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Wisconsin · Milwaukee North Shore · #609 Most Populous County in the US
Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
Milwaukee's most affluent North Shore county - from Port Washington's historic lighthouse harbor and commercial fishing heritage to Cedarburg's remarkably preserved 19th-century limestone downtown, Mequon's upscale estates and vineyards, and Grafton's suburban character along the Milwaukee River. Property tax, courts, public records, and senior services for Ozaukee County residents.
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.
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Ozaukee 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: Ozaukee County Division of Emergency Management – Ozaukee County Justice Center, 1201 S. Spring St., PO Box 994, Port Washington, WI 53074 | (262) 284-8397
Services: Responsible for the county’s Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and coordinates the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during large-scale incidents, bringing together public and private sector representatives for decision-making and resource coordination
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-43 runs along Lake Michigan through Ozaukee County; the 30-mile Ozaukee Interurban Trail, a converted railroad right-of-way, serves walkers, joggers, and cyclists
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Ozaukee County Land and Water Management Department – PO Box 994, Port Washington, WI 53074 | Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM
Notes: Confirm whether your property falls under county or a specific municipal jurisdiction – Cedarburg, Grafton, Mequon, Port Washington, and other Ozaukee County municipalities each maintain their own separate building permit processes.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Ozaukee County Veterans Service Office – Port Washington, WI
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: W.J. Niederkorn Library – 316 W. Grand Avenue, Port Washington, WI 53074 | (262) 284-5031 | Director: Tom Carson | Hours: Mon–Thu 9 AM–8 PM, Fri 9 AM–6 PM, Sat 9 AM–1 PM
Services: A member of the Monarch Library System (formed in 2017 through the merger of the Eastern Shores Library System, founded 1987, with the Mid-Wisconsin Library System, now serving Dodge, Ozaukee, Sheboygan, and Washington Counties); participates in the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium for digital content; offers robust children’s programming, adult book clubs, an Adventure Pass Collection, and new study rooms
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Ozaukee County, the second-smallest county in Wisconsin by area, is genuinely a treasure trove of well-preserved 19th-century mill-town heritage – CEDARBURG, one of the county’s signature communities, began as a genuine 1840s German immigrant mill town along Cedar Creek, where hydropowered gristmills and woolen mills (including the 1855 Cedarburg Mill and the 1853 Concordia Grist Mill) sprang up; downtown Cedarburg’s Washington Avenue Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the CEDARBURG COVERED BRIDGE (built 1876, originally 120 feet long), preserved today in Covered Bridge Park, is genuinely the LAST HISTORIC 19TH-CENTURY COVERED BRIDGE STILL STANDING IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF WISCONSIN, commemorated with a 1955 plaque placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution; the Hamilton Historic District, also within the Town of Cedarburg, preserves the 1867 Turn Halle and additional mill-era buildings; today, Cedar Creek Settlement – a collection of over 20 shops and galleries housed in a restored 19th-century woolen mill – draws visitors from across the region; Port Washington, the county seat, was settled in 1835 and developed a genuine commercial harbor at the mouth of Sauk Creek, dredged in the 1870s and operating as a working commercial port until the early 2000s; the 1901-02 Old Ozaukee County Courthouse, built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style from gray-blue limestone quarried near Cedarburg, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and now serves as the county’s administration center
Notes: Cedarburg’s genuine, well-documented status as home to Wisconsin’s last surviving 19th-century covered bridge, alongside its real mill-town heritage still visible in its historic downtown, are distinctive and verifiable pieces of local history.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Ozaukee County GIS – accessible via ozaukeecounty.gov
Parcel Search: Ozaukee County Land Information Office
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Ozaukee County Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Wisconsin Humane Society – Ozaukee Campus – 630 W Dekora St, Saukville, WI | (262) 377-7580
Services: One of six Wisconsin Humane Society campuses statewide (alongside Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Door, and Brown Counties); provides adoption services, stray/lost animal holding and law enforcement holding services for Ozaukee County municipalities, surrendered-animal intake support, affordable vaccines/microchips/spay-neuter, pet food pantry access, and dog training classes
Notes: WHS does not receive general government funding and operates independently – it is not affiliated with any national umbrella animal welfare organization.
Notes: Contact Ozaukee County directly for current refuse collection and recycling program details.
NOTES
Ozaukee County’s Cedarburg preserves genuine, well-documented 19th-century mill-town heritage, including Wisconsin’s last surviving historic covered bridge and a restored woolen mill now serving as a beloved shopping destination. 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 Ozaukee County
Ozaukee County is one of Wisconsin’s wealthiest counties and the 609th most populous in the United States, covering 233 square miles of Lake Michigan’s western shore north of Milwaukee.
Port Washington (the county seat, population ~12,000) is a Lake Michigan fishing harbor city with an extraordinary lighthouse – the 1860 Lighthouse and the adjacent 1935 Art Deco Lighthouse together mark one of the most distinctive harbor entries on the Great Lakes. Port Washington’s commercial fishing fleet has operated on Lake Michigan since the mid-19th century, and the city’s Fish Day summer festival celebrates this heritage.
Cedarburg (population ~12,000) is one of Wisconsin’s most beautifully preserved small cities – an entire district of 19th-century limestone commercial and residential buildings that earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places. The Cedar Creek Winery (operating in a restored 1864 woolen mill) and the annual Wine and Harvest Festival make Cedarburg a regional tourism destination.
Mequon (population ~24,000) is Ozaukee County’s largest and most affluent community – an upscale residential city of estate lots, golf courses, and professional-class homes that has developed as Milwaukee’s premier North Shore address. Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon provides an academic anchor.
Grafton (population ~12,000) anchors the county’s inland commercial and residential tier – a working-class community on the Milwaukee River that contrasts with Mequon’s estate character.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Wisconsin municipalities assess at full value (100%). Appeal to your local municipality’s Board of Review between the first Monday in May and adjournment. If dissatisfied, appeal to the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission or Circuit Court. No WI estate or inheritance tax.
OWNWELL CTA: Ozaukee County municipality Board of Review: first Monday in May. Mequon and Cedarburg among Wisconsin’s highest residential values. No WI estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Ozaukee County municipality Board of Review: first Monday in May. Mequon and Cedarburg among Wisconsin's highest residential values. No WI estate or inheritance tax. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Circuit Court (Probate): The Ozaukee County Circuit Court at 1201 S. Spring Street, Port Washington, WI 53074, phone 262-284-8280, handles probate, estate administration, guardianships, and all civil and criminal matters.
Register of Deeds: The Ozaukee County Register of Deeds at 121 W. Main Street, Port Washington, phone 262-284-8270, maintains real property records. Land records searchable online.
Senior Services
The Ozaukee County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) at 121 W. Main Street, Port Washington, WI 53074, phone 262-238-8120, serves the county’s senior population. Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital (Ascension) provides significant geriatric care.
Recommended
Assisted living, memory care, and independent living across Ozaukee County - from Port Washington and Cedarburg to Mequon, Grafton, and the Lake Michigan North Shore communities.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
121 W Main St, Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-8110
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Ozaukee County Register in Probate, Port Washington (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Ozaukee 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
Ozaukee County Register in Probate 1201 South Spring Street, Port Washington, WI 53074
Ozaukee County was founded in 1853, along Lake Michigan in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, county seat Port Washington, largest city Mequon. 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 Ozaukee 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’s probate filing fee statewide is generally 0.2% of inventory value, minimum $20.
What it costs
Filing fee: approximately 0.2% of the estate’s inventory value, minimum $20.
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.
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
1201 S Spring St, Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-8300
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(262) 284-8110
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health Department
Ozaukee County Public Health Department, 121 W Main St, Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-8200
Human Services
Ozaukee County Human Services, 121 W Main St, Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-8200
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Ozaukee County Health Department – Port Washington, WI
Services: Immunizations, WIC, environmental health, vital records
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