In Wisconsin, the Legislative Technology Services Bureau (LTSB) GIS Team works closely with local governments to maintain a statewide layer of municipal boundaries (cities, villages, and towns). Counties are required by state law to submit updated municipal boundary data to LTSB.
In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau collects governmental unit boundaries from all governments in the nation through its voluntary Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS). LTSB is now required by statute to participate, on behalf of the state, in geographic boundary information programs when offered by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. The municipal boundaries that are collected every spring are used to submit data to the BAS program.
Statewide
The Legislative Technology Services Bureau (LTSB) is the best source of city/village/town boundaries in Wisconsin.
- LTSB Open Data Portal (MCDs are stored as snapspots, e.g, Spring 2017, Fall 2016, etc.)
City, town, and county
If your area of interest is limited to a specific county or municipality, and you require the most current boundary information, contact the local government directly.
National
- General information on TIGER/Line data
- FTP: 2017 Census National “County Subdivision” data (organized by state FIPS code)
Need Assistance?
If you are having trouble locating municipal boundary data in Wisconsin or need further help, please contact us via e-Mail or at (608) 262-3065.