County · code 55063
La Crosse CountyWisconsin
La Crosse County is in Wisconsin with its seat in La Crosse, formed on May 19, 1851. The county is named after the game of lacrosse.
- Founded1851
- County seatLa Crosse
- Named forlacrosse
- Land area452 sq mi + 28 sq mi water
- Population120,784 2020 Census
- Parcels mapped54,149 checked 14 October 2026
Where it is
La Crosse 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 1851 from Crawford County and Chippewa County
An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.
La Crosse County was created from Crawford County on May 19, 1851, with Chippewa County temporarily attached for judicial purposes. The county's boundaries changed several times in its early years as Jackson, Buffalo, Clark, Monroe, and Trempealeau Counties were created from or reorganized within its territory between 1853 and 1855. In 1918, La Crosse County gained Baron's Island from Minnesota through an exchange of islands in the Mississippi River.
- 1851La Crosse County created La Crosse created from Crawford. Chippewa detached from Crawford, attached to La Crosse "for judicial purposes." · Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 131, secs. 2, 6/pp. 105-106 and ch. 132, secs. 1-2/pp. 107-108
- 1853Lost territory La Crosse lost to creation of Jackson; Jackson not fully organized, attached to La Crosse "for judicial purposes." · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 8, secs. 1-2, 6/pp. 7-9
- 1853La Crosse County created Buffalo and Clark created from Jackson and implicitly attached to La Crosse, through Jackson, until 1 September 1853. · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1-3/pp. 98-99
- 1854Lost territory La Crosse lost to creation of Trempealeau; La Crosse was divided into two parts by this creation. Trempealeau not fully organized, attached to La Crosse "for judicial purposes." · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 2, secs. 1-3, 6, 8/pp. 8-9
- 1854Lost territory La Crosse lost to creation of Monroe and lost to Buffalo; La Crosse no longer divided into two parts. · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 35, secs. 1-3/pp. 43-44
Show all 12 changes
- 1851La Crosse County created La Crosse created from Crawford. Chippewa detached from Crawford, attached to La Crosse "for judicial purposes." · Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 131, secs. 2, 6/pp. 105-106 and ch. 132, secs. 1-2/pp. 107-108
- 1853Lost territory La Crosse lost to creation of Jackson; Jackson not fully organized, attached to La Crosse "for judicial purposes." · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 8, secs. 1-2, 6/pp. 7-9
- 1853La Crosse County created Buffalo and Clark created from Jackson and implicitly attached to La Crosse, through Jackson, until 1 September 1853. · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 100, secs. 1-3/pp. 98-99
- 1853
- 1853Changed Chippewa fully organized, detached from La Crosse. · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 49, secs. 1, 3, 7/pp. 48-49
- 1854Lost territory La Crosse lost to creation of Trempealeau; La Crosse was divided into two parts by this creation. Trempealeau not fully organized, attached to La Crosse "for judicial purposes." · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 2, secs. 1-3, 6, 8/pp. 8-9
- 1854Lost territory La Crosse lost to creation of Monroe and lost to Buffalo; La Crosse no longer divided into two parts. · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 35, secs. 1-3/pp. 43-44
- 1855Changed Trempealeau fully organized, detached from La Crosse. · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 2, sec. 6/p. 9
- 1856Gained territory La Crosse gained from Jackson. · Wis. Laws 1856, ext. sess., gen., ch. 145, secs. 1-3/p. 269
- 1857Gained territory La Crosse gained from Jackson. · Wis. Laws 1857, gen., ch. 17, secs. 1-2/p. 22
- 1857Gained territory La Crosse gained from Trempealeau, lost to Jackson. · Wis. Laws 1857, gen., ch. 42, secs. 1-2/pp. 43-44
- 1918Gained territory La Crosse gained Baron's Island from 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 La Crosse
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 54,149 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 20 January 2026 · checked 14 October 2026 -
Address points Missing
No public address points layer found for La Crosse 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
La Crosse 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
La Crosse County's official site
We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.
County government
- County government
The official website of La Crosse County.
See your own lot on these maps
Open La Crosse 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 La Crosse County
- When was La Crosse County founded?
- La Crosse County was founded in 1851, formed from Crawford County and Chippewa County, and named after lacrosse.
- What is the county seat of La Crosse County?
- The county seat of La Crosse County is La Crosse.
- Is there an online parcel map for La Crosse County?
- Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 54,149 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
- Has La Crosse County's boundary or name changed?
- La Crosse County was created in 1851 from Crawford County and Chippewa County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 11 later changes, chiefly involving Jackson County, Buffalo County and Trempealeau County.
- Is my lot in a flood zone?
- We do not have flood maps for La Crosse County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.
Nearby