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County · code 55001

Adams CountyWisconsin

Adams County is a county in Wisconsin with its seat at Friendship. The county was created by Wisconsin Territory on March 11, 1848, from Portage and Sauk Counties.

  • Founded1848
  • County seatFriendship
  • Named forJohn Quincy Adams
  • Land area646 sq mi + 42 sq mi water
  • Population20,654 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped38,489 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Adams County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

JuneauMarquetteWausharaWoodSaukColumbia Friendship Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Adams on the map of Wisconsin

Wisconsin has 72 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Ashland CountyBarron CountyBayfield CountyBrown CountyBuffalo CountyBurnett CountyCalumet CountyChippewa CountyClark CountyColumbia CountyCrawford CountyDane CountyDodge CountyDoor CountyDouglas CountyDunn CountyEau Claire CountyFlorence CountyFond du Lac CountyForest CountyGrant CountyGreen CountyGreen Lake CountyIowa CountyIron CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyJuneau CountyKenosha CountyKewaunee CountyLa Crosse CountyLafayette CountyLanglade CountyLincoln CountyManitowoc CountyMarathon CountyMarinette CountyMarquette CountyMenominee CountyMilwaukee CountyMonroe CountyOconto CountyOneida CountyOutagamie CountyOzaukee CountyPepin CountyPierce CountyPolk CountyPortage CountyPrice CountyRacine CountyRichland CountyRock CountyRusk CountySt. Croix CountySauk CountySawyer CountyShawano CountySheboygan CountyTaylor CountyTrempealeau CountyVernon CountyVilas CountyWalworth CountyWashburn CountyWashington CountyWaukesha CountyWaupaca CountyWaushara CountyWinnebago CountyWood CountyAdams County Adams
Counties of Wisconsin · Adams highlighted

History

Formed in 1848 from Portage County and Sauk County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Adams County was named after John Quincy Adams and was initially created but not fully organized, being attached to Sauk for all purposes. The county became fully organized and detached from Sauk on April 5, 1853, and later lost land to the creation of Juneau County in 1857.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

  1. 1848
    Adams County created Adams created by Wisconsin Territory from Portage; Adams not fully organized, attached to Sauk "for all purposes."
    from Portagefrom Sauk
    · Wis. Terr. Laws 1848, pp. 168-169
  2. 1848
    Became part of Wisconsin Adams became a county in the state of Wisconsin. · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 89 [1846]/pp. 56-58, and ch. 50 [1848]/pp. 233-235; Van Zandt, 128, 130
  3. 1849
    Gained territory Adams gained from Portage, lost to Sauk, and lost to creation of Non-County Area 10.
    from Portagefrom Sauk
    · Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 77, secs. 1-6/pp. 47-48
  4. 1850
    Gained territory Adams gained part of Non-County Area 10; Non-County Area 10 eliminated. · Wis. Rev. Stat. 1849, ch. 2, secs. 2, 24, 26/pp. 51, 56-57 and ch. 157, sec. 1/p. 747
  5. 1853
    Gained territory Adams gained from Sauk.
    from Sauk
    · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 29, sec. 1/p. 26
  6. 1853
    Changed Adams fully organized, detached from Sauk.
    Sauk
    · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 30, secs. 1, 6/pp. 26-28
  7. 1857
    Lost territory Adams lost to creation of Juneau.
    to Juneau
    · HRS Wis., Origin, 100; Wis. Laws 1855, gen., ch. 28, secs. 1-4/pp. 28-29; Wis. Laws 1856, ext. sess., gen., ch. 130, secs. 1-3, 7/pp. 233-234

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Adams

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Adams by the Census

Population
20,654 2020 Census count
Housing units
16,692 2020 Census count
Land area
646 square miles
Water area
42 square miles
People per sq mi
32 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Who to ask before you build, dig or sell

Official county pages only. We link to them; we do not copy them, because they change.

Inside a city or town, permits usually come from that city rather than the county.

Permits

Zoning and code

GIS and maps

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Adams County on Parcel Chart's free map and click your parcel. Save it with a free account; the full record of your place (site map, projects, documents) is Pro, in early access.

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Questions

Common questions about Adams County

When was Adams County founded?
Adams County was founded in 1848, formed from Portage County and Sauk County, and named after John Quincy Adams.
What is the county seat of Adams County?
The county seat of Adams County is Friendship.
Is there an online parcel map for Adams County?
Yes. Wisconsin DOA, Wisconsin Land Information Program, with the State Cartographer's Office (V12 Statewide Parcels) publishes a parcel map of 38,489 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Adams County's boundary or name changed?
Adams County was created in 1848 from Portage County and Sauk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Sauk County, Juneau County and Portage County.
Who issues building permits in Adams County?
The county's page on building permits: Building Permit Information and Applications. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Adams County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door