Counties sell tax liens, not land, and a lot in a subdivision needs 35 acres to be taxed as a farm.
$1,030 an acre is the average for farm real estate here, against $4,500 nationally (NASS, 2026). Pasture averages $770.
Land sold for back taxes
The county treasurer sells a certificate of purchase on land with unpaid taxes, not the land itself. The owner can redeem by paying the sale price plus 3 percent and 15 percent a year, until the holder's application for a tax deed is accepted, which can be no sooner than four years after the sale and no later than six. Certificates nobody buys go to the county, which takes a tax deed after four years and can then sell the land privately.
What to do: A certificate earns 15 percent a year and becomes land only if the owner never pays. For land itself, ask the county commissioners what the county already holds by tax deed, since they can sell it at private sale.
Source: W.S. 39-13-108(e), 39-13-109(e)
Septic before you build
A septic system treating under 2,000 gallons a day is built under DEQ Water Quality Rules Chapter 25, and construction may not start until the permitting authority approves it. DEQ is that authority in a handful of counties; elsewhere it is the county or city.
What to do: Find out which office permits systems in the county and ask what it needs from you before you buy, not after.
Being taxed as a farm
Agricultural land is valued on its current use and its capacity to produce. To qualify it must be in agricultural use now, must not be in a platted subdivision unless the parcel is 35 acres or more, and must have earned its owner at least $500 a year from selling farm products ($1,000 for a tenant). The owner signs a sworn statement on the Department of Revenue's form.
What to do: In a subdivision, 35 acres is the line: a 35-acre lot can qualify and a 34-acre one cannot. Lease the grazing or sell the hay from the first year, and keep the receipts.
Source: W.S. 39-13-103(b)(x)
Old well records
Every well needs a permit from the State Engineer before drilling starts. Water rights are property that passes with the land, and a buyer updates the State Engineer's records by sending in the deed. The e-Permit database shows whether a well is permitted, searched by township, range, section and quarter-quarter.
What to do: Search e-Permit with the legal description from the listing before you make an offer, and send the deed to the State Engineer after closing so the permit is in your name.
Source: State Engineer's Office, Ground Water FAQs; State Engineer's Office, e-Permit
Laws change. Check the source before you rely on a date or a deadline, and ask the county office named, because local rules sit on top of these.