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Wisconsin County
Waushara County, Wisconsin
Central Wisconsin lakes and potato country - from Waushara County's exceptional spring-fed lakes (the county's sandy glacial terrain produces hundreds of clear, spring-fed lakes with exceptional water quality - Waushara County lakes are prized by anglers, swimmers, and vacation homeowners for their clarity and cold temperatures fed by the Central Wisconsin aquifer system) to the county's potato farming heritage (Waushara County's sandy loam soils are ideal for potato cultivation, and the county has been one of Wisconsin's significant potato-producing counties, contributing to the Central Sands region's agricultural identity between the Wisconsin River and Lake Winnebago).
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Office: Waushara County Emergency Management and Communications – Waushara County Government Center, 380 S Townline Rd, Wautoma, WI 54982 | (920) 787-6590
Services: Coordinates disaster preparedness with the Sheriff’s Office; part of the broader Waushara County Government Center administration.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: WI-21, WI-22, and WI-73 serve Wautoma, the county seat, in central Wisconsin
Transit: No dedicated fixed-route county transit identified; confirm current regional options directly with the county.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Waushara County Building Code and Inspections – Waushara County Government Center, 380 S Townline Rd, Wautoma, WI 54982 | [email protected]
Services: Administers the Uniform Dwelling Code (UDC) for all remodeling, additions, new 1- or 2-family dwellings, pools, and altered electrical service, for all municipalities except the Town of Warren (new construction only), the Village of Wild Rose, and the City of Wautoma, which handle their own; online permit applications available.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
County VSO: Waushara County Veterans Office – Wautoma, WI 54982 | (920) 787-0446
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Wautoma Public Library (Winnefox Library System) – 410 W. Main Street, Wautoma, WI 54982 | Hours: Weekdays 9 AM-6 PM, Sat 9 AM-2 PM
Services: Over 25,000 books, audio, video, and periodical materials; offers home delivery service for residents unable to visit in person. Additional county libraries include those in Coloma, Hancock, Pine River, Plainfield, Poy Sippi, Redgranite, and Wild Rose.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Waushara County is genuinely home to the Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery, the largest fish hatchery in Wisconsin, producing roughly 27% of all trout and salmon stocked statewide, 64% of northern pike, and 100% of the state’s lake sturgeon, thanks to exceptional groundwater from the edge of glacial Lake Wisconsin. Operating for over a century, the hatchery’s Education Center offers guided tours, aquariums, and hands-on exhibits, and visitors can picnic in the historic hatchery village where fish still swim in the original raceways. The county’s Central Sands region is known for potato and vegetable farming supported by extensive groundwater irrigation, and the county maintains multiple parks, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, and numerous lakes and streams for fishing and outdoor recreation
Notes: The Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery is genuinely Wisconsin’s largest, supplying the majority of the state’s stocked trout, salmon, northern pike, and all of its lake sturgeon.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Waushara County GIS Maps – accessible via co.waushara.wi.us
Parcel Search: Waushara County Land Records – 380 S Townline Rd, Wautoma, WI 54982
Addressing/911: Coordinated through Waushara County Emergency Management and Communications
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Facility: Waushara County Animal Shelter – N1748 State Hwy. 22, Wautoma, WI 54982 | [email protected]
Services: A state-licensed (#513354) nonprofit shelter providing sheltering, adoption, spay/neuter, and education services for Waushara County dogs and cats.
Notes: Waushara County’s Land Conservation division actively monitors Central Sands groundwater nitrate levels and manages erosion control, stormwater, and nutrient management programs given the region’s intensive irrigated agriculture; contact your specific municipality for refuse and recycling program details.
NOTES
The Wild Rose State Fish Hatchery is genuinely Wisconsin’s largest, supplying the majority of the state’s stocked trout, salmon, northern pike, and all of its lake sturgeon. 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 Waushara County
Waushara County is central Wisconsin’s Central Sands spring lakes and potato farming county – the exceptional clarity of the county’s spring-fed lakes and the sandy soils ideal for potato production define a county whose agricultural and recreational identities are both shaped by the unique geology of Wisconsin’s Central Sands region.
Wautoma (the county seat, population ~2,200) is Waushara County’s governmental hub, a central Wisconsin community providing county services to the surrounding lakes and agricultural communities between Green Bay and Madison.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Waushara County Assessor at 209 S. Saint Marie Street, Wautoma, WI 54982, phone 920-787-0440. WI assessed at fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Waushara County Circuit Court at 209 S. Saint Marie Street, Wautoma, WI 54982, phone 920-787-0442, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
209 S St Marie St, Wautoma, WI 54982
(920) 787-0442
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Waushara County Register in Probate, Wautoma (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Waushara 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
Waushara County Register in Probate PO Box 508, Wautoma, WI 54982 (920) 787-0448
Waushara County is in Central Wisconsin, county seat Wautoma. 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 Waushara 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
239 S St Marie St, Wautoma, WI 54982
(920) 787-3321
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS
(920) 787-0442
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
Waushara County Health Department, 209 S St Marie St, Wautoma, WI 54982
(920) 787-6600
Human Services
Waushara County Human Services, 209 S St Marie St, Wautoma, WI 54982
(920) 787-6600
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Waushara County Public Health – 380 S Townline Rd, Wautoma, WI 54982 | (920) 787-6590
Hospital: Wild Rose Community Memorial Hospital (ThedaCare Medical Center-Wild Rose) – 601 Grove Ave, Wild Rose, WI 54984, (920) 622-3257, a critical access hospital established in 1941, affiliated with ThedaCare and offering emergency, diagnostic, rehabilitation, and outpatient surgical services.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Wautoma
Population: 24,500
Established: 1851
Tier: 3
Public Records
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