County · code 55041
Forest CountyWisconsin
Forest County is a county in Wisconsin, formed in 1885 from Langlade County, with its seat in Crandon.
- Founded1885
- County seatCrandon
- Named forforest
- Land area1,014 sq mi + 32 sq mi water
- Population9,179 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped21,022 checked 14 October 2026
Where it is
Forest on the map of Wisconsin
Wisconsin has 72 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.
History
Formed in 1885 from Langlade County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
Forest County was created from Langlade County on April 14, 1885, and is named after its forest landscape. The county gained territory from Oconto County in 1886 and from Oneida County in 1893, then lost territory to Oneida, Vilas, and Vilas again between 1897 and 1905.
- 1885Forest County created Forest created from Langlade. · Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 436, secs. 1-3, 15/pp. 426-427, 430
- 1886Gained territory Forest gained from Oconto. · Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 436, secs. 14-15/p. 430
- 1893Gained territory Forest gained from Oneida. · Wis. Laws 1893, ch. 275, secs. 1, 4/pp. 368-369
- 1897
- 1923Forest County created Iron (Michigan) implicitly overlapped Forest when Michigan took its 1909 boundary dispute with Wisconsin to the U.S. Supreme Court and expanded its scope by claiming more territory on the Upper Peninsula and more of the waters and islands of Green Bay. Wisconsin claimed the old, established line and never lost control of the disputed area.from Iron (Mich.)from U.s.· Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 116, 118, 132
Show all 8 changes
- 1885Forest County created Forest created from Langlade. · Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 436, secs. 1-3, 15/pp. 426-427, 430
- 1886Gained territory Forest gained from Oconto. · Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 436, secs. 14-15/p. 430
- 1893Gained territory Forest gained from Oneida. · Wis. Laws 1893, ch. 275, secs. 1, 4/pp. 368-369
- 1897
- 1905Lost territory Forest lost to Vilas. · Wis. Laws 1905, reg. sess., ch. 202, secs. 1, 8/pp. 291-292
- 1913Boundary clarified Forest boundaries were clarified (no change).no change· Wis. Laws 1913, ch. 65/pp. 71-73
- 1923Forest County created Iron (Michigan) implicitly overlapped Forest when Michigan took its 1909 boundary dispute with Wisconsin to the U.S. Supreme Court and expanded its scope by claiming more territory on the Upper Peninsula and more of the waters and islands of Green Bay. Wisconsin claimed the old, established line and never lost control of the disputed area.from Iron (Mich.)from U.s.· Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 116, 118, 132
- 1926Changed Michigan's implicit overlap of Forest ended when the U.S. Supreme Court decided the boundary dispute between Michigan and Wisconsin entirely in favor of Wisconsin.U.s.· Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 141-143
Land and parcels
What the maps cover in Forest
Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.
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Parcels Good enough
Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 21,022 parcels from Wisconsin DOA, Wisconsin Land Information Program, with the State Cartographer's Office (V12 Statewide Parcels). Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 30 June 2026 · checked 14 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for Forest County yet.
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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
Forest by the Census
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
- County government
The official website of Forest County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open Forest 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.
Questions
Common questions about Forest County
- When was Forest County founded?
- Forest County was founded in 1885, formed from Langlade County, and named after forest.
- What is the county seat of Forest County?
- The county seat of Forest County is Crandon.
- Is there an online parcel map for Forest County?
- Yes. Wisconsin DOA, Wisconsin Land Information Program, with the State Cartographer's Office (V12 Statewide Parcels) publishes a parcel map of 21,022 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has Forest County's boundary or name changed?
- Forest County was created in 1885 from Langlade County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 6 later changes, chiefly involving Oneida County, U.s. County and Vilas County.
- Who issues building permits in Forest County?
- The county's page on building permits: Demoliton permit 2021. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for Forest County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby