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County · code 55013

Burnett CountyWisconsin

Burnett County is a county in Wisconsin, with its seat in Siren. It was created on March 31, 1856, and is named after Thomas P. Burnett.

  • Founded1856
  • County seatSiren
  • Named forThomas P. Burnett
  • Land area822 sq mi + 59 sq mi water
  • Population16,526 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped34,015 checked 14 October 2026
Open the free map Click any parcel in Burnett County: acreage, parcel id, address and who publishes the map. No sign-in.

Updated

PolkPine, MNWashburnChisago, MNDouglas Siren Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Burnett 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 CountyBuffalo 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 CountyBurnett County Burnett
Counties of Wisconsin · Burnett highlighted

History

Formed in 1856 from Douglas County and Polk County

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

Burnett County was created from Douglas and Polk counties on March 31, 1856, but was not fully organized and was attached to Polk County for judicial purposes. The county became fully organized and detached from Polk County in 1865, then was re-attached to Polk for judicial purposes in 1866, and finally became fully organized and detached again in 1871. Burnett exchanged territory with neighboring counties including Douglas, Chippewa, Barron, and Polk throughout its early history, and lost land to the creation of Washburn County in 1883.

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

  1. 1856
    Burnett County created Burnett created from Douglas and Polk; Burnett not fully organized, attached to Polk "for judicial purposes."
    from Douglasfrom Polk
    · Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 94, sec. 1/pp. 98-99
  2. 1858
    Gained territory Burnett gained all of Non-County Area 12; Non-County Area 12 eliminated. · Wis. Rev. Stat. 1858, ch. 2, secs. 6, 35, 46/pp. 61, 68, 71
  3. 1864
    Gained territory Burnett gained from Chippewa, exchanged with Douglas.
    from Chippewafrom Douglas
    · Wis. Laws 1864, gen., ch. 462, secs. 1-3/p. 519; ch. 466, secs. 1-3/p. 521 and ch. 479, secs. 1-3/p. 534
  4. 1866
    Gained territory Burnett gained from Polk.
    from Polk
    · Wis. Laws 1866, priv. and loc., ch. 466, secs. 1-2/p. 1103
  5. 1869
    Gained territory Burnett gained from Barron.
    from Barron
    · Wis. Laws 1869, gen., ch. 162, secs. 1-2/p. 217
Show all 11 changes (6 more)
  1. 1856
    Burnett County created Burnett created from Douglas and Polk; Burnett not fully organized, attached to Polk "for judicial purposes."
    from Douglasfrom Polk
    · Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 94, sec. 1/pp. 98-99
  2. 1858
    Gained territory Burnett gained all of Non-County Area 12; Non-County Area 12 eliminated. · Wis. Rev. Stat. 1858, ch. 2, secs. 6, 35, 46/pp. 61, 68, 71
  3. 1864
    Gained territory Burnett gained from Chippewa, exchanged with Douglas.
    from Chippewafrom Douglas
    · Wis. Laws 1864, gen., ch. 462, secs. 1-3/p. 519; ch. 466, secs. 1-3/p. 521 and ch. 479, secs. 1-3/p. 534
  4. 1865
    Changed Burnett fully organized, detached from Polk.
    Polk
    · Wis. Laws 1864, gen., ch. 74, secs. 1, 3, 6/pp. 84-85
  5. 1866
    Gained territory Burnett gained from Polk.
    from Polk
    · Wis. Laws 1866, priv. and loc., ch. 466, secs. 1-2/p. 1103
  6. 1866
    Changed Burnett re-attached to Polk "for judicial purposes."
    Polk
    · Wis. Laws 1866, priv. and loc., ch. 480, sec. 1/p. 1189; Wis. Laws 1867, gen., ch. 104, sec. 1/p. 96; Wis. Laws 1868, gen., ch. 40, sec. 1/p. 41; Wis. Laws 1869, gen., ch. 173, secs. 1-2/pp. 228-229
  7. 1869
    Gained territory Burnett gained from Barron.
    from Barron
    · Wis. Laws 1869, gen., ch. 162, secs. 1-2/p. 217
  8. 1871
    Changed Burnett fully organized, detached from Polk.
    Polk
    · History of Northern Wisconsin, 171; Wis. Laws 1871, gen., ch. 83, secs. 1, 6/pp. 114-116
  9. 1872
    Lost territory Burnett lost to Barron.
    to Barron
    · Wis. Laws 1872, priv. and loc., ch. 18, secs. 1-2/p. 88
  10. 1874
    Gained territory Burnett gained from Barron.
    from Barron
    · Wis. Laws 1874, ch. 248, secs. 1-2/pp. 575-576
  11. 1883
    Lost territory Burnett lost to creation of Washburn.
    to Washburn
    · Wis. Laws 1883, ch. 172, secs. 1-2, 11/pp. 138-141

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Burnett

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

Burnett by the Census

Population
16,526 2020 Census count
Housing units
15,201 2020 Census count
Land area
822 square miles
Water area
59 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 Burnett 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 Burnett County

When was Burnett County founded?
Burnett County was founded in 1856, formed from Douglas County and Polk County, and named after Thomas P. Burnett.
What is the county seat of Burnett County?
The county seat of Burnett County is Siren.
Is there an online parcel map for Burnett County?
Yes. Wisconsin DOA, Wisconsin Land Information Program, with the State Cartographer's Office (V12 Statewide Parcels) publishes a parcel map of 34,015 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Burnett County's boundary or name changed?
Burnett County was created in 1856 from Douglas County and Polk County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 10 later changes, chiefly involving Polk County, Barron County and Chippewa County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Burnett 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