What is the county seat of Portage County?

The county seat of Portage County is Stevens Point.

Is there an online parcel map for Portage County?

Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 47,321 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Portage County's boundary or name changed?

Portage County was created in 1836 from Brown County, Crawford County, Iowa County, Milwaukee County and Dodge County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving Dane County, Adams County and Columbia County.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 55097

Portage CountyWisconsin

Portage County is a county in Wisconsin with its seat in Stevens Point. The county was created on December 7, 1836, and named after the Portage Canal.

Founded1836
County seatStevens Point
Named forPortage Canal, Wisconsin
Land area801 sq mi + 22 sq mi water
Population70,377 2020 Census
Parcels mapped47,321 checked 13 October 2026

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

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1836 from Brown County, Crawford County, Iowa County, Milwaukee County and Dodge County

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

Portage County was created by Wisconsin Territory on December 7, 1836, from Crawford County and other surrounding counties. The county experienced several boundary changes in its early years, including disputes with Dodge County that were settled in 1838, and the loss of land to the creation of Sauk County in 1840 and Adams County in 1848. Portage County became fully organized and independent in 1844.

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

1836
Portage County created Portage created by Wisconsin Territory from Brown, Crawford, Iowa, and Milwaukee. Portage overlapped the western part of Dodge, creating a dispute (Overlap Area 1) that was not settled until 12 January 1838. Portage not fully organized, attached to Brown "for judicial purposes."
from Brown from Crawford from Iowa from Milwaukee from Dodge
7 December 1836 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 5, 14/pp. 93-94
1838
Gained territory Portage gained from Crawford, lost jurisdiction to Dodge of the area overlapped by the two counties since 7 December 1836; Overlap Area 1 eliminated.
from Crawford from Dodge
12 January 1838 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 39, sec. 1/pp. 217-218
1840
Lost territory Portage lost to creation of Sauk; Portage was divided into two parts by this creation.
to Sauk
11 January 1840 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1839-1840, no. 23, secs. 1-3/p. 32
1841
Gained territory Portage gained from Brown, Crawford, Marquette, St. Croix, and Non-County Area 1 attached to Crawford; Portage detached from Brown, attached to Dane "for judicial purposes."
from Brown from Crawford from Marquette from St. Croix from Dane
18 February 1841 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1840-1841, no. 38, secs. 1-3, 12/pp. 73-75
1848
Became part of Wisconsin Portage 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

Show all 17 changes (12 more)

1836
Portage County created Portage created by Wisconsin Territory from Brown, Crawford, Iowa, and Milwaukee. Portage overlapped the western part of Dodge, creating a dispute (Overlap Area 1) that was not settled until 12 January 1838. Portage not fully organized, attached to Brown "for judicial purposes."
from Brown from Crawford from Iowa from Milwaukee from Dodge
7 December 1836 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1836, no. 28, secs. 5, 14/pp. 93-94
1838
Gained territory Portage gained from Crawford, lost jurisdiction to Dodge of the area overlapped by the two counties since 7 December 1836; Overlap Area 1 eliminated.
from Crawford from Dodge
12 January 1838 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1837, no. 39, sec. 1/pp. 217-218
1840
Lost territory Portage lost to creation of Sauk; Portage was divided into two parts by this creation.
to Sauk
11 January 1840 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1839-1840, no. 23, secs. 1-3/p. 32
1841
Gained territory Portage gained from Brown, Crawford, Marquette, St. Croix, and Non-County Area 1 attached to Crawford; Portage detached from Brown, attached to Dane "for judicial purposes."
from Brown from Crawford from Marquette from St. Croix from Dane
18 February 1841 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1840-1841, no. 38, secs. 1-3, 12/pp. 73-75
1841
Changed Portage organized "for all purposes of county government;" Portage remained attached to Dane "for judicial purposes."
Dane
22 March 1841 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1840-1841, no. 38, secs. 2-3/p. 74
1844
Changed Portage fully organized, detached from Dane.
Dane
23 September 1844 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1843-1844, p. 4
1846
Lost territory Portage lost to creation of Columbia.
to Columbia
1 May 1846 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1846, pp. 76-77
1848
Lost territory Portage lost to creation of Adams.
to Adams
11 March 1848 · Wis. Terr. Laws 1848, pp. 168-169
1848
Became part of Wisconsin Portage 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
Lost territory Portage lost to Marquette.
to Marquette
6 March 1849 · Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 73, sec. 1/p. 44
1849
Lost territory Portage lost to Adams and Columbia, and lost to creation of Non-County Area 10.
to Adams to Columbia
8 March 1849 · Wis. Laws 1849, ch. 77, secs. 1-6/pp. 47-48
1850
Lost territory Portage lost to creation of Marathon.
to Marathon
16 February 1850 · Wis. Laws 1850, ch. 226, secs. 1-2, 14/pp. 180-181
1851
Gained territory Portage gained from Winnebago.
from Winnebago
27 February 1851 · Wis. Laws 1851, ch. 114, sec. 1/pp. 96-97
1855
Changed Legislature authorized Winnebago to hold a referendum on retaining the five townships that were transferred from Winnebago to Portage on 27 February 1851 (townships 21-25 north, range 10 east). No explanation for this apparent oversight has been found, and there is no evidence that the referendum was held (no change).
Winnebago
26 March 1855 · Wis. Laws 1855, gen., ch. 51, secs. 1-4/pp. 50-51
1855
Changed Legislature authorized Waupaca to gain townships 21-25 in range 10 east that Portage had acquired from Winnebago on 27 February 1851, dependent upon local referendum. The referendum passed, but the change was never implemented (no change).
Waupaca Winnebago
26 April 1855 · Historical Atlas, 246; Wis. Laws 1855, gen., ch. 58, secs. 1-2, 4/p. 57
1856
Lost territory Portage lost to creation of Wood and Non-County Area 11.
to Wood
29 March 1856 · Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 54, secs. 1-3, 10/pp. 64-66
1856
Gained territory Portage gained part of Non-County Area 11; Non-County Area 11 eliminated. 25 September 1856 · Wis. Laws 1856, ext. sess., gen., ch. 108, secs. 1-2, 4, 9/pp. 110-111

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Portage

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

Parcels Good enough

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 47,321 parcels. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey.
edited 10 May 2024 · checked 13 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Portage 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

Portage by the Census

Population

70,377 2020 Census count

Housing units

31,148 2020 Census count

Land area

801 square miles

Water area

22 square miles

People per sq mi

88 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

Code of Ordinancesfrom co.portage.wi.gov

County government

County government
The official website of Portage County.
co.portage.wi.us

See your own lot on these maps

Open Portage 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 Portage County

When was Portage County founded?: Portage County was founded in 1836, formed from Brown County, Crawford County, Iowa County, Milwaukee County and Dodge County, and named after Portage Canal, Wisconsin.
What is the county seat of Portage County?: The county seat of Portage County is Stevens Point.
Is there an online parcel map for Portage County?: Yes. A public source publishes a parcel map of 47,321 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Portage County's boundary or name changed?: Portage County was created in 1836 from Brown County, Crawford County, Iowa County, Milwaukee County and Dodge County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 14 later changes, chiefly involving Dane County, Adams County and Columbia County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Portage County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby