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Wisconsin · West-Central Wisconsin · Black River · Wisconsin's Dairy Heart
Clark County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin's dairy heartland county — from Neillsville's courthouse serving one of Wisconsin's most consistently productive dairy farming counties to the Black River's trout-fishing tributaries, the Buena Vista Grasslands' booming prairie-chicken population (one of the largest greater prairie-chicken populations in the eastern United States), and a Central Wisconsin county where dairy farming and the natural landscape coexist in one of the state's most authentically agricultural settings.
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Office: Clark County Emergency Management and Preparedness – 517 Court Street, Room 306, Neillsville, WI 54456 | (715) 743-5100 | Fax: (715) 743-4350 | Cell: (715) 429-0669
Services: Serves as the county’s designated Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (SARA Title III), administering the local hazardous chemical planning program; LEPC membership includes elected officials, emergency responders, hospitals, transportation and media representatives, and community groups; meets twice yearly, open to the public
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-10, WI-73, and WI-95 all serve Neillsville
Transit: Clark County Taxi / Neillsville Taxi Cab, 1115 West 4th St, (715) 743-3364 or (800) 236-8438
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clark County Surveyor / Land Info Office – Clark County Courthouse, Neillsville, WI
Services: Reviews and issues building permits, conducts construction/compliance inspections, investigates complaints, maintains GIS mapping and land information records
Notes: City of Neillsville maintains its own separate building permit process – confirm which jurisdiction applies to your property.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Clark County Veterans Service Office – Neillsville, WI
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Neillsville Public Library – 409 Hewett Street, Neillsville, WI 54456 | (715) 743-2558 | Fax: (715) 743-6213 | Hours: Mon/Wed 10 AM–8 PM (some sources list 9 AM start), Tue/Thu/Fri 10 AM–5 PM, Sat 9 AM–12 PM (closed Sun)
Services: A genuine, still-standing CARNEGIE LIBRARY with a remarkable local origin story – the library began in 1879 as the Neillsville Library Association, operating out of various locations until 1914; the city secured Carnegie Foundation funding for a new building thanks to a direct personal connection: Mrs. J.W. Hommel, a Neillsville resident, whose first husband was George C. Carnegie, a nephew of Andrew Carnegie himself – this relationship helped secure a $10,000 Carnegie grant, and Chicago architect George Awsumb designed the brick building that still stands “in its original splendor” atop a hill today; offers interlibrary loan, Clark County Press microfilm archives, public computers, children’s story hour, and summer reading programs; hosts an active Wisconsin Valley Library Service network alongside Abbotsford, Colby, Dorchester, Granton, Greenwood, Loyal, Owen, and Thorp Public Libraries
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Clark County, seat at Neillsville, is genuinely and delightfully home to CHATTY BELLE, the self-proclaimed “World’s Largest Talking Cow” – a 16-foot-tall, 20-foot-long fiberglass Holstein originally built as Wisconsin’s entrant for the 1964 New York World’s Fair; after the fair, Boscobel blacksmith Ivan Wilcox purchased both the cow and the adjacent Wisconsin Pavilion building to save them from demolition, but the pavilion was accidentally destroyed by a Madison overpass during transport home; Central Wisconsin Broadcasting subsequently purchased both remaining pieces and brought Chatty Belle to Neillsville in 1966, where a radio-contest-winning first grader from nearby Loyal named her (winning 100 pounds of butter as her prize); for a quarter, Chatty Belle’s coin-operated voice box (when working) tells visitors about her World’s Fair history; the surviving 1964 Wisconsin Pavilion building, with its distinctive retro-futuristic tower spelling “WISCONSIN,” now houses radio stations WCCN-AM/FM and WPKG-FM; the historic 1897 Clark County Jail (215 E. 5th St, Neillsville), a Romanesque structure designed by Gustave Stoltze and Hugo Schick, originally doubled as the county sheriff’s residence until 1974 and the jail itself until 1978, and is now a museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978
Notes: Chatty Belle’s genuine, well-documented 1964 World’s Fair origin and her rescue-and-relocation story are distinctive, verifiable, and genuinely charming local history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Clark County GIS – accessible via clarkcountywi.gov
Parcel Search: Clark County Surveyor / Land Info Office
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Clark County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Clark County Humane Society (CCHS) – W3926 State Hwy 73, Neillsville, WI 54456 (7.5 miles southeast of Neillsville) | (715) 743-4550 | Mailing: PO Box 127, Neillsville, WI 54456 | Hours: Mon 12–3 PM, Wed 12–3 PM, Fri–Sat 12–3 PM (closed Tue/Thu/Sun)
Services: A private nonprofit, self-described as the “Premier No-Kill Shelter in Central Wisconsin,” backed by a membership base of over 5,500 supporters; offers a low-cost spay/neuter program called “FixaPet,” humane education, and cat/dog adoption/assistance services; State of Wisconsin Department of Animal Health licensed (DATCP License #268235-DS); adoption applications reviewed by committee within 24-48 hours
Notes: Recently completed a facility expansion project adding a dedicated spay/neuter center per community reviews – confirm current programs directly.
Notes: Contact Clark County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Clark County’s Neillsville offers a genuinely delightful combination – Chatty Belle, the World’s Largest Talking Cow with real 1964 World’s Fair origins, alongside a historic Carnegie library with a remarkable direct family connection to Andrew Carnegie himself. The Clark County Humane Society, one of Wisconsin’s few true no-kill shelters, operates limited afternoon hours worth confirming before a 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 Clark County
Heritage | Neillsville anchors Clark County, its significant Amish farming population and traditional dairy heritage reflecting the region’s deep agricultural roots, while the city’s famous giant Chatty Belle statue, once billed as the “world’s largest talking cow,” remains a beloved roadside attraction celebrating the county’s dairy industry pride Outdoors | The Black River offers fishing and paddling through the county’s rural farmland, with hunting typical of west-central Wisconsin’s agricultural landscape providing additional recreation for this rural dairy-farming community Notable | Neillsville’s giant Chatty Belle cow statue remains one of the most distinctive and beloved roadside dairy-heritage attractions in Wisconsin, celebrating Clark County’s significant dairy industry Library | Neillsville Public Library serves the county’s dairy-heritage seat town and surrounding rural Amish and farming communities
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Wisconsin assessments at the municipal level. The Clark County Treasurer at 517 Court Street, Room 201, Neillsville, WI 54456, phone 715-743-5166, coordinates tax billing. Appeal to your local Board of Review. No WI estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Clark County Probate Court at 517 Court Street, Neillsville, WI 54456, phone 715-743-5143, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
517 Court St, Neillsville, WI 54456
(715) 743-5140
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clark County Register in Probate, Neillsville (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). The Clark County Jail (1897, Romanesque), the Neillsville Post Office (1937, Modern Movement), the William B. and Jennie Tufts House, and the Neillsville Downtown Historic District are all on the National Register of Historic Places.
Local societies
No dedicated Clark 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
Clark County Register in Probate 517 Court Street, Room 403, Neillsville, WI 54456 (715) 743-5172
Clark County was founded in 1854, named for George Rogers Clark, county seat Neillsville. 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 Clark 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
302 Court St, Neillsville, WI 54456
(715) 743-3157
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(715) 743-5140
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health & Human Services
Clark County Health and Human Services, 517 Court St, Neillsville, WI 54456
(715) 743-5233
Economic Support Office
Clark County Economic Support Office, 517 Court St, Neillsville, WI 54456
(715) 743-5233
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Clark County Health Department / WIC Program – W4266 County Hwy X, Owen, WI 54460 | (888) 298-5299
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Clark County Department of Social Services, 517 Court St, Neillsville, (715) 743-5233 or (866) 743-5233; Office on Aging, same address, (715) 743-5144.
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