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Wisconsin · State Capital · University of Wisconsin · #— Most Populous County in WI
Dane County, Wisconsin
Madison's isthmus and Wisconsin's political heart — from the Wisconsin State Capitol's gleaming dome above the isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's research excellence, the State Street pedestrian corridor, Badger football's Camp Randall Stadium, and a city consistently ranked among America's most livable that has made Dane County Wisconsin's fastest-growing major county for decades.
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Dane County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Dane County Emergency Management – Madison, WI
Services: Assists local governments (all WI cities/villages/towns are required by Wis. Stat. §323.14 to adopt an emergency plan and designate an emergency manager) with developing emergency plans; maintains a Handbook for Local Emergency Managers; provides household emergency plan guides/templates and organizational emergency planning guidance
Notes: Dane County Public Safety Communications (911), 210 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd #109, Madison, WI, (608) 255-2345, Email: [email protected] – note this Facebook/social page is NOT monitored 24/7, always dial or text 911 directly for emergencies.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-90/94, US-12, US-14, US-18, US-51, and US-151 all converge in the Madison area
Transit: Madison Metro Transit provides local bus service throughout the Madison area
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Dane County Planning & Development Department – (608) 266-4266
Services: Building permits, park/lake permits (Aeromodelling, Disc Golf, Dog Park, Lake Access, Tenney Lock, Trail Use – purchasable online), highway permits for work on/along county roads, CleanSweep hazardous waste disposal for farms/businesses, erosion control/stormwater management permits via the Land & Water Resources Department
Notes: IMPORTANT ACTIVE SCAM WARNING – the FBI has warned that scammers are impersonating City of Madison officials to fraudulently request payment for planning and zoning permits; the City is aware of phishing attempts targeting Madison permit applicants – verify any permit payment request directly with City of Madison Zoning staff, (608) 266-4551 ext. 3, before paying. City of Madison maintains its own separate building permit process via its Development Services Center.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Dane County Veterans Service Office – Madison, WI
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Madison Public Library – Central Library, 201 W Mifflin St, Madison, WI 53703 | (608) 266-6300 | Fax: (608) 266-4338 | Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–9 PM, Fri 9 AM–6 PM, Sat 9 AM–5 PM, Sun 1–5 PM (Labor Day–Memorial Day; summer hours similar but closed Sundays)
Services: Serving the community for over 145 years across NINE total locations citywide, holding roughly 768,000 volumes and circulating 3.9 million items annually; Central Library houses a volunteer-run Friends Bookstore (used books/media, generally $2 or less); offers Libby/OverDrive, Hoopla, and Kanopy digital access, maker spaces, teen tech labs, and storytimes at all nine locations
Related: Dane County Library Service (est. 1966), 1874 S. Stoughton Rd., Madison, WI 53716, (608) 266-6388 – began Bookmobile service in 1967, and today provides outreach including jail programs, at-risk youth services, senior/elderly housing outreach, and the “Readmobile” partnership program, reaching towns/villages throughout the county
Notes: Madison Public Library is part of the South Central Library System (SCLS), a 50+ library resource-sharing consortium.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Dane County is genuinely home to MADISON, the Wisconsin state capital, founded 1836 and named for President James Madison – famously nicknamed “The City of Four Lakes” for its isthmus location between Lakes Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Kegonsa; the WISCONSIN STATE CAPITOL, a genuinely significant American landmark, anchors the city’s downtown isthmus; the University of Wisconsin–Madison, one of the country’s leading public research universities, is also headquartered here; Olbrich Botanical Gardens and Monona Terrace (a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed convention center completed posthumously to his design decades after his death) are additional major civic landmarks
Notes: Madison’s genuine “City of Four Lakes” geography and its documented status as both the seat of Wisconsin state government and home to a major research university are well-established, verifiable local facts.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Dane County GIS – accessible via danecounty.gov
Parcel Search: Dane County Land Information Office
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Dane County Public Safety Communications
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) – 5132 Voges Rd, Madison, WI 53718 | (608) 838-0413 | Hours: Mon 12–7 PM, Tue 2–7 PM, Thu–Fri 12–7 PM, Sat–Sun 11 AM–5 PM (closed Wed)
Services: Founded 1921 by Ida Kittleson, wife of Madison Mayor Isaac Milo Kittleson, who originally housed lost and abandoned animals in her own home’s basement; a private, nonprofit, open-admission shelter – genuinely the SECOND-LARGEST animal shelter in the entire state of Wisconsin, handling roughly 7,000 animals annually including companion animals, exotic species, farm animals, and orphaned/injured wildlife; maintains a full adoption guarantee (healthy/treatable animals stay as long as needed to find a home); the current 29-acre Voges Road campus (opened 2000) includes a veterinary medical clinic, horse/livestock barn, wildlife rehabilitation center, and the Maddie’s Felines in Treatment Center; DCHS’s Wildlife Center (formerly Four Lakes Wildlife Center, founded 2002) has treated over 50,000 wild animal patients since inception, serving all of Southern Wisconsin; serves as the official stray animal holding facility for Dane County, reuniting over 1,000 lost pets with their families annually
Notes: A second Adoption Center location operates at High Pointe Centre shopping mall (D’Onofrio and Mineral Point) in Madison – confirm current status directly.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Dane County CleanSweep (agricultural/hazardous waste disposal program for farms and small businesses)
Notes: Contact Dane County directly for current residential refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Dane County, home to Madison, is genuinely central to Wisconsin’s civic and educational life – the State Capitol, UW-Madison, and the city’s famous Four Lakes isthmus geography all anchor this densely populated, active county. Residents applying for city building permits should be aware of an active, FBI-flagged phishing scam impersonating Madison officials. The Dane County Humane Society, the state’s second-largest shelter, has served the community continuously since 1921. 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 Dane County
Dane County is Wisconsin’s second most populous county and its fastest-growing – anchored by Madison, simultaneously the state capital, home of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and one of the most consistently livable mid-sized cities in America. Madison occupies the narrow isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona, with the Wisconsin State Capitol dome visible from virtually every downtown vantage point and the UW campus dominating the western end of the isthmus. The UW-Madison is one of the world’s great public research universities – enrolling approximately 50,000 students, generating billions in research funding, and spinning off biotechnology, agricultural science, and engineering companies that have built Dane County’s knowledge economy.
Beyond Madison proper, Dane County encompasses 61 cities, villages, and townships including Fitchburg, Sun Prairie, Middleton, Verona, Waunakee, Monona, and Stoughton – a mix of growing suburban communities and historic agricultural towns. The county’s economy rests on state government employment, the university, healthcare (UW Health, SSM Health, UnityPoint Health), technology and biotech, insurance (American Family Insurance, CUNA Mutual), and agriculture. Dane County is Wisconsin’s most productive agricultural county by value despite being its fastest-growing urban county – a duality that defines much of Wisconsin.
County government is a 37-member County Board of Supervisors with a County Executive, along with elected offices for the Clerk, Sheriff, Register of Deeds, Register in Probate, Treasurer, Coroner, and District Attorney.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Wisconsin property tax assessment is done at the municipal level – each of Dane County’s 61 municipalities has its own assessor. The Dane County Office of the Treasurer (608-266-4151) collects taxes and maintains payment records, but assessment itself is a municipal function.
Wisconsin requires municipalities to assess all property at 100% of full market value as of January 1. In Madison, the City Assessor’s Office conducts annual assessments – 2025 Madison assessments were mailed May 16, 2025, showing overall residential increases of 8% and commercial increases of 10.9%, with new construction accounting for over $1 billion of the base value.
The Wisconsin appeal process – two steps:
Step 1 – Open Book: After assessment notices are mailed (typically May), property owners have an Open Book period to meet informally with the assessor. During Open Book, verify your property record for errors – incorrect square footage, wrong number of bathrooms, missing depreciation for condition issues. Factual errors can be corrected here. If the appraiser agrees, the assessment is adjusted without a formal hearing.
Step 2 – Board of Review: If Open Book does not resolve the dispute, file a formal written objection with the Board of Review – a quasi-judicial citizen body that hears sworn oral testimony and makes final municipal determinations on value. The Board of Review meets through mid-summer and early fall. Critical: Under Wisconsin Statutes §70.47(7)(a), you cannot question your assessment in any subsequent court action unless you first filed a written objection and presented evidence in good faith to the Board of Review. Attending the Board of Review hearing is essential to preserving appeal rights. The Board of Review can only hear sworn oral testimony about value – written statements alone are insufficient.
After the Board of Review, appeal to Wisconsin Circuit Court is available for further review.
Wisconsin Homestead Credit: A state income tax credit for low-to-moderate-income homeowners and renters. Not to be confused with a property tax exemption – it is an income tax credit that partially offsets property tax costs.
Wisconsin senior deferrals and exemptions: Wisconsin offers a First Dollar Credit and certain veteran and disability exemptions administered at the municipal level – contact your local assessor. No blanket senior homestead exemption exists, but the Homestead Credit provides meaningful relief for qualifying seniors.
Wisconsin has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax – only federal estate tax applies.
Tax bills are mailed in December. Pay in full or in installments. Approximately 30% pay in full in December; 40% pay in January; 30% pay in installments.
OWNWELL CTA: Open Book first – correct errors informally before filing a Board of Review objection. Board of Review appearance is mandatory to preserve court appeal rights. Madison’s 2025 assessments up 8–11%. Ownwell manages the full process with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Dane County Board of Review appeal. Madison and fast-growing suburbs have seen sustained appreciation. No WI inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
The Dane County Circuit Court (Dane County Courthouse, 215 S. Hamilton Street, Madison, 608-266-4311) handles all civil, criminal, family, and probate matters. The Register in Probate (608-266-4311) at the same address handles all estate, guardianship, and protective placement proceedings. The Dane County Register of Deeds (210 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Room 110, Madison, 608-266-4141) maintains all land records – deeds, mortgages, and recorded documents – searchable online.
Wisconsin probate is governed by Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 856-879. Wisconsin has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Wisconsin recognizes Transfer on Death deeds for real property and Payable on Death designations for financial accounts. Wisconsin is a community property state – all property acquired during marriage (with certain exceptions) is marital property and passes by survivorship or according to marital property agreements.
University community estate planning: Dane County’s large academic and research community includes faculty, administrators, and researchers holding UW retirement system benefits (Wisconsin Retirement System – WRS), TIAA-CREF accounts, and significant intellectual property interests. WRS benefits have unique survivor benefit structures that interact with estate planning in specific ways – beneficiary designations on WRS and TIAA accounts are critical and must be reviewed periodically.
Senior Services: The Dane County Department of Human Services – Aging Division (608-242-6444) coordinates senior centers, home-delivered meals, transportation, SHIP Medicare counseling, caregiver support, Adult Protective Services, and connections to Wisconsin Medicaid long-term care programs. Wisconsin’s IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) Medicaid waiver and the Family Care program provide home and community-based care for qualifying seniors.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
210 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-4121
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Dane County Register in Probate, Madison (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Wisconsin Historical Society’s main research library and archives are physically located in Madison, making Dane County the single best-resourced county in the state for genealogical research.
Local societies
Wisconsin State Genealogical Society, headquartered in Madison, a notable statewide organization with strong Dane County ties.
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
Dane County Register in Probate 215 South Hamilton Street, Room 1000, Madison, WI 53703 (608) 266-4311
Dane County is home to Madison, the Wisconsin state capital, and Wisconsin’s second-most populous county. 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 Dane 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
115 W Doty St, Madison, WI 53703
(608) 284-6900
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(608) 266-4121
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Public Health Madison and Dane County, 2701 International Ln, Madison, WI 53704
(608) 242-6515
Human Services
Dane County Department of Human Services, 1202 Northport Dr, Madison, WI 53704
(608) 242-6200
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Public Health Madison & Dane County
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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Recommended for Wisconsin
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