If after the expiration of 15 months from the time of the sale of any real estate upon execution any part of the premises sold shall remain unredeemed, the sheriff of the county in which the real estate is situated shall, on demand, execute a deed for the unredeemed premises to the person entitled to the deed. The deed shall convey all of the right, title and interest which was sold upon the execution, except that no deed shall be issued after 20 years from the date of the sale.
815.55.Execution sale; deed when to issue; limitation.
Ch. 815: Executions · Last amended 1997 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 815.55 requires the sheriff to deed unredeemed real estate to the person entitled to it once fifteen months have passed since an execution sale, but bars issuing any such deed after twenty years from the sale date.
Full Text of Section 815.55
Plain-English Summary
Section 815.54 sets the fifteen-month redemption window; section 815.55 tells the sheriff what to do once that window closes. If any part of the property sold on execution remains unredeemed after fifteen months, the sheriff of the county where the real estate sits must, on demand, execute a deed for the unredeemed premises to whoever is entitled to receive it.
That deed conveys everything that was sold at the execution sale — all the right, title, and interest that changed hands. But the section puts an outer limit on this process: no deed may issue more than twenty years after the date of the sale. A person entitled to a deed who waits past that point loses the ability to compel the sheriff to execute one.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I demand a sheriff’s deed for property I bought at a Wisconsin execution sale?
Section 815.55 lets you demand the deed once fifteen months have passed from the time of sale, if the property remains unredeemed.
What does the sheriff’s deed convey?
Under section 815.55, the deed conveys all the right, title, and interest that was sold upon the execution.
Is there a deadline for getting the sheriff’s deed?
Yes. Section 815.55 bars issuing a deed after twenty years from the date of the sale.
Does the sheriff issue the deed automatically after fifteen months?
No. Section 815.55 requires the sheriff to execute the deed on demand, meaning the person entitled to it must ask for it.
What if only part of the property sold was redeemed?
Section 815.55 addresses that situation directly: the sheriff executes a deed for the unredeemed premises, meaning whatever part remains unredeemed after the fifteen months.
Amendment History
History: Sup. Ct. Order, 67 Wis. 2d 585, 761 (1975); Stats. 1975 s. 815.55; 1997 a. 254.
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: wisconsin sheriff’s deed execution salewhen does sheriff issue deed after saletwenty year limit sheriff’s deed wisconsinunredeemed property execution sale deed