Badger HomeownerWisconsin home guide

How to Find Your Property Lines in Dane County

Planning a fence, shed or garden near the edge of your lot? The lines on online maps are close, not exact. Here's where to look up your lot, how to find the corner stakes, and when you need a surveyor.

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Four Steps

  1. Look up your parcel to get your lot size, legal description and parcel number.
  2. Get your recorded plat or survey from the Register of Deeds. It shows the lot's dimensions.
  3. Find the corner stakes and measure from them.
  4. Hire a licensed surveyor if you can't find the corners, or if the project is close to the line or a neighbor disagrees.

Look Up Your Parcel

  • In Madison, use the City Assessor's property lookup, by address, parcel number or owner. It shows lot size and frontage, zoning, assessments and taxes, with links to the legal description and parcel maps.(City of Madison)(City of Madison) The city also has a property lookup map and a zoning map.(City of Madison) Assessor's office: 608-266-4531.(AccessDane)
  • In late September 2026, AccessDane's Madison records carried a notice that they may be out of date and sent people to the City Assessor instead, so start there.(AccessDane)
  • Elsewhere in Dane County, use AccessDane, run by the county's Land Information Council.(Dane County)(AccessDane) Search by any part of the street address (without the city), by owner, or by parcel number.(AccessDane)
  • An AccessDane record shows the owner, the plat name, block and lot, assessments back to the late 1990s, tax bills, your town's zoning contact, and links to the county map.(AccessDane)(AccessDane) The legal description shown there is for tax use, not for conveying title.(AccessDane)
  • Parcel numbers start with a three-digit town code: Madison 251, Fitchburg 225, Middleton 255, Monona 258, Sun Prairie 282, Verona 286.(Dane County Register of Deeds)

Why Map Lines Aren't Exact

  • Dane County says its parcel maps are for tax and property listing only and do not represent a survey. For legal or survey questions, use the original recorded documents.(AccessDane)
  • Each AccessDane parcel page repeats it: the mapping isn't meant for precise boundary work.(AccessDane)
  • The county's map viewer, DCiMap, is still useful for aerial photos (current and historical), soils, elevation, lakes, streams and wetlands.(Dane County)(Dane County Land Information Office)

Your Plat or Survey

  • A legal description is a lot and block in a subdivision plat, a lot on a certified survey map (CSM), or for other land, a description tied to the government survey grid.(Dane County Register of Deeds)
  • The Register of Deeds' online index goes back to January 1975, and every subdivision plat, condo plat and CSM can be viewed by document number.(Dane County Register of Deeds) Occasional users search online through Tapestry, which charges per search and per page; its prices show up only inside Tapestry, and searches that find nothing are free.(Dane County Register of Deeds)
  • Or go in person: most records can be viewed free at the office, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.(Dane County Register of Deeds) Copies are $2 for the first page and $1 for each page after; certified copies cost $1 more; in-person copies are cash only. Phone: 608-266-4141.(Dane County Register of Deeds)
  • Your recorded documents also show easements, such as utility strips, which can limit where you build.(Dane County Register of Deeds)
  • The Register of Deeds also offers a free fraud alert that tells you when a document is recorded in your name.(Dane County Register of Deeds)

Finding the Corner Stakes

  • Madison says lot corners are usually marked with metal stakes. Ask your neighbors, or use a metal detector.(City of Madison)
  • Sidewalks, curbs, fences and shrubs don't necessarily mark the line.(City of Madison)
  • Leave survey markers where they are. Removing or covering a government survey monument without first setting witness monuments can bring a fine of up to $1,000 or a year in jail.(Wis. Stat. 59.74)

Hiring a Surveyor

  • If you can't find your lines, Madison says you may need a surveyor; the city doesn't provide one.(City of Madison)
  • Land surveyors are licensed by the state.(DSPS) Check a license at LicensE.wi.gov by name or license number.(DSPS)
  • What you get: Wisconsin's survey standards require the surveyor to research the recorded deeds, plats and prior surveys, measure in the field, set monuments at the corners unless they're already there, and give you a map showing every monument found or set. GPS coordinates don't replace physical monuments.(Wis. Admin. Code A-E 7)
  • You can agree in writing to skip some steps, such as setting new corner monuments, and the map has to say so.(Wis. Admin. Code A-E 7)
  • The Dane County Surveyor's office keeps survey records filed by private surveyors and corner records for the government survey grid.(Dane County Surveyor, 2023)

Fences and Setbacks

  • Madison: no building permit for a fence. It can go up to the lot line, but no part of the fence or posts can cross it. Heights: 4 feet in the front yard and street side yards, 6 feet in rear and interior side yards, 30 inches near street corners. Deed restrictions may add rules.(City of Madison)
  • Outside Madison, each city or village sets its own fence and shed rules, and Dane County zoning applies in towns under county zoning. AccessDane lists your zoning administrator.(AccessDane) The permit guide has fence, shed and other rules for nine towns.
  • Call Diggers Hotline before digging post holes. Madison notes you may have to move the fence if it crosses a utility line.(City of Madison) See when you can dig.

Wisconsin Boundary Law

  • Sharing fence costs: Wisconsin's fence-sharing law applies only where one of the lots is used for farming or grazing, not to ordinary house lots. Town fence viewers can't settle boundary disputes.(Wis. Stat. ch. 90)
  • Spite fences: a fence or hedge unnecessarily over 6 feet tall, put up or kept to annoy a neighbor, is a private nuisance. A court has found a shorter one can be too.(Wis. Stat. 844.10)
  • Adverse possession: someone can gain title to land by 20 years of continuous, exclusive use of land that's fenced in or regularly cultivated or improved. The time is 10 years with a recorded deed taken in good faith, and 7 years with a recorded title claim plus paying the taxes.(Wis. Stat. 893.25–.27)
  • Prescriptive easements: 20 years of continuous use of someone else's land, such as a path or driveway, can create a right to keep using it. Public land can't be gained either way.(Wis. Stat. 893.28–.29)
  • These are summaries, not legal advice. For a real dispute, talk to a lawyer and get a survey.

Questions

Are the property lines on AccessDane or Google Maps accurate?

Not for building a fence. Dane County says its parcel maps are for tax listing only and are not a survey, and AccessDane warns they aren't meant for boundary work. For where your line actually is, use your recorded plat or survey, or hire a licensed land surveyor.

How do I find my property lines in Madison?

Start with the City Assessor's property lookup for your lot size and legal description, and the county's recorded plat or certified survey map. Madison says corners are usually marked with metal stakes; a metal detector or your neighbors can help find them. Sidewalks, fences and shrubs don't necessarily mark the line. If you still can't find them, hire a surveyor; the city doesn't provide one.

Can I build a fence right on the property line in Madison?

Up to it, but no part of the fence or its posts can cross it. No building permit is needed. Fences can be 4 feet tall in the front yard and 6 feet in side and rear yards, and 30 inches near street corners. Call Diggers Hotline before you dig post holes.

How do I check a land surveyor's license in Wisconsin?

Use the state's license lookup at LicensE.wi.gov and search for the surveyor's name or license number. Land surveyors are licensed by the Department of Safety and Professional Services.

How long does adverse possession take in Wisconsin?

Usually 20 years of open, continuous, exclusive use of land that's fenced in or regularly cultivated or improved. It's 10 years with a recorded deed taken in good faith, and 7 years with a recorded title claim plus paying the taxes. Public land can't be claimed this way. Talk to a lawyer for any real dispute.

Do I have to share the cost of a fence with my neighbor in Wisconsin?

Not on ordinary house lots. Wisconsin's fence-sharing law applies only where one of the lots is used for farming or grazing.