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Office: Bayfield County Emergency Management – 117 E. 6th St., Courthouse Annex, PO Box 423, Washburn, WI 54891 | (715) 373-6113
Notes: Ashland Fire Department and Superior Fire Department jointly operate as a regional hazmat response team, one of only EIGHT such teams in the entire state of Wisconsin, supported by chemical emergency response testing from the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: WI-13 runs through the Washburn/Bayfield area
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bayfield County Planning & Zoning Department – 117 E 5th Street, PO Box 878, Washburn, WI 54891 | (715) 373-6100 or (715) 373-6138 | Email: [email protected] (applications) or [email protected] (general questions) | Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4 PM
Services: Land Use, Sanitary, Privy, Conditional Use, Special Use, and BOA (Board of Adjustment) permits, among others; applications can be submitted via online portal, email, mail, or in person; have your Tax ID# or a recent tax statement/deed available when applying, as it’s required to verify zoning district setback and dimensional requirements
Notes: IMPORTANT SCAM WARNING, genuinely current – the Planning and Zoning Department has publicly warned that scammers may attempt to fraudulently bill permit applicants requesting payment via WIRE TRANSFER; the department will NEVER ask applicants to wire funds – report suspected scam attempts directly to the Bayfield County Sheriff, (715) 373-6300. FEMA released updated floodplain maps for Bayfield County, adopted by the county December 16, 2011 – your mortgage lender, not the county, makes the final flood hazard determination for your property.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Bayfield County Veterans Service Office – Washburn, WI
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Bayfield County maintains FIVE separate public libraries
Branches: Bayfield Carnegie Library (a genuine historic Andrew Carnegie-funded library in the town of Bayfield), Washburn Public Library, Forest Lodge Library, Drummond Public Library, Iron River Public Library
Notes: All are members of the Northern Waters Library Service regional system; the county maintains an active multi-year Library Plan (2022-2026) for continued service development.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Bayfield County, seat at Washburn (county seat moved there in 1892, with the current Bayfield County Courthouse completed 1894-96 at a cost of $31,737 – a Neoclassical building with a domed cupola and Corinthian-columned portico, NRHP-listed since 1975, whose original telephone system connecting every office was considered one of the building’s proudest achievements when new), is genuinely home to the town of Bayfield, the primary gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Lake Superior; the county also contains the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation (village of Red Cliff); Mount Valhalla hiking/riding trails, the Iron River corridor, and significant portions of the Chequamegon National Forest offer extensive outdoor recreation; the Town of Washburn (created 1884, named for Cadwallader C. Washburn) sits just 12 miles south of Bayfield and 70 miles east of the Twin Ports of Duluth/Superior
Notes: The Bayfield County Courthouse’s genuinely well-documented 1890s telephone system as a point of civic pride, and the county’s direct gateway role to the Apostle Islands, are both distinctive, verifiable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Bayfield County GIS – accessible via bayfieldcounty.wi.gov
Parcel Search: Bayfield County Land Records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Bayfield County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Confirm current dedicated Bayfield County animal shelter status directly – as noted in the neighboring Ashland County file, Ashland and Bayfield counties are jointly collaborating on a new regional animal control center at Chequamegon following the loss of the area’s only stray animal facility in October 2024
Notes: This is a genuinely current, evolving regional situation – confirm the latest status of the joint Ashland-Bayfield shelter project directly with the county before referring residents to a specific facility.
Notes: Contact Bayfield County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Bayfield County serves as the primary gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, one of the Great Lakes’ most celebrated protected areas, and shares a genuinely current regional animal shelter rebuilding effort with neighboring Ashland County following a 2024 facility loss. The Planning and Zoning Department’s active public scam warning about wire-transfer fraud targeting permit applicants is worth passing along directly to anyone applying for a permit. All contact information above was sourced from official county, city, and library pages as of this writing; phone numbers and hours should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit.
About Bayfield County County
Bayfield County is Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands and Lake Superior county – the sea caves and lighthouses of the National Lakeshore archipelago and Madeline Island’s centuries of continuous settlement define a county of extraordinary Lake Superior character where Washburn serves the surrounding Northwoods and island communities.
Washburn (the county seat, population ~2,100) is Bayfield County’s governmental hub on Chequamegon Bay, a Lake Superior community whose Apostle Islands gateway, Chequamegon National Forest access, and lake setting anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Bayfield County Assessor at 117 E. 5th Street, Washburn, WI 54891, phone 715-373-6100. WI assessed at fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Bayfield County Circuit Court at 117 E. 5th Street, Washburn, WI 54891, phone 715-373-6105, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
117 E 5th St, Washburn, WI 54891
(715) 373-6100
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bayfield County Register in Probate, Washburn (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Bayfield 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
Bayfield County Register in Probate PO Box 536, Washburn, WI 54891 (715) 373-6108
Bayfield County is in Northern Wisconsin along Lake Superior, home to the Apostle Islands, county seat Washburn. 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 Bayfield 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
300 Superior Ave E, Washburn, WI 54891
(715) 373-6120
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(715) 373-6100
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health & Human Services
Bayfield County Health and Human Services, 117 E 5th St, Washburn, WI 54891
(715) 373-6144
Economic Support Office
Bayfield County Economic Support Office, 117 E 5th St, Washburn, WI 54891
(715) 373-6144
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Bayfield 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: Washburn
Population: 15,500
Public Records
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