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Land Records

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1. What is the difference between recorded acres and calculated acres?

Recorded acreage is listed on the deed or survey. Calculated acreage is derived from drawing all the parcels into one county-wide seamless parcel layer and will have discrepancies from recorded acres because they are forced to fit and account for possible overlaps and gaps. More times than not the recorded acres, calculated acres, and unrecorded map acres will be different. If the recorded and calculated acres are very different for a parcel, contact the assessor.

Recorded Acres: The acres recorded on a deed or Certified Survey Map (CSM). It may also have been carried over from many years ago by assessors or tax lister information when exact acreage was not important.

Calculated Acres: The acres calculated from our digital parcel mapping. Parcel boundaries are not based on good control or Public Land Survey System (PLSS) such as Survey Grade GPS so there are inherent errors built from the beginning. Additional errors are created when fitting the parcels together. For example, in the Geographic Information System the acreage is calculated from the water’s edge not the meander line. In the future, mapping on an accurate control grid will reduce the differences.

Map of Survey, Plat of Survey, or Unrecorded Map: These are not filed in the Register of Deeds office and are not reviewed by the County. At times these are only concept plans. These maps and any other maps are required by law to be filed in the County Surveyor’s office. When we become aware of surveys that have not been submitted to our office, we try to acquire them. In the past the County has not had a Land Records office or County Surveyor so many of those older maps have not been submitted. The map accuracy of an unrecorded map in today’s standards should be the same as a CSM.

Certified Survey Map (CSM): These are maps that are reviewed at the County and recorded in the Register of Deeds office. When the County reviews a map we find an error 90% of the time, then send it back to the surveyor for corrections. Once recorded, the information is then forwarded to the Tax Lister to update the recorded acres in the land records system (NOVUS).

2. I had a map of survey completed and filed in the Land Records office. Why is the map of survey not reflected on my tax bill or property description?

The survey needs to be recorded in the Register of Deeds office to be reflected on the property description for tax purposes.

3. Why don’t the parcel lines match the true location on the interactive mapping site?

Bayfield County built the parcel mapping from a grid and scale that can vary up to 200 feet from the true location. The parcel mapping is meant to get you close to the property; this is also known as “index” mapping. To know the exact location of the parcel lines, a survey is needed.

Bayfield County contracts with private survey firms and collects survey grade GPS locations on the section corners and quarter corners that can make the parcel lines more accurate when displayed on the aerial photo. This will take around 90 years to complete the project county-wide with current funding levels. But the main goal is to GPS and gain a tighter control on populated areas first.

The legal description may be poorly written and may not account for different sizes in sections. Various sources of information are used as reference (e.g., recorded documents and surveys).

Every effort is taken to utilize proper techniques and reference viable data sources when drawing map features. It should be noted that some data sources are more accurate than others, and this may explain why certain map features appear to be drawn incorrectly. Users of Bayfield County Interactive Mapping should take notice that the digital map serves as a general representation of what exists in the real world and should be used accordingly.

4. What is IR imagery and why is it important?

Infrared imagery (IR) and four band imagery is useful in vegetation analysis and agriculture because a bright red color is an indication of healthy vegetation. Variations in the red color can indicate stressed vegetation. These stresses can include a lack of fertility, insect infestation, soil deficiencies, and over or under watering. CIR can be used for such purposes as crop inventory and analysis, crop stresses, monitoring fertilizer applications, and yield estimates. CIR can also help analyze soil properties, such as permeability, salinity, and erosion. Because the healthy green vegetation will appear to be bright red, a CIR image is also known as a “false color” image. Source: USDA

5. Can Land Records help me write a legal description?

Bayfield County staff do not assist people in writing new legal descriptions for property splits and merges.  The Property Lister only reads, maps, and lists abbreviated descriptions for listing purposes with limited space.  What you see listed in our Novus tax database is not your full legal description.  Always refer to your deed for the full legal description.  We recommend talking with a land surveyor and/or attorney (title company in case of a land sale) to get a new legal description and have the proper recording done.

6. Who is my assessor?

Visit our Town Assessor webpage.

7. Where can I find property details not in Novus like house square footage and build dates?

Check with the assessor for your municipality; see this listing of municipal assessors.

8. How can I purchase property owned by Bayfield County?

To view property for sale, check the Wisconsin Surplus website or the Sheriff Sales webpage, which is organized by the Sheriff's Office.

9. How do I find historic tax records?

The online NOVUS tax records only go back as far as 2005. Research can be done at the Bayfield County Courthouse or a request can be made to the Treasurer's office.

10. How do I find my property corners?

If your land has been previously surveyed by a registered land surveyor, a copy of the map should be filed in the County Surveyor’s or Land Records office and can be provided to you for printing cost (25 cents per page). You would then need to locate the monuments that were set at the property corners. If you cannot find the monuments yourself, or if your property has never been surveyed, you need to hire a registered land surveyor. To find one, view the list of registered land surveyors who frequently work in Bayfield County and are familiar with the rules and regulations of Bayfield County and the State of Wisconsin.

11. What is scale?

The ratio of the length of the scale drawing to the corresponding length of the actual object is called a scale. For example, a line thickness on a USGS map is 20 feet on the ground.

12. What years of aerial imagery does Bayfield County have online or as a hard copy?

• 1938 Black and White Imagery (portions online) (entire county hard copy)
• 1992 Black and White Imagery (full county online)
• 1992-2000 Black and White Imagery (full county online)
• 2005 Color Imagery (full county online)
• 2009 Color Imagery (full county online)
• 2010 Color Imagery (full county online)

• 2015 Color and IR Imagery (full county online)

  Visit the Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office website for more information.

13. How can I obtain Bayfield County GIS data?

Bayfield County GIS data can be downloaded from the FTP site; instructions for using the FTP site are available on the GIS and Parcel Data webpage.

14. How do I convert degrees - minutes - seconds to decimal degrees?

Decimal degrees = degrees + ((minutes / 60) + (seconds / 3600))

Coordinate conversion can also be done online.

15. How do I find my correct address or apply for a new address?

Call Emergency Management at 715-373-6113 or 715-373-6325 if you have any questions on the correct address that was assigned to your property in Bayfield County.

Use the address application to apply for a new address online or submit a paper form to Emergency Management.

16. What is the road right-of-way width and length?

Road maps from the Department of Transportation are located on our Map Gallery webpage.

17. How do I access property records online?

Land Records – New Interactive Web Map

Novus Property Information

Deeds

18. What is a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)? How do I obtain a LOMA?

• Flood Map Service Center
• FEMA Mapping Information

19. Can I be taxed as Forestry and zoned as Agriculture?

Yes, these are two separate ways the property is viewed. The assessor looks at the property from a taxation purpose and has specific rules and state statutes they must follow by the Department of Revenue. The Zoning Department looks at the property to promote public health, safety, convenience, and welfare; to further the maintenance of safe and healthful conditions; to prevent and control water pollution; to protect spawning grounds, fish, and aquatic life; to control building sites, placement of structures, and land uses; to prevent overcrowding of any natural resource such as a lake, river, or stream; to preserve shore cover and natural beauty; and to promote the better uses of scenic resources.

20. How often is your parcel data updated on the website?

We try to do a new join of the splits and ownership changes once a month. (Note that the time it is recorded, entered into land records database, and then mapped can take 3-6 months for splits, while ownership changes could happen in a month.)

21. I am splitting my parcel into two parcels this year. What will my exact tax bill be?

The parcel will not be taxed as two separate parcels until January 1 of the following year. To get an estimate of what it would be, call your local town assessor or look at comparable land in the area.

22. How do I get a Bayfield County Plat Book?

Visit our Plat Book Information webpage.

23. Who owns the trees when the Highway Department cuts the road right-of-way?

The owner of the property owns the trees. On state roads, the owner is the State of Wisconsin. If the state doesn’t want them, it’s owned by the property owner perpendicular to the road. If that property owner doesn't want them, you can obtain a free permit from the Bayfield County Highway Department.

24. How do I find out the registered agent office of an LLC?

Visit the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions website.

25. Where do I find out if a property has a lien against it?

This is found on the Circuit Court website. Federal liens can be found in the Register of Deeds office.

26. How do I find out if a surveyor is licensed?

Visit the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing website.

27. How do I find information on easements or private access roads?

Land Records does not map easements in GIS. Easements are only viewable in our GIS Web Map if included in a survey record, such as a map of survey or CSM. Researching recorded documents in the Register of Deeds office is where the search can be conducted; a title search can assist with this process.

This 2021 WI state statute provides information and clarification on the repair and maintenance of private roads: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2021/related/acts/99