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Office: Adams County Office of Emergency Management – c/o Adams County Sheriff’s Office
Services: Develops and coordinates emergency management plans for the county consistent with Wisconsin Emergency Management/Department of Military Affairs standards; coordinates city/village/town emergency operation plans with county plans; directs county-wide emergency training and exercises
Notes: The county maintains a sophisticated Enhanced 911 (E911) telephone system, established by county ordinance (Ch. 30, adopted 1999) per Wis. Stat. §256.35 – funded through a $0.30/month per-line service charge on all Adams County service users, subject to change. CodeRED is the official emergency notification system (phone, text, email, and social media alerts) – sign up directly with the county.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: WI-13 and WI-21 both serve the Adams/Friendship area
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Adams County Planning & Zoning Department – Suite 4, 401 Adams St., Friendship, WI 53934 | (608) 339-4222 | Fax: (608) 339-4504
Services: Regulates lot coverage, population density, protects prime agricultural land, secures fire/flood/pollution safety, and issues building permits per Adams County Code Chapter 166 (adopted 2016), incorporating Wisconsin Administrative Code (DSPS) standards
Notes: For pre-1980 one- and two-family dwellings, the Building Inspector may approve alternative methods/materials meeting current code intent for alterations; electrical permits require both Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor license numbers. Confirm whether your property falls under county or a specific incorporated town/village jurisdiction.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Adams County Veterans Service Office – confirm current contact directly, as Wisconsin counties are required by state law to maintain a County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO)
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Adams County Library – 569 N. Cedar St., Suite 1, Adams, WI 53910 | (608) 339-4250 | Fax: (608) 339-4575 | Hours: Mon–Wed 9 AM–7 PM, Thu 1–7 PM, Fri 9 AM–5 PM, Sat 10 AM–2 PM (summer hours vary slightly; closed Sundays year-round)
Services: A member of the South Central Library System (LINKcat catalog); offers e-books, e-magazines, e-audiobooks, wireless printing, and curbside service; “Friends of the Library” group meets monthly in the library’s Reading Room
Notes: Genuinely deep local history – the first library in the City of Adams began as a Women’s Christian Temperance Union membership association in 1923; the City later funded it publicly in 1930, housing it in a circa-1860 railroad car moved to a lot at Grant and Goggin Street, before later moves to a former city jail (1945) and 101 South Main St. (1958); separately, Friendship’s first permanent library opened February 1915, funded via a village tax levy authorized under a new 1914 Wisconsin state law, initially operating out of the donated basement of Charles Krejchik’s store; the two small libraries merged in 1963 as the Adams-Friendship Joint Library, renamed the Adams County Library in 1974; the county purchased the current building in 1978 (remodeled 1981).
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Adams County, home to county seat Friendship (incorporated 1907, population 648) and the City of Adams, is genuinely home to Roche-a-Cri State Park (605 acres, established 1948), featuring a dramatic 300-foot rock outcropping that was once an island rising above Glacial Lake Wisconsin some 15,000-19,000 years ago; the park preserves the Roche-a-Cri Petroglyphs (also called the Friendship Glyphs), genuine Oneota-culture rock art depicting birds, canoes, and geometric designs, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981; the separate Friendship Mound, a castellated glacial-era mound, sits just north of the village near Friendship Lake; the county contains the second- and fourth-largest inland lakes in Wisconsin – Castle Rock Lake and Petenwell Lake, both anchoring Adams County Parks – alongside 26 total lakes, 23 distinct rock formations, over 40 miles of ATV trails, 230 miles of snowmobile trails, and 25 miles of horse trails; the county hosts an active local Historical Society, a community theatre, a winery, and the annual Adams County Fair celebrating its agricultural roots
Notes: The Roche-a-Cri Petroglyphs’ genuine Oneota origin and National Register status, and the site’s documented pre-glacial-lake geological history, are both distinctive, verifiable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Adams County GIS – accessible via co.adams.wi.us
Parcel Search: Adams County Land Records/Assessor’s records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Adams County E911
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Adams County Humane Society (ACHS) – Friendship, WI (also referenced as Adams County Animal Shelter, 1982 11th Ave, Friendship, WI)
Services: Formed in the early 1970s by concerned citizens, incorporated 1974; originally the county’s animal control officer had to shelter animals at his own farm before the group raised funds to build the first permanent shelter in 1988, later expanded around 2000 with outdoor exercise areas and better animal separation, funded partly by a memorial gift; a genuinely no-kill facility – does NOT euthanize for space, and no healthy, well-dispositioned animal is ever euthanized; run by 1 full-time and 3 part-time staff, funded 100% by donations and adoption fees; maintains 16 large outside dog play areas and an active cat socialization volunteer program; partners with rescues across Wisconsin and out of state for animals needing more specialized care
Adams County is genuinely home to some of Wisconsin’s most significant Native American rock art at Roche-a-Cri State Park, alongside two of the state’s largest inland lakes. The Adams County Humane Society’s real, decades-long no-kill commitment – built up from a single farm-based animal control operation in the 1970s – reflects strong sustained community investment. All contact information above was sourced from official county, park, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Adams County County
Adams County is central Wisconsin’s Castle Rock and Petenwell lakes and Sand Plain county – the two large Wisconsin River reservoirs drawing recreational visitors and the sandy glacial outwash landscape supporting potato farming and Christmas trees define a county where Friendship serves the surrounding agricultural and tourism communities.
Friendship (the county seat, population ~700) is Adams County’s governmental hub, a small central Wisconsin community on WI-13 whose courthouse serves the county’s agricultural and lake recreation population.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Adams County Assessor at 402 Main Street, Friendship, WI 53934, phone 608-339-4200. WI assessed at fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Adams County Circuit Court at 402 Main Street, Friendship, WI 53934, phone 608-339-4515, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
401 N Main St, Friendship, WI 53934
(608) 339-4202
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Adams County Register in Probate, Friendship (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Adams County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Adams County Register in Probate 401 Adams Street, Suite 14, Friendship, WI 53934 (608) 339-4213
Adams County is in Central Wisconsin, county seat Friendship. Wisconsin has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code and has NO separate probate court – probate is handled by the CIRCUIT COURT (Probate Division) for the county where the decedent lived, administered day-to-day by that county’s REGISTER IN PROBATE. Wisconsin runs two main tracks: FORMAL administration, supervised directly by a circuit court judge, and INFORMAL administration, supervised by the Register in Probate without continuous judicial oversight. Informal administration is the default path for most straightforward estates.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Wisconsin Statutes Chapters 851 through 882 govern probate. Wisconsin is also a MARITAL PROPERTY state (similar to community property) – under the Wisconsin Marital Property Act, most assets acquired during marriage are co-owned by both spouses, so a surviving spouse may already own half of all marital property outright; only the decedent’s half passes through the estate.
Transfer by Affidavit (Wis. Stat. §867.03) – available when the decedent’s ENTIRE probate estate (personal property only; real estate is not covered by this shortcut) has a gross value of $50,000 or less. Available 30 days after death to an heir, a trustee of a revocable trust, a beneficiary named in the will, or a guardian of the decedent.
Summary Settlement (Wis. Stat. §867.01) – geared toward estates of $50,000 or less where there is a surviving spouse, domestic partner, or minor children, or where the estate would otherwise be absorbed by allowances and expenses.
Summary Assignment – another shortcut for estates too small to pay debts in full.
Formal or Informal Administration – required for larger or more complex estates. Begins with a Petition for Administration (Form PR-1801) filed with the county Register in Probate to admit the will (if any) and appoint a personal representative.
Step 2: filing for administration
File a Petition for Administration (Form PR-1801) with the Adams County Register in Probate.
Mail notice of the hearing to all heirs, beneficiaries, and interested parties at least 20 days before the hearing; publish notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the county for three successive weeks.
Once appointed, the personal representative inventories assets, and the court (for formal administration) or Register in Probate (for informal) sets a creditor claims deadline – generally 3 to 4 months from the date of the court’s order, with first publication of that notice required within 15 days of the order.
The personal representative pays valid debts and expenses, then distributes remaining assets to heirs/beneficiaries.
File a final accounting with the Circuit Court (Probate) showing all assets received, debts paid, and distributions made; once approved, the estate is closed.
Wisconsin Circuit Courts require attorneys to e-file; pro se (self-represented) filers are encouraged to use the Wisconsin Circuit Court eFiling system as well.
What it costs
Personal representative compensation: presumptive statutory rate of 2% of inventory value (Wis. Stat. §857.05), though the will or the parties can agree to a different amount.
Filing fees, publication costs, and (for real estate transfers under the small-estate process) an Affidavit of Heirship and Affidavit of Service, notarized and filed with the court.
Typical timeline: simple estates 6-12 months; complex or contested estates 18 months or longer.
Wisconsin does NOT impose a state estate tax or inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, with a $15,000,000 per-person exemption for 2026 – meaning the vast majority of Wisconsin estates owe nothing.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
569 N Cedar St, Friendship, WI 53934
(608) 339-3346
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(608) 339-4202
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health & Human Services
Adams County Health and Human Services, 569 N Cedar St, Friendship, WI 53934
(608) 339-4585
Economic Support Office
Adams County Economic Support Office, 569 N Cedar St, Friendship, WI 53934
(608) 339-4573
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Adams County Health & Human Services
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Confirm current hours directly.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Friendship
Population: 20,500
Public Records
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