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Milwaukee's northern suburban growth county — from West Bend's Kettle Moraine Brewing and Holy Hill's basilica on the Kettle Moraine ridge to Germantown's residential growth corridor, Hartford's Automobile Gallery, and a county that has absorbed Milwaukee's northern expansion while preserving significant Kettle Moraine State Forest terrain in one of Wisconsin's most glacially sculpted landscapes.
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Office: Washington County Emergency Management (Sheriff’s Dept., Room 3003) – West Bend, WI 53095 | (262) 335-4399 | Coordinator: Rob Schmid
Services: County hazard mitigation planning developed jointly with the Planning and Parks Department and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC); operates a mobile Emergency Operations Center (EOC) obtained via UASI grant funding, available to public safety agencies countywide.
Notes: Washington County Sheriff’s Office, (262) 335-4378, provides 911 dispatch for many county municipalities in addition to law enforcement.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-45 and WI-33 serve West Bend, the county seat, in southeastern Wisconsin near the Milwaukee metro area
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: City of West Bend Building Inspection – West Bend, WI 53095
Services: Building permits (Wisconsin Uniform Building Permit Application required for new residential homes), remodeling/miscellaneous permits (decks, HVAC, electrical, roofing, siding); other Washington County municipalities (e.g., Town of West Bend) issue their own local permits and report unpermitted construction to the county for enforcement.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Washington County Veterans Service Office – West Bend, WI 53095 | (262) 335-4457
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: West Bend Community Memorial Library – 230 S. 6th Avenue, West Bend, WI 53095 | (262) 335-5151 | Hours: Mon-Thu 9 AM-9 PM, Fri 9 AM-6 PM, Sat 9 AM-1 PM
Services: Founded in 1899 with 730 books, now over 60,000 square feet holding roughly 182,000 volumes and circulating over 570,000 items annually; interlibrary loan, reference services, and homebound delivery.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Washington County is home to Holy Hill – formally the Basilica and National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians – perched atop the highest point in southeastern Wisconsin within the Kettle Moraine, at roughly 1,330 feet elevation. Under the care of Discalced Carmelite Friars since 1906, the site draws several hundred thousand visitors and pilgrims annually; Pope Benedict XVI elevated it to Minor Basilica status in 2006, and its 178-step observation tower offers views of the Milwaukee skyline on clear days. The 1886 Washington County Courthouse and Jail in West Bend, now the Tower Heritage Center museum, is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Washington County Fair Grounds hosts the county fair, and the region offers access to the broader Kettle Moraine State Forest
Notes: Holy Hill’s status as a Minor Basilica atop the highest point in southeastern Wisconsin, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually, is a genuine and well-documented landmark for Washington County.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Washington County GIS – accessible via washcowisco.gov
Parcel Search: Washington County Assessor – West Bend, WI 53095
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Washington County Sheriff’s Office/Emergency Management
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Washington County Humane Society – 3650 State Road 60, Slinger, WI 53086 | (262) 677-4388 | Hours: Mon/Wed 8 AM-8 PM, Tue/Thu/Fri 8 AM-6 PM, Sat 8 AM-5 PM
Services: Founded in 1960, incorporated in 1968, this nonprofit shelter provides adoption, humane officer investigation of cruelty/neglect complaints, and a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for feral cats; also offers barn-cat placement through its Barn Buddies program.
Notes: Contact your specific municipality for refuse and recycling program details.
NOTES
Holy Hill’s status as a Minor Basilica atop the highest point in southeastern Wisconsin, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually, is a genuine and well-documented landmark for Washington County. 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 Washington County
Washington County sits at the Milwaukee metropolitan periphery in the most literal sense – it borders Milwaukee County’s suburbs to the south while its northern townships remain genuinely rural. West Bend, the county seat, has a well-preserved downtown along the Milwaukee River and a manufacturing history (Regal Ware, West Bend Company) that has diversified into a broader employer mix including healthcare, distribution, and professional services. The county’s communities – Germantown, Menomonee Falls (shared with Waukesha County), and the smaller villages along the Kettle Moraine – have grown steadily as Milwaukee-area residents sought lower housing costs and lower-density living.
The Kettle Moraine State Forest’s northern unit runs through the county’s center, providing glacier-carved lakes, hiking trails, and some of the best cross-country skiing in Wisconsin. The forest is a legitimate ecological and recreational asset that shapes land use planning and quality of life in the county’s interior. Washington County’s German heritage is visible in its architecture, community festivals, and the presence of one of Wisconsin’s oldest Catholic institutions – Holy Hill National Shrine – which draws pilgrims and visitors from across the upper Midwest. The county leans conservative politically and has consistently prioritized lower taxes and suburban character in its planning decisions.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Wisconsin assesses property at 100% of fair market value at the municipal level, with annual assessments by city, village, and township assessors. Property owners may appeal to the local Board of Review. The Homestead Credit provides income-based property tax relief. Wisconsin has an estate tax on estates above $5 million; no Wisconsin inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Washington County Probate Court at 432 E. Washington Street, West Bend, WI 53095, phone 262-335-4331, handles probate.
Senior Services
Washington County Aging and Disability Resource Center
333 East Washington Street, West Bend, WI 53095
Phone: (262) 335-4497
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, ADRC counseling, home modification, and long-term care options for Washington County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
432 E Washington St, West Bend, WI 53095
(262) 335-4380
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Washington County Register in Probate, West Bend (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Washington 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
Washington County Register in Probate 484 Rolfs Avenue, Room 3151, West Bend, WI 53095 (262) 335-4341
Washington County is in Southeast Wisconsin, county seat West Bend. 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, a position (along with the Clerk of Juvenile Court) appointed by the county’s judges within the Clerk of Courts Office. 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.
If you have no safety deposit box or other safe place to keep an original Power of Attorney for Health Care or Living Will, you may file it for safekeeping with the Register in Probate.
Step 2: filing for administration
File a Petition for Administration (Form PR-1801) with the Washington 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
350 W Court St, West Bend, WI 53095
(262) 335-4441
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(262) 335-4380
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Public Health Department
Washington County Public Health Department, 333 E Washington St, West Bend, WI 53095
(262) 335-4462
Health & Human Services
Washington County Health and Human Services, 333 E Washington St, West Bend, WI 53095
(262) 335-4400
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Washington County Health Department – West Bend, WI 53095
Hospital: Froedtert West Bend Hospital – 3200 Pleasant Valley Rd, West Bend, WI 53095; also Aurora Medical Center Washington County, serving the county.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: West Bend
Population: 138,000
Tier: 3
Public Records
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