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County · code 55011

Buffalo CountyWisconsin

Buffalo County, Wisconsin, was created on July 6, 1853, from Jackson and La Crosse counties, with its seat at Alma.

  • Founded1853
  • County seatAlma
  • Named forBuffalo River, Wisconsin
  • Land area676 sq mi + 34 sq mi water
  • Population13,317 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped24,304 checked 15 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Buffalo County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

PepinWinona, MNTrempealeauWabasha, MN Alma Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Buffalo on the map of Wisconsin

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

Adams CountyAshland CountyBarron CountyBayfield CountyBrown 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 CountyBuffalo County Buffalo
Counties of Wisconsin · Buffalo highlighted

History

Formed in 1853 from Jackson County and La Crosse County

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

Buffalo County was named after the Buffalo River. Created from Jackson and La Crosse counties on July 6, 1853, Buffalo was initially attached to Jackson for judicial purposes until it was fully organized on January 1, 1854. In 1854, the county gained land from Chippewa and La Crosse counties but lost territory to the creation of Trempealeau County.

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

  1. 1853
    Buffalo County created Buffalo created from Jackson; Buffalo not fully organized, attached to Jackson "for judicial purposes." Buffalo was implicitly attached to La Crosse, through Jackson, until 1 September 1853.
    from Jacksonfrom La Crosse
    · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1-3/pp. 98-99
  2. 1853
    Changed Jackson fully organized, detached from La Crosse. Buffalo remained attached to Jackson.
    JacksonLa Crosse
    · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 8, secs. 1-2, 5-6/pp. 7-8
  3. 1854
    Gained territory Buffalo gained from Chippewa.
    from Chippewa
    · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 1, secs. 1-2/p. 7
  4. 1854
    Lost territory Buffalo lost to creation of Trempealeau.
    to Trempealeau
    · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 2, secs. 1-3, 6, 8/pp. 8-9
  5. 1854
    Gained territory Buffalo gained from La Crosse.
    from La Crosse
    · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 35, secs. 1-3/pp. 43-44
Show all 8 changes (3 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1853
    Buffalo County created Buffalo created from Jackson; Buffalo not fully organized, attached to Jackson "for judicial purposes." Buffalo was implicitly attached to La Crosse, through Jackson, until 1 September 1853.
    from Jacksonfrom La Crosse
    · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1-3/pp. 98-99
  2. 1853
    Changed Jackson fully organized, detached from La Crosse. Buffalo remained attached to Jackson.
    JacksonLa Crosse
    · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 8, secs. 1-2, 5-6/pp. 7-8
  3. 1854
    Changed Buffalo fully organized, detached from Jackson.
    Jackson
    · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1-3/pp. 98-99
  4. 1854
    Gained territory Buffalo gained from Chippewa.
    from Chippewa
    · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 1, secs. 1-2/p. 7
  5. 1854
    Lost territory Buffalo lost to creation of Trempealeau.
    to Trempealeau
    · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 2, secs. 1-3, 6, 8/pp. 8-9
  6. 1854
    Gained territory Buffalo gained from La Crosse.
    from La Crosse
    · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 35, secs. 1-3/pp. 43-44
  7. 1857
    Boundary clarified Boundary between Buffalo and Trempealeau was redefined (no change).
    with Trempealeauno change
    · Wis. Laws 1857, gen., ch. 16, secs. 1-2/pp. 21-22
  8. 1918
    Lost territory Buffalo lost Island Number 72 to Minnesota when Wisconsin and Minnesota exchanged islands in the Mississippi River. · Wis. Laws 1917, reg. sess., ch. 64, secs. 1-4/pp. 171-172; Wis. Laws 1937, reg. sess., ch. 186, secs. 1-2/p. 311; Van Zandt, 131

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Buffalo

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

Buffalo by the Census

Population
13,317 2020 Census count
Housing units
6,506 2020 Census count
Land area
676 square miles
Water area
34 square miles
People per sq mi
20 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.

Zoning and code

County government

See your own lot on these maps

Open Buffalo 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 Buffalo County

When was Buffalo County founded?
Buffalo County was founded in 1853, formed from Jackson County and La Crosse County, and named after Buffalo River, Wisconsin.
What is the county seat of Buffalo County?
The county seat of Buffalo County is Alma.
Is there an online parcel map for Buffalo County?
Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 24,304 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Buffalo County's boundary or name changed?
Buffalo County was created in 1853 from Jackson County and La Crosse County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Jackson County, La Crosse County and Chippewa County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Buffalo 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