Buying land up here

Who owns the land around it

Most of the county is public land, and a lot of it is right next door to private lots.

• National forestAbout 353,000 acres of the Nicolet, more than half the land in the county. The Forest Service had it at 53% of the county back in 1998.
• State, county and townAbout 25,000 acres of state land, around 15,000 acres of county forest, and a couple thousand acres owned by the towns.
• Private land open to the publicLand in the Managed Forest Law program that's enrolled as open is open to anybody for hunting, fishing, hiking and skiing, signs or no signs. If the woods next to you are open MFL, expect hunters in the fall.DNR public access lands map

From Forest County Comprehensive Plan 2024, fs.usda.gov, CFL Acreage by County 2023, dnr.wisconsin.gov

Look up a parcel

• Owner, taxes, assessmentThe county's property portal. Search by parcel number, owner or address; there's a guest login.County property portal
• Lot lines on a mapThe county's GIS map, or the statewide parcel map.County GIS map · Statewide parcel map
• Deeds and easementsRegister of Deeds records online run $8.75 a search. There's a free grantor and grantee index too.715-478-3823Register of Deeds · Free index
• Plat bookThe 2025 plat book is $26 from the County Clerk.Plat book

From co.forest.wi.gov register of deeds, co.forest.wi.gov treasurer depart, co.forest.wi.gov plat book information 1, co.forest.wi.gov

On the water

Anything within 1,000 feet of a lake or 300 feet of a river or creek is shoreland, and the county's shoreland rules apply in every town.

• 75 feet backA house or building has to sit 75 feet back from the high-water mark. If the neighbors within 250 feet are closer, you can go to the average of theirs, but never closer than 35 feet.
• Lot sizeA new lot with a septic system needs 100 feet of frontage and 20,000 square feet. Older, smaller lots that were legal when they were made can usually still be built on.
• Leave the treesThe first 35 feet from the water stays natural. You can open a view and path corridor, 35% of your frontage at most. Sick, hazard and invasive trees can come out if you replant.
• Roofs and drivewaysRooftops, blacktop and other hard surfaces within 300 feet of the water can cover 15% of that part of the lot, up to 30% with a permit and a plan to make up for it.
• Small lakesNo water-access lots on lakes and ponds under 50 acres.
• Look the lake upSize, depth, fish, landings and invasives for every lake with a public landing.Lake pages

From Shoreland Zoning Ordinance

An old cabin close to the water

• A lot of the old cabins sit closer than 75 feet. If it was legal when it was built, you can keep it up, fix it, or rebuild it on the same footprint, and go up as high as 35 feet.
• Adding on toward the side is limited: only if it's at least 35 feet from the water, 200 square feet over the cabin's whole life, with a permit and a mitigation plan. Adding on away from the water, outside the 75 feet, is easier.
• If the cabin sits unused for 12 months as a nonconforming use, that use can be lost. Talk to County Zoning before you buy.715-478-3893

From Shoreland Zoning Ordinance

Away from the water

• Zoned townsArgonne, Crandon (town), Hiles, Lincoln, Nashville and Wabeno are zoned by the county. The usual rural lot there is 2 acres; forestry and farm land is 10.
• Splitting landAnything under 5 acres has to be done by a certified survey map.
• Road frontageLots need 200 feet on a town or Forest Service road, 250 on a county road, 300 on a state highway. No new landlocked parcels.
• Private roadsA private road needs a 66-foot right-of-way with 20 feet kept clear for the fire truck and the ambulance.
• Everywhere elseAlvin, Armstrong Creek, Blackwell, Caswell, Freedom, Laona, Popple River and Ross aren't zoned, outside shoreland. The state building code still applies to a house.

From General Zoning Ordinance rev. 2023, Land Use Guide

Septic and the soil

• Vacant lotWhether a septic system will go on it comes down to the soil. A certified soil tester does the test, and you need a sanitary permit before the county gives a land use permit. Worth knowing before you close.
• Place with a systemIf it's 10 years old or more, the county wants a full evaluation before the sale. One done in the last 5 years counts.
• More on the 3-year pumping rule and permits.Septic, on Moving up here

From Land Use Guide, Sanitary Ordinance

The well

• Wisconsin doesn't require a well inspection or water test when a place sells, so ask for one. A licensed well driller or pump installer takes the samples. The DNR's usual tests are bacteria, nitrate and arsenic.
• Look up the well's construction report: county and road for wells drilled since 1988, township and section for older ones.DNR well reports · Buying a place with a well
• An old well you won't use has to be filled and sealed by a licensed driller or pump installer.

From dnr.wisconsin.gov RETransfer, dnr.wisconsin.gov Data, dnr.wisconsin.gov PurchaseWater

The road in

• Private roadsNaming a private road doesn't mean the town or county will keep it up, or that an ambulance can get down it. Ask who plows it and who fixes it.
• PlowingEvery town does its own. Argonne plows private drives on a yearly contract; Armstrong Creek doesn't plow driveways anymore. Ask at the town hall.Town websites
• Spring weight limitsCounty and town roads get posted when the frost goes out, most county roads at 6 tons an axle. Matters if you're hauling in a well rig, a cement truck or a load of logs.County road limits
• Driveway permits and the fire number are on Moving up here.Fire numbers and driveways

From Road Naming and Uniform Addressing, argonnewi.gov, armstrongcreek.org, Seasonal Weight Restrictions by County Road, wisconsindot.gov

Land in Managed Forest Law

• A lot of big parcels are enrolled in MFL: lower taxes in exchange for a forest plan, for 25 or 50 years. It stays with the land when it sells.
• Buying itThe new owner files a transfer form with the DNR within 30 days; it's $100. Miss it and the land can be pulled out with a withdrawal tax. Splitting a parcel only works if both pieces still qualify (20 acres, mostly forest).
• Getting outTaking land out early costs a withdrawal tax plus a $300 fee.
• Open or closedOpen land has to let the public hunt, fish, hike and ski. Closed costs more a year, and you can switch when you buy it.DNR MFL · Change of owner · MFL tax rates

From dnr.wisconsin.gov mfl, dnr.wisconsin.gov faqownership, dnr.wisconsin.gov faqenrollment, dnr.wisconsin.gov taxrates

Wetlands and flooding

• WetlandsFilling, digging, draining or building in a wetland usually takes a DNR permit, and the maps aren't perfect. The DNR will look at up to 5 acres for $300 an acre.Wetland map · DNR wetland permits
• FloodplainThe county's flood maps date from 2011. Check an address on FEMA's site, and ask County Zoning about the floodplain rules.FEMA flood maps · County floodplain ordinance

From dnr.wisconsin.gov permits, dnr.wisconsin.gov inventory, Forest County Floodplain Ordinance 2025 Update

A camper on your lot

• A camper parked more than 10 days needs a county zoning permit and has to meet the sanitary rules. One can stay on a lot for good, but not in a residential district; there it's just Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
• On shoreland, more than one camper takes 20,000 more square feet each, and no generators on lots with water frontage. Any lot with a camper needs a fire number.

From Shoreland Zoning Ordinance, General Zoning Ordinance rev. 2023

County land sales

• Now and then the county sells land it took for back taxes, by sealed bid. Each parcel has a minimum, and a bid goes in with a 10% deposit.
• It's sold as is, by quit claim deed, with no promise you can get to it or build on it, and title insurance may not be available for 3 years after the county took it.
• The last sale opened bids April 2, 2026. Check the county's page for the next one.County land sales

From NOTICE OF SALE BY FC 9 March 2026, Bid Sheet April 2026

Power and internet

• Some land way back in Popple River, Ross and Alvin isn't in any power company's territory on the state's map. Ask before you buy a lot that's far off the line. Internet depends on the road; check the state map.Power, gas and internet · Wisconsin broadband map

From psc.wi.gov