Wisconsin conventional mortgage: limits, down payment math and the state rules

Conforming limit $832,750, median about $310,000, property tax about 1.61%: those three figures decide most of what a conventional mortgage costs in Wisconsin. Below, the down payment and monthly numbers at 3%, 5%, 10% and 20% down, the month PMI can end, and the state rules a conventional borrower here should know.

How much house stays conforming in Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, a one-unit conventional loan above $832,750 is jumbo in 2026. The median price of about $310,000 means the median buyer is well inside the limit even with 3% down (loan $300,700), so conforming rules apply to most purchases. Two-, three- and four-unit homes have higher limits. Every Wisconsin county is in the table below; see conforming loan limits and jumbo loans.

Conforming limits for all 72 Wisconsin counties

For 2026 the FHFA county list shows a single tier in Wisconsin: all 72 counties at the $832,750 baseline for one unit, $1,066,250 for two units, $1,288,800 for three and $1,601,750 for four. Above those figures a loan is jumbo, whatever the county.

Source: FHFA, Conforming Loan Limit Values for 2026 (county list, mortgages acquired in calendar year 2026). Limits are for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans; FHA and VA use their own county figures.

What a conventional loan costs on the Wisconsin median

Illustrative 6.5% 30-year fixed rate, principal and interest only; mortgage insurance at typical market rates for each down payment (it varies with credit score); property tax at the state’s approximate 1.61% effective rate. Homeowners insurance and any HOA come on top. None of it is an offer.

Under 20% down, conventional loans require mortgage insurance until the loan-to-value falls; the next section gives the ${e.nom} timeline. Payment tables at other amounts and rates: mortgage payment tables.

When PMI ends in Wisconsin

Three dates matter: the month the balance hits 80% of the original price (you ask), 78% (the servicer must act) and the loan’s midpoint (cancellation regardless of value, if current). On Wisconsin’s median with 5% down at 6.5%, the schedule reaches 80% in about 10 years and 4 months; with 3% down, about 11 years and 1 months; with 10% down, about 7 years and 11 months. Over that time the 5% buyer pays roughly $22,816 in PMI at $184 a month.

Recording taxes, transfer taxes and closing practice

Wisconsin closings are conducted by title companies, which examine title, prepare the closing statement and disburse; attorneys are not required, and since the 2010 Wisconsin Supreme Court rule on real estate forms, brokers may complete state-approved contracts while lawyers draft the deeds. Funding is wet, with the mortgage recorded by the county Register of Deeds the same or next day. Title company settlement fees are modest, usually a few hundred dollars.

Wisconsin has no mortgage tax or intangible tax on the note; recording a mortgage costs a flat $30 fee at the Register of Deeds regardless of length under Statutes § 59.43. The real estate transfer fee of $3 per $1,000 of value (Statutes § 77.22) is owed by the grantor on the deed and has nothing to do with the financing. Wisconsin’s real estate transfer fee is $3 per $1,000 (0.3%), paid by the seller.

Wisconsin buyer closing costs typically total 2% to 3% of the price; title companies handle closings, and property taxes — among the higher rates in the Midwest — are paid in arrears.

Prepayment, spouses and homestead in Wisconsin

Prepayment. Wisconsin Statutes § 138.052 governs residential mortgage loans and permits only a limited prepayment charge: a lender may collect at most the equivalent of roughly two months’ interest on the amount prepaid, and only if the prepayment occurs within the first five years of the loan; no charge may be imposed after that or on a refinance with the same lender. On a conforming loan the question is moot — the agencies do not accept penalties — but check a portfolio or jumbo note.

Spouses and title. Wisconsin is the only Midwestern community property state, through the Wisconsin Marital Property Act (Statutes chapter 766): property acquired during marriage is marital property owned equally by both spouses, and Statutes § 706.02(1)(f) requires both spouses to sign any mortgage on a homestead.

Homestead. Wisconsin’s homestead exemption in Statutes § 815.20 protects $75,000 of equity per owner, or $150,000 for spouses who own together, from execution on judgments, without any filing; it does not defeat a mortgage, property taxes or construction liens.

The complete state layer — licensing, predatory-lending limits, disclosures, foreclosure — is on mortgage laws in Wisconsin.

Frequently asked questions

What is the conforming loan limit in Wisconsin for 2026?

$832,750 for a single-family home, identical across Wisconsin’s 72 counties because FHFA found no high-cost area in the state for 2026. A loan above it is jumbo; a conforming first plus a second lien is the usual way to stay under.

When can I cancel PMI on a conventional loan in Wisconsin?

The request point is 80% of the original value, the automatic point 78% — federal rules, identical in Wisconsin. With 5% down on the state’s $310,000 median at 6.5%, the amortization schedule alone gets you to 80% in roughly 10 years and 4 months; with 10% down, in about 7 years and 11 months. Paying extra principal shortens both.

Does Wisconsin add anything to a conventional loan’s closing costs?

Wisconsin has no mortgage tax or intangible tax on the note; recording a mortgage costs a flat $30 fee at the Register of Deeds regardless of length under Statutes § 59.43. Wisconsin’s real estate transfer fee is $3 per $1,000 (0.3%), paid by the seller. Wisconsin buyer closing costs typically total 2% to 3% of the price; title companies handle closings, and property taxes — among the higher rates in the Midwest — are paid in arrears.

Related: PMI removal: the 80% request, the 78% automatic cancellation, and the appraisal route, Mortgage points and rate buydowns: when paying for a lower rate pays off, Cash-out refinance: limits, costs and when it is the wrong tool, Rate-and-term refinance: when it pays, how to compute the break-even. First home in Wisconsin: programs and assistance. Hub: Conventional loan.