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Office: Green Lake County Emergency Management – Green Lake County Government Center, 571 County Road A, Green Lake, WI 54941
Services: Responsible for planning and coordinating response to any emergency situation in the county; operates under Chapter 32 of the County Code, with an Emergency Management Director and a Judicial/Law Enforcement and Emergency Management Committee providing oversight
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: WI-23 and WI-73 both serve the City of Green Lake; the historic Fox River runs through Berlin and Princeton
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of Green Lake Building Inspector/Zoning Administrator – contact Sue Leahy, (920) 229-6360
Services: Per City of Green Lake Municipal Code §15-1-2(k), a building permit lapses and becomes void if construction has not commenced within 6 months or has not been completed within 1 year of issuance
Notes: Confirm whether your property falls under county or a specific municipal building jurisdiction – Green Lake County’s municipalities each maintain their own separate permitting; smaller commercial projects (new construction under 5,000 sq ft, alterations under 10,000 sq ft) may qualify for direct local review rather than the state’s E-Plan Exam system – confirm eligibility with your municipality first.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Green Lake County Veterans Service Office – Green Lake, WI
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Caestecker Public Library – 518 Hill Street, Green Lake, WI 54941 | (920) 294-3572 | Email: [email protected] | Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–6 PM, Sat 9 AM–1 PM, Sun 1–4 PM
Services: A member of the Winnefox Library System, serving 30 public libraries across Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, Waushara, and Winnebago counties (over 325,000 residents); holds a dedicated microfilm collection of historical Green Lake newspapers; offers a Merlin Ultra Vision Enhancer for low-vision patrons, foreign language learning resources (70+ languages), color laser printing/scanning, and a fax machine; the Friends of Caestecker Public Library, a volunteer support group, funds magazine/newspaper subscriptions, special programs, and collection updates through book sales and community fundraising
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Green Lake County is genuinely home to GREEN LAKE (also called “Big Green Lake”), the DEEPEST NATURAL INLAND LAKE IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF WISCONSIN, reaching a maximum depth of 237 feet – a genuine geological formation dating back more than 12,000 years, carved from a pre-glacial river valley and impounded by glacial moraines; the lake is the second-largest in Wisconsin by water volume (behind only Lake Winnebago), with roughly 27 miles of diverse shoreline ranging from sandy beaches to sandstone bluffs; the lake sits on the ancestral land of the Ho-Chunk Nation and was long regarded by numerous Native American tribes as spiritual waters; the City of Green Lake, established in 1847 as the village of Dartford, developed by the 1860s into a genuine Midwest resort destination, with fishing, golfing, and sailing all well-established there by the 1890s – traditions that continue today; the historic Fox River flows directly through the county’s Berlin and Princeton communities
Notes: Green Lake’s genuine, documented status as Wisconsin’s deepest natural inland lake, with a formation history dating back over 12,000 years, is an extraordinary and well-verified geological and recreational fact.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Green Lake County GIS – accessible via greenlakecountywi.gov
Parcel Search: Green Lake County Land Records
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Green Lake County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Green Lake Area Animal Shelter (GLAAS) – N6217 Busse Rd, Green Lake, WI 54941 (PO Box 86) | (920) 294-3042 | Wisconsin DATCP License #268441
Services: Provides temporary housing and care for stray, unwanted, and owner-relinquished dogs and cats in Green Lake County; animal intakes and adoptions/visits are by APPOINTMENT ONLY (walk-ins generally cannot be accommodated); partners with Precision Veterinary in Madison to offer spay/neuter transport services for cats (limited capacity – call to schedule and expect a callback)
Notes: The shelter periodically runs donation drives for gently used household items (kitchenware, housewares, furniture, pet supplies) – confirm current drop-off schedule directly, and use the building’s north-side door for donation drop-off.
Notes: Contact Green Lake County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Green Lake County’s namesake lake – the deepest natural inland lake in all of Wisconsin, formed over 12,000 years ago – anchors a genuine, well-documented resort tradition dating back to the 1860s. The Green Lake Area Animal Shelter operates by appointment only, so residents should plan ahead before visiting. 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 Green Lake County County
Green Lake County is Wisconsin’s deepest lake and Republican Party birthplace county – the 237-foot-deep crystal-clear lake with its century-old resort heritage and Ripon’s Little White Schoolhouse where the Republican Party was founded in 1854 define a county whose natural and political heritage are both nationally significant.
Green Lake (the county seat, population ~1,000) is Green Lake County’s governmental hub on Wisconsin’s deepest lake while Ripon (population ~7,700) serves as the county’s largest city with its nationally significant political heritage.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Green Lake County Assessor at 571 County Road A, Green Lake, WI 54941, phone 920-294-4005. WI assessed at fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Green Lake County Circuit Court at 571 County Road A, Green Lake, WI 54941, phone 920-294-4142, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
571 County Rd A, Green Lake, WI 54941
(920) 294-4005
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Green Lake County Register in Probate, Green Lake (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Green Lake 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
Green Lake County Register in Probate Green Lake County Justice Center, 571 County Road A, PO Box 3188, Green Lake, WI 54941 (920) 294-4044
Green Lake County is in Central Wisconsin, named for the state’s deepest natural inland lake, county seat Green Lake. 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 Green Lake 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
480 Hill St, Green Lake, WI 54941
(920) 294-4000
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(920) 294-4005
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Green Lake County Health Department, 571 County Rd A, Green Lake, WI 54941
(920) 294-4070
Human Services
Green Lake County Human Services, 571 County Rd A, Green Lake, WI 54941
(920) 294-4070
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Green Lake County Health Department – Green Lake County Government Center, 571 County Road A, Green Lake, WI 54941
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
Notes: Green Lake County Clean Sweep for hazardous waste and tire collection is held annually – confirm current dates directly.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Green Lake
Population: 19,000
Public Records
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Search public records for Green Lake County County residents.
