When was Shawano County founded?

Shawano County was founded in 1853, formed from Oconto County, Waupaca County, Winnebago County and Outagamie County.

What is the county seat of Shawano County?

The county seat of Shawano County is Shawano.

Is there an online parcel map for Shawano County?

Yes. Shawano County publishes a parcel map of 39,908 parcels, rated fallback here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.

Has Shawano County's boundary or name changed?

Shawano County was created in 1853 from Oconto County, Waupaca County, Winnebago County and Outagamie County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 15 later changes, chiefly involving Oconto County, Brown County and Langlade County.

Who issues building permits in Shawano County?

The county's page on building permits: Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.

Is my lot in a flood zone?

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

County · code 55115

Shawano CountyWisconsin

Shawano County is a county in Wisconsin with its seat in Shawano. The county was established on February 16, 1853, from parts of Oconto, Waupaca, and Winnebago Counties.

Founded1853
County seatShawano
Land area893 sq mi + 16 sq mi water
Population40,881 2020 Census
Parcels mapped39,908 checked 15 October 2026

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

Updated 20 October 2026

Census outline · seat marked

History

Formed in 1853 from Oconto County, Waupaca County, Winnebago County and Outagamie County

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

Shawano County was created in 1853 from Oconto, Waupaca, and Winnebago Counties, and was initially attached to Outagamie County for judicial purposes. The county underwent multiple boundary adjustments in the 1850s and 1860s, exchanging territory with surrounding counties including Oconto, Waupaca, Winnebago, and Marathon. In 1861, Shawano County was fully organized and detached from Outagamie County. In 1879, the county exchanged territory with Oconto and took on the newly created county of New (now Langlade) for administrative purposes, which was fully organized and separated in 1881.

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

1853
Shawano County created Shawano created from Oconto, Waupaca, and Winnebago; Shawano not fully organized, attached to Outagamie "for judicial purposes."
from Oconto from Waupaca from Winnebago from Outagamie
16 February 1853 · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 9, sec. 1/pp. 9-10
1854
Gained territory Shawano gained from Oconto and Winnebago.
from Oconto from Winnebago
27 February 1854 · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 23, secs. 1, 3-4/pp. 31-32
1856
Gained territory Shawano gained from Winnebago.
from Winnebago
28 March 1856 · Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 45, secs. 1-4/p. 48
1858
Lost territory Shawano lost to Oconto.
to Oconto
17 May 1858 · Wis. Rev. Stat. 1858, ch. 2, secs. 6, 35, 46/pp. 61, 68, 71
1859
Lost territory Shawano lost to Waupaca.
to Waupaca
3 February 1859 · Wis. Laws 1859, gen., ch. 8, secs. 1-2/pp. 11-12

Show all 17 changes (12 more)

1853
Shawano County created Shawano created from Oconto, Waupaca, and Winnebago; Shawano not fully organized, attached to Outagamie "for judicial purposes."
from Oconto from Waupaca from Winnebago from Outagamie
16 February 1853 · Wis. Laws 1853, gen., ch. 9, sec. 1/pp. 9-10
1854
Gained territory Shawano gained from Oconto and Winnebago.
from Oconto from Winnebago
27 February 1854 · Wis. Laws 1854, gen., ch. 23, secs. 1, 3-4/pp. 31-32
1856
Gained territory Shawano gained from Winnebago.
from Winnebago
28 March 1856 · Wis. Laws 1856, reg. sess., gen., ch. 45, secs. 1-4/p. 48
1858
Lost territory Shawano lost to Oconto.
to Oconto
17 May 1858 · Wis. Rev. Stat. 1858, ch. 2, secs. 6, 35, 46/pp. 61, 68, 71
1859
Lost territory Shawano lost to Waupaca.
to Waupaca
3 February 1859 · Wis. Laws 1859, gen., ch. 8, secs. 1-2/pp. 11-12
1859
Gained territory Shawano gained from Waupaca.
from Waupaca
11 March 1859 · Wis. Laws 1859, gen., ch. 76, secs. 1-2/p. 79
1860
Gained territory Shawano gained from Oconto, lost to Marathon.
from Oconto from Marathon
15 March 1860 · Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 119, secs. 1-3, 6/p. 106 and ch. 120, secs. 1-2/p. 107
1860
Lost territory Shawano lost to Waupaca.
to Waupaca
27 March 1860 · Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 217, secs. 1-3/pp. 193-194
1861
Changed Shawano fully organized, detached from Outagamie.
Outagamie
1 January 1861 · Wis. Laws 1859, gen., ch. 68/pp. 74-75; Wis. Laws 1860, gen., ch. 251/pp. 226-227
1879
Exchanged territory Shawano exchanged with Oconto. New (now Langlade) attached to Shawano "for all county and judicial purposes."
with Oconto with Newwith Langlade
3 March 1879 · Wis. Laws 1879, ch. 114, secs. 2-3, 12-13, 17/pp. 113-118
1881
Gained territory Shawano gained from Oconto, exchanged with Langlade; Langlade fully organized, detached from Shawano.
from Oconto from Langlade
19 February 1881 · Wis. Laws 1881, ch. 7, secs. 1-3, 8, 13/pp. 11, 13-14
1883
Changed Legislature authorized Langlade to gain from Shawano, dependent on local referendum that was never held (no change).
Langlade
17 April 1883 · HRS Wis., Shawano, 4-5; Wis. Laws 1883, ch. 303, secs. 1, 6-7/pp. 251-252
1885
Lost territory Shawano lost to Langlade (enacted change authorized on 17 April 1883 that never took effect).
to Langlade
27 March 1885 · Wis. Laws 1885, ch. 137, sec. 1/pp. 113-114
1919
Lost territory Shawano lost small area to Brown.
to Brown
1 May 1919 · Wis. Laws 1919, reg. sess., ch. 96, secs. 1, 6/pp. 104, 106; ch. 617, secs. 1-2/pp. 1085-1086; ch. 702/p. 1345
1961
Lost territory Shawano lost to creation of Menominee.
to Menominee
1 May 1961 · Wis. Laws 1959, ch. 259, secs. 1, 3, 30, 42/pp. 300-301, 310, 314
1965
Lost territory Shawano lost small area to Brown.
to Brown
23 September 1965 · Wis. Laws 1965, ch. 267, sec. 1/pp. 494-495
1967
Gained territory Shawano gained small area from Brown.
from Brown
22 December 1967 · Wis. Laws 1967, ch. 243, sec. 1/p. 648

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Shawano

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

Parcels Fallback

Lot lines and tax-map numbers for 39,908 parcels from Shawano County. Drawn for tax purposes: usually within a few feet of a survey, but not a survey. This copy is a fallback, not the county's own: use it as a guide and check the official record.
edited 16 August 2019 · checked 15 October 2026
Address points Missing

No public address points layer found for Shawano 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

Shawano by the Census

Population

40,881 2020 Census count

Housing units

20,354 2020 Census count

Land area

893 square miles

Water area

16 square miles

People per sq mi

46 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.

Records

Clerk of court: deeds and plats
County Directory
from co.shawano.wi.us · checked 14 October 2026

Permits

Permitsfrom co.shawano.wi.us
Permit Management - Ascentfrom ascent.co.shawano.wi.us
2026 Septic Yellow Postcardfrom co.shawano.wi.us

Zoning and code

County Ordinancesfrom library.municode.com

County government

County government
The official website of Shawano County.
co.shawano.wi.us

See your own lot on these maps

Open Shawano 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 Shawano County

When was Shawano County founded?: Shawano County was founded in 1853, formed from Oconto County, Waupaca County, Winnebago County and Outagamie County.
What is the county seat of Shawano County?: The county seat of Shawano County is Shawano.
Is there an online parcel map for Shawano County?: Yes. Shawano County publishes a parcel map of 39,908 parcels, rated fallback here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Shawano County's boundary or name changed?: Shawano County was created in 1853 from Oconto County, Waupaca County, Winnebago County and Outagamie County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 15 later changes, chiefly involving Oconto County, Brown County and Langlade County.
Who issues building permits in Shawano County?: The county's page on building permits: Permits. Inside a city or town, ask that city first.
Is my lot in a flood zone?: We do not have flood maps for Shawano County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby