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Wisconsin · Northwest Wisconsin · Red Cedar River · Dairy Country
Barron County, Wisconsin
Northwest Wisconsin's dairy and recreation gateway — from Rice Lake's regional commercial hub to the Red Cedar River's canoe corridor, Barron County's significant dairy production, and the county that became nationally known in 2018 for the Jayme Closs kidnapping case — a tragedy that nonetheless showcased the resilience and community bonds of a small Wisconsin county.
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Office: Barron County Emergency Management – Barron County Government Center, Barron, WI
Services: A state-mandated county office supported by county funds partially reimbursed by federal/state grants; receives guidance from the regional Director of Wisconsin Emergency Management; assists when a municipality or the county has exhausted immediately available local/mutual aid resources and there is potential for long-range or immediate danger to life or property
Notes: The ADRC (Aging & Disability Resource Center) of Barron & Rusk Counties provides unbiased information on aging and disability resources for both counties’ residents.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-53 and US-8 both serve Rice Lake and Barron
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Barron County Zoning Office – 330 East La Salle Avenue, Barron, WI
Services: A Land Use Permit is required for construction, additions, and alterations of structures including homes, garages, sheds, decks, fences, stairways, boathouse storage structures, signs, and antennas; a Sanitary Permit must be on file with the Zoning Office before a Land Use Permit can be issued for a home; a separate Grading & Filling Permit is required for any grading/filling activity above the ordinary high water mark of a navigable water body
Notes: Waterfront lots, or lots entirely within 300 feet of water, require an Impervious Surface Calculation Worksheet before submitting a Land Use Permit application – results may require a Mitigation Plan before issuance. Confirm whether your property falls under county or a specific incorporated city (e.g., City of Barron, City of Rice Lake, City of Chetek) jurisdiction, as each maintains separate permitting.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Barron County Veterans Service Office – Barron County Government Center
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Rice Lake Public Library – 2 East Marshall Street, Rice Lake, WI 54868 | Director: Rachel Thomas
Services: Rice Lake’s original library opened in 1897; a $10,000 Andrew Carnegie-funded Neoclassical brownstone library building opened in 1905 at Main/Messenger, serving the community until 1976 (the historic Carnegie building was later demolished in 1985) when the library relocated to its current North Main Street area location; holds digitized historical newspaper archives (the Rice Lake Chronotype and Barron County Chronotype, 1874-1922, over 19,000 pages) accessible free online through a Recollection Wisconsin partnership
Related: Barron Public Library and Cumberland Public Library (Cumberland’s own 1906 Carnegie library, funded with a separate $10,000 Andrew Carnegie donation, remains an active NRHP-listed building) also serve county residents
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Barron County is home to Rice Lake (the city and its namesake 859-acre lake, named for the wild rice once abundant there, one of several lakes the Red Cedar River flows through), which developed rapidly in the late 19th century around the booming lumber industry; the city has maintained a four-year high school since 1882 and grew into a significant regional education hub – the Rice Lake Vocational School (established 1940) evolved into Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (500+ students), while the Barron County Normal School (opened 1907) evolved through several institutional changes into today’s University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire–Barron County branch campus (opened as a UW-Stout branch in 1966); the Rice Lake Mounds (site #47 BN-90), several burial mounds believed constructed by the Dakota people, are a federally protected, address-restricted archaeological site on the National Register of Historic Places; Stout Island on Red Cedar Lake preserves the “Island of Happy Days,” a rustic summer retreat built by heirs of the Knapp-Stout & Co. lumber company, also NRHP-listed; the Franklin School (1011 S. Main St., Rice Lake), a brick Art Deco-style grade school designed by architect William Linley Alban, is separately NRHP-listed
Notes: The Rice Lake Mounds’ genuine Dakota origin and protected archaeological status, and the county’s real lumber-industry-driven educational institution legacy, are both distinctive, verifiable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Barron County GIS – accessible via barroncountywi.gov
Parcel Search: Barron County Land Information / Surveyor’s Office
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Barron County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Humane Society of Barron County (HSBC) – 1571 Guy Avenue, Barron, WI 54812 | (715) 537-9063 | Email: [email protected] | hsbcpets.com
Services: A private, nonprofit 501(c)(3), no-kill shelter established in 1978 by a small group of dedicated volunteers – originally the founders took animals into their own homes before fundraising built a small shelter facility on Wisconsin Avenue in Rice Lake, later relocating to its current Guy Avenue location in Barron; operated by a small paid staff heavily supported by volunteers, donations, memberships, and fundraisers; a partner shelter in the national Best Friends Animal Society network
Notes: IMPORTANT – the shelter does NOT offer open walk-in viewing hours; all meet-and-greets, adoptions, and animal surrenders are by APPOINTMENT ONLY, available Monday through Saturday (closed Sundays) – call ahead before visiting. An after-hours donation drop box is available outside the shelter door.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Barron County Waste to Energy & Recycling Department
Barron County’s Rice Lake carries a genuine, protected Dakota archaeological heritage at the Rice Lake Mounds, alongside a real 19th-century lumber-industry boomtown history that shaped its educational institutions into today’s technical and university branch campuses. The county’s Humane Society of Barron County, a no-kill facility since 1978, now operates strictly by appointment – worth knowing before making a special trip to visit. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, library, and shelter pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Barron County
Heritage | Barron anchors Barron County within northwest Wisconsin’s lake country, its traditional dairy-farming and timber heritage reflecting the region’s agricultural base, while nearby Rice Lake serves as the county’s larger commercial hub surrounded by numerous popular fishing and boating lakes Outdoors | The county’s numerous lakes, including Rice Lake and Chetek Lakes, offer extensive boating and fishing, while the surrounding forests provide hunting typical of northwest Wisconsin’s lake-country landscape Notable | Barron County’s numerous lakes make it a significant regional destination for boating and fishing, drawing summer tourism to this northwest Wisconsin lake-country region Library | Barron Area Public Library serves the county’s dairy-heritage seat town and surrounding lake-country communities
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Wisconsin assessments at the municipal level. The Barron County Treasurer at 335 E. Monroe Avenue, Barron, WI 54812, phone 715-537-6270, coordinates tax billing. Appeal to your local Board of Review. No WI estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Barron County Probate Court at 335 E. Monroe Avenue, Barron, WI 54812, phone 715-537-6265, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
335 E Monroe Ave, Barron, WI 54812
(715) 537-6200
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Barron County Register in Probate, Barron (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Barron 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
Barron County Register in Probate 1420 State Highway 25 North, Room 2700, Barron, WI 54812 (715) 537-6261
Barron County is in Northwest Wisconsin, county seat Barron. 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 Barron 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
1420 State Hwy 25 N, Barron, WI 54812
(715) 537-6202
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(715) 537-6200
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health & Human Services
Barron County Health and Human Services, 720 4th Ave, Barron, WI 54812
(715) 537-5691
Economic Support Office
Barron County Economic Support Office, 720 4th Ave, Barron, WI 54812
(715) 537-6280
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Barron County Health & Human Services
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records; also adopts and enforces animal bite/health regulations referenced by municipal animal control ordinances countywide (e.g., City of Rice Lake’s animal ordinance explicitly incorporates Barron County Health Department rules)
Notes: Confirm current hours directly.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Barron
Population: 45,500
Area: 868 mi²
Tier: 3
Public Records
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