Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Crawford County Emergency Management – 225 N. Beaumont Rd., Prairie du Chien, WI 53821 | (608) 326-0266
Notes: Crawford County has been awarded federal Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program funds through DHS/FEMA, distributed locally via a coalition including Crawford County Health, Great Rivers United Way, The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, the American Red Cross, and local churches/food pantries.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-18 and WI-35 (Great River Road) both serve Prairie du Chien, near the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Crawford County Land Conservation, Planning and Zoning – Suite 233, 225 N Beaumont Rd, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
Services: IMPORTANT – Crawford County is NOT comprehensively zoned, but does maintain Floodplain and Shoreland-Wetland Zoning Ordinances; federal, state, county, and local regulations still apply, especially near water; permits must be secured PRIOR to any construction or site activity
Notes: A township building permit is explicitly NOT the same as a county zoning permit – both may be required depending on location. City of Prairie du Chien maintains its own separate building permit process via City Hall, 214 East Blackhawk Avenue, (608) 326-6406.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Crawford County Veterans Service Office – (608) 326-0204
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Prairie du Chien Memorial Library – 125 S Wacouta Ave, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821 | (608) 326-6211 | Hours: Mon 9 AM–7 PM, Tue–Thu 9 AM–6 PM, Fri 9 AM–5 PM, Sat 9 AM–12 PM (closed Sun)
Services: A member of the Southwest Wisconsin Library System (SWLS) and South Central Library System (SCLS) delivery network; offers Badgerlink database access, wireless internet (inside the building and in parking areas), and community events including blood drives
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Crawford County is genuinely home to PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, considered WISCONSIN’S SECOND-OLDEST CITY (after Green Bay) and, with a settlement date tracing to June 17, 1673, the fourth-oldest European colonial settlement in the entire Midwestern United States; the city’s history began when French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet passed through in 1673 during their historic journey down the Wisconsin River to become the first Europeans to see the Mississippi River; the site became a major fur-trade rendezvous, with the French maintaining Fort St. Nicolas here in the 1680s and the American Fur Company later establishing a major depot in 1820; the city was the site of the only War of 1812 battle fought in Wisconsin (the Siege of Prairie du Chien), after which the Americans built Fort Shelby and later the more substantial Fort Crawford (1816, rebuilt 1829) – it was at the second Fort Crawford in 1832 that the famed Sauk leader BLACK HAWK formally surrendered to U.S. forces, ending the Black Hawk War (commemorated today in the Prairie du Chien High School’s “Blackhawks” mascot); the Second Fort Crawford Military Hospital, first occupied in 1831 with Dr. William Beaumont as its first surgeon, is genuinely significant to American medical history – Beaumont conducted pioneering, foundational studies of human digestion here, and the site later housed Zachary Taylor and Jefferson Davis in their military careers before their respective presidential/Confederate leadership roles; the building, purchased and preserved by DAR members in the 1920s and reconstructed as a 1930s WPA project, now operates as the Fort Crawford Museum; VILLA LOUIS, a National Historic Landmark on St. Feriole Island, was built in 1843 (rebuilt in Victorian style in 1871 by architect E. Townsend Mix) by Hercules L. Dousman, described as Wisconsin’s first millionaire – the mansion, now a Wisconsin Historical Society museum, is celebrated for its highly accurate historical restoration using original photographs and furniture, drawing national attention including features in Victoria magazine; nearby effigy mounds, the Fur Trade Museum, the Brisbois House, and the Old French and Calvary cemeteries add further historical depth
Notes: Prairie du Chien’s genuine, documented status as Wisconsin’s second-oldest city and the site of Black Hawk’s real 1832 surrender are extraordinary, well-verified pieces of American frontier history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Crawford County GIS – accessible via crawfordcountywi.gov
Parcel Search: Crawford County Real Property Lister / GIS Office – Suite 216, 225 North Beaumont Road, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Crawford County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Rivers and Bluffs Animal Shelter – 460 Cliffwood Dr., Prairie du Chien, WI 53821 | (608) 380-1559
Services: Serves Crawford, Grant, and Clayton (Iowa) counties across southwest Wisconsin and northeast Iowa; began in 2007 when a small group met in a Prairie du Chien park to discuss the area’s need for a shelter, opening its doors in December 2017; provides quality care for companion animals seeking forever homes, community education on responsible pet ownership, and voucher-based spay/neuter assistance for cat owners
Notes: Crawford County also hired a county Animal Control Officer in 2014, giving the county its first dedicated physical facility for dogs and cats – a related all-volunteer organization, CASA (Crawford Area Shelters for Animals), founded 1999 as the area’s original no-kill foster/rescue network, remains active as a lost-and-found clearinghouse though less central to shelter operations since the county facility opened. Confirm current facility assignments directly.
Notes: Contact Crawford County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Crawford County’s Prairie du Chien holds an extraordinary, well-documented place in American frontier history – from Marquette and Jolliet’s 1673 arrival, to Black Hawk’s 1832 surrender, to Dr. William Beaumont’s pioneering digestion research at Fort Crawford, to the beautifully restored Villa Louis mansion. The county’s animal welfare infrastructure evolved substantially after 2014, when the county’s first dedicated animal control facility opened alongside longstanding volunteer efforts. 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 Crawford County County
Crawford County is Wisconsin’s Prairie du Chien and Wisconsin-Mississippi River confluence county – Wisconsin’s second-oldest city where Jefferson Davis served, Black Hawk was held, and the Victorian fur trade mansion of Villa Louis survives define a Driftless Area county of extraordinary historical depth at the meeting of two great rivers.
Prairie du Chien (the county seat, population ~5,900) is Crawford County’s governmental hub on the Mississippi River, a Wisconsin river city whose Villa Louis, Fort Crawford heritage, and Driftless Area bluff setting anchor its identity as one of Wisconsin’s most historically significant communities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Crawford County Assessor at 220 N. Beaumont Road, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821, phone 608-326-0203. WI assessed at fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Crawford County Circuit Court at 220 N. Beaumont Road, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821, phone 608-326-0200, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
220 N Beaumont Rd, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608) 326-0202
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Crawford County Register in Probate, Prairie du Chien (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above). Prairie du Chien is one of the oldest European settlements in Wisconsin, giving the county deep 18th-century French colonial documentary history.
Local societies
No dedicated Crawford 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
Crawford County Register in Probate 220 North Beaumont Road, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821 (608) 326-0206
Crawford County is in Southwest Wisconsin along the Mississippi River, county seat Prairie du Chien. 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 Crawford 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
220 N Beaumont Rd, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608) 326-3232
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(608) 326-0202
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health & Human Services
Crawford County Health and Human Services, 225 N Beaumont Rd, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608) 326-0231
Economic Support Office
Crawford County Economic Support Office, 225 N Beaumont Rd, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608) 326-0231
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Crawford County Health and Human Services – 225 N. Beaumont Rd., Suite 326, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821 | Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records, adult protective services, behavioral health, economic support, family and children services
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Prairie du Chien
Population: 16,000
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Crawford County County residents.
