When was Bayfield County founded?

Bayfield County was founded in 1845, formed from St. Croix County and Crawford County, and named after Henry Wolsey Bayfield.

What is the county seat of Bayfield County?

The county seat of Bayfield County is Washburn.

Is there an online parcel map for Bayfield County?

Yes. Bayfield County publishes a parcel map of 35,515 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Bayfield County's boundary or name changed?

Bayfield County was created in 1845 from St. Croix County and Crawford County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Ashland County, St. Croix County and Douglas County.

Who issues building permits in Bayfield County?

The county's page on building permits: Issued Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Who issues septic and well permits in Bayfield County?

The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

We do not have flood maps for Bayfield County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

County · code 55007

Bayfield CountyWisconsin

Bayfield County, Wisconsin, was created in 1845 as La Pointe County and is now the county seat of Washburn. The county was named after Henry Wolsey Bayfield.

Founded1845
County seatWashburn
Named forHenry Wolsey Bayfield
Land area1,478 sq mi + 564 sq mi water
Population16,220 2020 Census
Parcels mapped35,515 checked 16 October 2026

Open the free map Click any parcel in Bayfield County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1845 from St. Croix County and Crawford County

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

Bayfield County was originally created as La Pointe by the Wisconsin Territory on February 19, 1845, from St. Croix and Crawford counties. When the state of Wisconsin was created in 1848, La Pointe lost territory in present Minnesota and became a county within the state. In 1860, La Pointe lost territory to the creation of Ashland County, and the county was renamed Bayfield in 1866.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

1845
Bayfield County created La Pointe (now Bayfield) created by Wisconsin Territory from St. Croix; La Pointe included territory in present Wisconsin and Minnesota. La Pointe not fully organized, attached to Crawford "for judicial purposes."
from St. Croix from Crawford
19 February 1845 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1845, pp. 52-53
1848
Lost territory La Pointe (now Bayfield) lost territory when the state of Wisconsin was created from Wisconsin Territory; La Pointe eliminated from present Minnesota. La Pointe became a county in the state of Wisconsin. 29 May 1848 · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 89 [1846]/pp. 56-58, and ch. 50 [1848]/pp. 233-235; Van Zandt, 128, 130
1849
Exchanged territory La Pointe (now Bayfield) exchanged with Chippewa, lost to St. Croix. An overlap (Overlap Area 3) was created between La Pointe and St. Croix when both counties were assigned the same area.
with Chippewa with St. Croix
8 March 1849 · Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 77, secs. 1-6/pp. 47-48
1850
Gained territory La Pointe (now Bayfield) gained undisputed jurisdiction of Overlap Area 3 that was also claimed by St. Croix since 8 March 1849; Overlap Area 3 eliminated.
from St. Croix
1 January 1850 · Wis. Rev. Stat. 1849, ch. 2, secs. 2, 24, 26/pp. 51, 56-57 and ch. 157, sec. 1/p. 747
1854
Lost territory La Pointe (now Bayfield) lost to creation of Douglas; Douglas not fully organized, attached to La Pointe "for judicial purposes."
to Douglas
9 February 1854 · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 10, secs. 1-5/pp. 14-15

Show all 13 changes (8 more)

1845
Bayfield County created La Pointe (now Bayfield) created by Wisconsin Territory from St. Croix; La Pointe included territory in present Wisconsin and Minnesota. La Pointe not fully organized, attached to Crawford "for judicial purposes."
from St. Croix from Crawford
19 February 1845 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1845, pp. 52-53
1848
Lost territory La Pointe (now Bayfield) lost territory when the state of Wisconsin was created from Wisconsin Territory; La Pointe eliminated from present Minnesota. La Pointe became a county in the state of Wisconsin. 29 May 1848 · U.S. Stat., vol. 9, ch. 89 [1846]/pp. 56-58, and ch. 50 [1848]/pp. 233-235; Van Zandt, 128, 130
1849
Exchanged territory La Pointe (now Bayfield) exchanged with Chippewa, lost to St. Croix. An overlap (Overlap Area 3) was created between La Pointe and St. Croix when both counties were assigned the same area.
with Chippewa with St. Croix
8 March 1849 · Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 77, secs. 1-6/pp. 47-48
1849
Changed La Pointe (now Bayfield) detached from Crawford, attached to St. Croix "for judicial purposes."
Crawford St. Croix
1 April 1849 · Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 53, secs. 1, 3/p. 31
1850
Gained territory La Pointe (now Bayfield) gained undisputed jurisdiction of Overlap Area 3 that was also claimed by St. Croix since 8 March 1849; Overlap Area 3 eliminated.
from St. Croix
1 January 1850 · Wis. Rev. Stat. 1849, ch. 2, secs. 2, 24, 26/pp. 51, 56-57 and ch. 157, sec. 1/p. 747
1850
Changed La Pointe (now Bayfield) fully organized, detached from St. Croix.
St. Croix
1 July 1850 · Wis. Laws 1850, ch. 156, secs. 1-2/p. 126
1854
Lost territory La Pointe (now Bayfield) lost to creation of Douglas; Douglas not fully organized, attached to La Pointe "for judicial purposes."
to Douglas
9 February 1854 · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 10, secs. 1-5/pp. 14-15
1854
Changed Douglas fully organized, detached from La Pointe (now Bayfield).
Douglas
25 November 1854 · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 10, sec. 5/p. 15
1860
Lost territory La Pointe (now Bayfield) lost to creation of Ashland.
to Ashland
5 June 1860 · Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 211, secs. 1-3, 7/pp. 184-185
1866
Gained territory La Pointe gained from Ashland; La Pointe renamed Bayfield.
from La Pointefrom Ashland
1 May 1866 · Wis. Laws 1866, gen., ch. 146, secs. 1-3/p. 189
1866
Changed Ashland attached to Bayfield "for judicial purposes."
Ashland
25 May 1866 · Wis. Laws 1866, priv. and loc., ch. 481, secs. 1, 6/pp. 1191-1192
1869
Gained territory Bayfield gained from Ashland.
from Ashland
11 March 1869 · Wis. Laws 1869, gen., ch. 116, secs. 1-2/pp. 114-115
1873
Changed Ashland fully organized, detached from Bayfield.
Ashland
1 August 1873 · Wis. Laws 1873, ch. 106, secs. 1-2/p. 210

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Bayfield

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 35,515 parcels from Bayfield County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
checked 16 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Bayfield County yet.
Buildings Reference

Roof outlines traced from aerial imagery from FEMA Response Geospatial Office with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Good for seeing what is on a lot; not accurate enough to set a fence from.
checked 18 October 2026

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

Bayfield by the Census

Population

16,220 2020 Census count

Housing units

13,238 2020 Census count

Land area

1,478 square miles

Water area

564 square miles

People per sq mi

11 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

Health department: septic and wellfrom bayfieldcounty.wi.gov · checked 13 October 2026
Issued Permitsfrom bayfieldcounty.wi.gov
Septic Pumping FAQsfrom bayfieldcounty.wi.gov
Sanitary System History/Reporting (Septic Search)from septicsearch.com

Zoning and code

Planning and zoningfrom bayfieldcounty.wi.gov · checked 13 October 2026
Ordinancesfrom bayfieldcounty.wi.gov
Ordinancesfrom bayfieldcounty.wi.gov
Zoning ordinancefrom maps.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov
Calendar • Planning and Zoning Committee Meetingfrom bayfieldcounty.wi.gov

GIS and maps

County GIS and mapsfrom bayfieldcounty.wi.gov · checked 13 October 2026

County government

County government
The official website of Bayfield County.
bayfieldcounty.wi.gov

See your own lot on these maps

Open Bayfield 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.

Open the free map no sign-in Pro early access

Questions

Common questions about Bayfield County

When was Bayfield County founded?: Bayfield County was founded in 1845, formed from St. Croix County and Crawford County, and named after Henry Wolsey Bayfield.
What is the county seat of Bayfield County?: The county seat of Bayfield County is Washburn.
Is there an online parcel map for Bayfield County?: Yes. Bayfield County publishes a parcel map of 35,515 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Bayfield County's boundary or name changed?: Bayfield County was created in 1845 from St. Croix County and Crawford County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Ashland County, St. Croix County and Douglas County.
Who issues building permits in Bayfield County?: The county's page on building permits: Issued Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Who issues septic and well permits in Bayfield County?: The county's page on septic systems and wells: Health department: septic and well.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Bayfield County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby