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Office: Buffalo County Emergency Management – PO Box 517, Alma, WI 54610
Notes: Buffalo County also offers Emergency Mental Health Services (EMH) in collaboration with Northwest Connections and local law enforcement, available 24/7 for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis – includes telephone crisis services, mobile response (onsite intervention/assessment upon request), and post-crisis linkage/follow-up to connect individuals with ongoing resources. As a Driftless-Area, Mississippi River county, Buffalo County faces genuine, above-average flood risk – the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance has specifically urged county residents to review flood insurance coverage given elevated snowmelt-related flood risk in spring months.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: WI-35 (the Great River Road) runs along the Mississippi River through Alma
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Buffalo County Zoning / Land Management Department – Alma, WI
Notes: Confirm current permit requirements and fee schedule directly with the county. City of Alma maintains its own separate permitting for in-city projects.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Buffalo County Veterans Service Office – Alma, WI
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Alma Public Library – 312 North Main Street, Alma, WI 54610 | (608) 685-3823 | Email: [email protected] | Hours: Mon/Wed/Fri 9 AM–1 PM, Tue/Thu 9 AM–6 PM
Related: Mondovi Public Library – 146 West Hudson Street, Mondovi, WI 54755 | (715) 926-4403 | Email: [email protected]
Services: Alma Public Library hosts regular community programming including a monthly Book Club, Friends of the Library meetings, and a Play & Learn early-childhood program; recently awarded a $4,481 Virtual Living Room Grant through the Foundation for Rural Service (sponsored by Cochrane Co-op Telephone) to improve rural veterans’ access to telehealth/telemedicine technology. Buffalo County’s local history resources are also held at the UW-Eau Claire Special Collections and Area Research Center, which covers Buffalo County alongside Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, Rusk, and Taylor Counties.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Buffalo County, created 1853 and named for the Buffalo River (itself named “Riviere des Boeufs” – “River of Buffaloes” – by French explorer Father Louis Hennepin in 1680), sits entirely within Wisconsin’s unglaciated Driftless Area along the Mississippi River, with steep bluffs rising up to 500 feet above the river and over 73 miles of trout streams; the county seat, Alma (originally called “Twelve Mile Bluff,” established 1848), is genuinely one of the most distinctive river towns in the Midwest – its historic downtown is a designated National Historic District, and the city is famous for its “Stairstep Streets,” 13 separate sets of public stairs connecting 1st and 2nd Street up the steep bluff face; Buena Vista Park, atop the bluff (a 550-foot climb via the Buena Vista Trail), offers what is described as the largest natural balcony overlooking the Mississippi River; Alma sits directly along the Mississippi Flyway and is a genuine regional birding hotspot, home to the annual “Goes to the Birds” Great River Birding Month each May, celebrated for Bald Eagle sightings, with more than 325 bird species and 40% of the world’s waterfowl species passing through during migration; the city is also home to the Wings Over Alma Nature & Art Center (the only visitor center in Buffalo County) and Lock & Dam #4 on the Mississippi; Alma has developed into a genuine artisan community since 19th-century photographer Gerhard Gesell opened the area’s first art/photo studio, later drawing artist John Runions from Chicago in 1974, who was inspired by the county’s bluffs; the county was first permanently settled by Europeans in 1839 at Fountain City (originally “Holmes’ Landing,” a Sioux/Chippewa trading post); the Buffalo County Historical Society, founded 1980, is headquartered in Alma
Notes: Alma’s genuinely unique “Stairstep Streets” and its real, substantial status as a Mississippi Flyway birding destination are both distinctive, verifiable local facts that make this county stand out.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Buffalo County GIS / Land Information Services – accessible via buffalocountywi.gov
Parcel Search: Buffalo County Real Property Lister
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Buffalo County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Buffalo County Humane Association (BCHA) – Jerome and Judith Benson Animal Shelter, 950 N Eau Claire St, Mondovi, WI 54755 | (715) 760-6150 (message/text line – leave a message or text for fastest response within 24 hours; call 911 for emergencies) | Email: [email protected]
Services: A private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue serving Buffalo County (and neighboring counties as space permits) for over 25 years, run 100% by volunteers; holds the official dog license for Buffalo County, WI; opened its first-ever permanent shelter building (the Jerome and Judith Benson Animal Shelter) in November 2019
Notes: IMPORTANT – the shelter is available BY APPOINTMENT ONLY; an approved adoption application is required before scheduling a meet-and-greet visit – confirm current process directly via bchapets.org.
Buffalo County’s Alma is genuinely one of the most visually distinctive small towns on the entire Mississippi River, with its stairstep streets climbing the bluff and its status as a real Mississippi Flyway birding hotspot. The Buffalo County Humane Association, entirely volunteer-run, provides county animal welfare services strictly by appointment out of its Mondovi shelter. 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 Buffalo County County
Buffalo County is Wisconsin’s Mississippi River bluff and Driftless Area county – the dramatic limestone bluffs rising above the Great River Road and the Tiffany Bottoms’ vast river bottom wildlife area define a county of extraordinary scenic and ecological character where Alma’s Main Street squeezes between the bluff and the river.
Alma (the county seat, population ~900) is Buffalo County’s governmental hub on the Great River Road, a Mississippi River bluff community whose dramatic setting, river heritage, and Driftless Area character anchor its identity as one of Wisconsin’s most scenic small county seats.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Buffalo County Assessor at 407 S. 2nd Street, Alma, WI 54610, phone 608-685-6209. WI assessed at fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Buffalo County Circuit Court at 407 S. 2nd Street, Alma, WI 54610, phone 608-685-6208, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
407 S 2nd St, Alma, WI 54610
(608) 685-6209
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Buffalo County Register in Probate, Alma (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). The Alma Area Museum, housed in the old Buffalo County Training School and Teachers College Building, is a notable local historical resource.
Local societies
No dedicated Buffalo 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
Buffalo County Register in Probate PO Box 68, Alma, WI 54610 (608) 685-6202
Buffalo County was founded in 1854, named for the Buffalo River, along the Mississippi River, county seat Alma, largest city Mondovi. 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 Buffalo 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
407 S 2nd St, Alma, WI 54610
(608) 685-4416
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(608) 685-6209
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health & Human Services
Buffalo County Health and Human Services, N3252 State Rd 88, Mondovi, WI 54755
(715) 926-4620
Economic Support Office
Buffalo County Economic Support Office, N3252 State Rd 88, Mondovi, WI 54755
(715) 926-4620
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Buffalo County Health and Human Services – Public Health Unit
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records, adult protective services/elder abuse, child support, economic support, Wisconsin Heating and Energy Assistance
Notes: Confirm current hours directly.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Alma
Population: 13,000
Public Records
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