Plat books make use of the Public Land Survey System to represent land ownership patterns on a county-by-county basis. They are a convenient reference for local governments, private realty, surveying companies, and the general public. Commercial plat books for Wisconsin are generally prepared by private map publishing companies in conjunction with county governments. However, many Wisconsin counties have begun to produce and update the maps themselves.
Public and private property depicted on these plats is not considered a full or legally accurate representation of ownership interests or extents, but is a generalized picture, or snapshot-in-time, of the last deed filed on a property at the time the County Register of Deeds’ records were searched. The maps then remain static until they are updated several years later. A “last deed” depiction represents only the last document filed on the property and does not necessarily reveal or resolve full ownership by title or discrepancies in the record.
Current Plat Books
As alluded to prior, many counties now produce and maintain their own plat books. Below is a map with links to known locations and additional information for obtaining a plat map. In several cases, the linked site also lists other local businesses from which a plat map may be purchased.
Current and Historical Plat Books
Other sources for Wisconsin County Plat Maps include several key private firms with a long history of plat map production. In some cases, historical plat maps may be obtained as well.
In addition to these commercial outlets, there are a growing number of sites from which to look for historical plat maps and plat books including:
Need Assistance?
If you are having trouble locating plat books in Wisconsin or need further help, please contact us via e-Mail or at (608) 262-3065.