of it. Personal property must be appraised by two disinterested county residents, sworn by the sheriff to appraise truly, with their signed appraisement returned along with the writ.
The sheriff must also serve the defendant with copies of the writ, affidavit, bond, and inventory, in the same manner as a summons — giving the defendant formal notice of what has been seized and why. If the defendant is a nonresident or a foreign corporation, the sheriff serves those copies on any known agent of the defendant in the county instead.
Subsection (2) handles the situation where more than one writ against the same defendant reaches the same property. Rather than duplicating the inventory and appraisal work, it is done in only one of the actions; in the others, the sheriff endorses the copy served on the defendant with a notice identifying the action where the inventory and appraisement were made, and the sheriff’s return must record that the endorsement was made.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must the sheriff do right after receiving a writ of attachment?
Without delay, seize enough of the defendant’s property in the sheriff’s county to satisfy the plaintiff’s demand plus costs and expenses, and make an inventory of it.
Who appraises personal property that has been attached?
Two disinterested residents of the county, sworn by the sheriff to make a true appraisement, who sign the appraisement before it is returned with the writ.
How is the defendant notified that property has been attached?
The sheriff serves copies of the writ, affidavit, bond, and inventory on the defendant in the same manner as a summons.
What happens if the defendant is a nonresident or foreign corporation?
The sheriff serves the copies on any known agent of the defendant located in the county.
What happens if two or more writs against the same defendant target the same property?
The inventory and appraisement are made in only one of the actions, and the sheriff endorses the copy served in the other action with notice identifying where the inventory and appraisement were made, recording that endorsement in the return.
Amendment History
History: Sup. Ct. Order, 67 Wis. 2d 585, 758 (1975); Stats. 1975 s. 811.10; 1993 a. 486.
Source & verification. Section text and official notes are
reproduced verbatim from the Wisconsin Statutes, published by the
Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau). Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: sheriff duties attachment wisconsinappraisal of attached property wisconsinmultiple attachment writs same property wisconsinsection 811.10 wisconsin