Buying land up here

Who owns the land around it

About 40% of Vilas is state, federal, county or tribal land, and plenty of private lots back right up to it.

• State forestThe state owns about 149,700 acres here, close to a quarter of the county, most of it the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest. Every town has some. The whole state forest runs over 236,000 acres across Vilas, Oneida and Iron.
• County forestAbout 41,000 acres. Most of it is in Conover, then Cloverland and Plum Lake, with bits in Land O' Lakes, Lincoln, Lac du Flambeau and Washington.715-479-5160County forest map
• National forestAbout 54,000 acres of the Chequamegon-Nicolet. The Nicolet side is over east in Phelps, Conover and Washington, and it's more than half of Phelps. A smaller piece of the Chequamegon sits in the Town of Lac du Flambeau.
• Lac du FlambeauTribal land is about 4.5% of the county, most of it the Lac du Flambeau Reservation. Inside the reservation, building can fall under tribal rules and permits too, so call Tribal Land Management before you buy. A little tribal land in Phelps belongs to Lac Vieux Desert.715-588-4445
• Private land open to the publicMFL land enrolled as open is open for hunting, fishing, hiking, sightseeing and cross-country skiing, signs or not. Land shown as "USA" or "USA trust" in the plat book is tribal trust land and isn't open without the tribe's OK.DNR open lands map

From Vilas County Comprehensive Plan, dnr.wisconsin.gov nhal, CFL Acreage by County 2023, vilascountywi.gov index, vilascountywi.gov zoning, dnr.wisconsin.gov faqaccess

Look up a parcel

• Owner and taxesAscent Land Records has ownership and tax bills from 2020 on. Older bills, 2011 to 2022, are on a separate page by parcel number.715-479-3696Ascent Land Records · Old tax bills
• Lot lines on a mapVilasGEO is the county's map. There's a 3D LiDAR viewer in there too, handy for seeing how steep a lot drops to the water.VilasGEO
• Permits already on itZoning and septic permits on file, with scans of everything since June 2016 and older ones back to 1985 in some towns. Worth a look before you trust what anybody says is permitted.Permit lookup
• Deeds and easementsThe Register of Deeds is in the courthouse in Eagle River and takes cash or check only. The grantor and grantee index is online.715-479-3660Register of Deeds · Grantor index
• Once it's yours, sign up for the Register of Deeds' land notification alerts. They come by text now too.Land notification

From vilascountywi.gov index, vilascountywi.gov real property, vilascountywi.gov zoning, vilascountywi.gov register of deeds, landnotification.vilascountywi.gov

On the water

Anything within 1,000 feet of a lake, pond or flowage, or 300 feet of a river or creek, is shoreland. The county's shoreland rules cover it in every town, and a town rule that's stricter still counts.

• 75 feet backA new building sits 75 feet back from the high-water mark. If the houses on both sides are within 250 feet and both closer than 75, you can go to the average of theirs, but never closer than 35. New houses stay 15 feet off the side lines.
• Lot sizeA new lot on the water without sewer needs 20,000 square feet and 100 feet of frontage, with 16,500 square feet of it buildable. On sewer it's 10,000 and 65 feet. Older small lots that were legal when they were recorded can usually still be built on, as long as nobody combined them.
• Leave the treesThe first 35 feet from the water stays natural, except a view and path corridor about 35 feet wide for every 100 feet of frontage. From 35 to 300 feet back you can thin but not clear-cut. Taking out two or more dead or hazard trees, tell the zoning office first.
• Roofs and drivewaysOnce hard surfaces cover more than 15% of the lot within 300 feet of the water, you need a shoreland alteration permit and a runoff plan. 30% is the cap.
• Everything takes a permitDecks, patios, sheds, even a building with no foundation, and replacing one the same size. Windows, siding and shingles don't.715-479-3620
• Access lotsNo water-access lots on lakes under 100 acres.

From Vilas County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance 2 1 2017, vilascountywi.gov frequently asked questions, vilascountywi.gov index

An old cabin close to the water

• Lots of the old cabins here sit inside the 75 feet. As long as it was put up legally, it can stay, be repaired, or be torn down and rebuilt on the same spot, and you can raise it to 35 feet.
• Within 35 feet of the water, no adding out to the side at all. Between 35 and 75 feet, 200 square feet over the cabin's whole life, no closer to the water, and only with a mitigation plan. Past 75 feet, add on all you want.
• Rebuilding it means bringing the septic up to code too.
• Under the shoreland rules, a use that's been quit for 12 months can't come back. The general zoning ordinance makes an exception for places on the market or in probate, so ask the zoning office how it plays out on your lot before you buy.715-479-3620

From Vilas County Shoreland Zoning Ordinance 2 1 2017, Vilas County General Zoning Ordinance 12 15 2025

Away from the water

• Who does zoningCounty zoning covers every town, except the parts of Manitowish Waters and Presque Isle away from the water, where the town does it. Arbor Vitae, Land O' Lakes, Manitowish Waters, Presque Isle and St. Germain have their own town zoning, so you may need a town permit on top of the county's.Town zoning links
• Lot sizesOff the water without sewer, most residential districts want 1.5 acres and 100 feet wide. Rural residential is 5 acres, forestry 5 acres and 300 feet wide, agriculture 35.Lot size table · What's allowed where
• Splitting landMaking two or more pieces under 5 acres in five years goes through the county zoning committee. Five or more under an acre and a half in five years takes a state plat. Every new lot needs 33 feet on a public or easement road and legal access to a public road.
• Private easement roadsNothing gets built in a recorded easement or within 15 feet of the edge of the road, unless everybody with rights to it signs off.

From vilascountywi.gov, Zoning District Size and Setback Table 1 2026, Vilas County Subdivison Ordinance, Vilas County General Zoning Ordinance 12 15 2025

Septic and the soil

• Vacant lotIt comes down to the soil. A certified soil tester digs the test pits, then a licensed plumber applies for the sanitary permit. The county won't issue a zoning permit until that sanitary permit is issued; a perc test alone isn't enough. Find out before you close.Soil testers
• Old soil formsThe county doesn't take the old EH 115 forms anymore. If a system was put in on one, plan on a new soil boring for any repair, tank swap or rental permit.
• Place with a systemEvery tank gets pumped or inspected at least every three years, and the county mails a colored card when yours is due. A failing system has to be brought up to code, replaced, or shut off. Look up the permit on file before you buy.715-479-3619Permit lookup
• Bathroom in the garageOnly if there's a house on the lot.

From vilascountywi.gov septic, vilascountywi.gov frequently asked questions, 2023 Vilas County Private Sewage System Ordinance

The well

• Nothing in state law makes a seller inspect or test the well, so ask for it. Only a licensed well driller or pump installer can do the inspection. They test drinking water for coliform bacteria, nitrate and arsenic, and hunt for old unused wells on the place.
• Look up the well's construction report, sometimes called the well log.DNR well reports · Buying a place with a well
• Got an old well nobody uses? State law says only a licensed driller or pump installer can fill and seal it, and Vilas Land and Water Conservation has money to help with the bill.Well sealing help

From dnr.wisconsin.gov, vilascountywi.gov, 2020 Well Abandonment Flyer

The road in

• Driveway permitsMost towns want a driveway permit for a new drive off a town road; Lac du Flambeau doesn't. Off a county highway it's a county permit, and any culvert is on you. Off a state highway it's WisDOT.County highway permits
• Private roadsA shared drive serving three or more places counts as a private road. It has to be named, and everybody on it gets addressed off the new name. A driveway stays 5 feet off the neighbor's line unless they sign off. Ask who plows it and who fixes it.
• Fire numberThe county gives it out free, but only after a sanitary or building permit; it won't number vacant land or a lot that just needs power. The town charges for the sign and puts it up. Give it at least two weeks.715-479-3655Addressing questions
• SnowDon't push your driveway snow onto or across the road. Phelps posts a reminder that it's against state law.

From Vilas Addressing FAQ, vilascountywi.gov index, vilascountywi.gov permit applications documents, Vilas County General Zoning Ordinance 12 15 2025, phelpswi.gov

Land in Managed Forest Law

• More than 35,000 acres here were in MFL or the older forest tax programs in 2018, the most in Land O' Lakes. The deal is a cheaper tax bill in trade for managing the woods to a plan, signed up for 25 or 50 years. A sale doesn't end it.
• Buying itThe new owner sends the DNR a transfer form within 30 days, with a $100 fee. Skip it and the land can get pulled out with a withdrawal tax. Any piece split off has to qualify on its own: 20 acres, at least 80% productive forest.
• Building on itLand enrolled in 2017 or later can't have buildings except for storage. Older enrollments have their own test for what counts as a house.
• Getting outYou can pull land out any time, but it costs a withdrawal tax plus a $300 fee.
• Open or closedOpen land has to let the public hunt, fish, hike, sightsee and ski, and if there's no other way in, you have to let them cross your other land. Closed costs more: for land enrolled since 2005, $9.49 an acre a year against $1.90 open. You can switch when you buy.DNR MFL · Change of owner · MFL tax rates

From Vilas County Comprehensive Plan, dnr.wisconsin.gov mfl, dnr.wisconsin.gov faqownership, dnr.wisconsin.gov taxrates, dnr.wisconsin.gov faqaccess

Wetlands and flooding

• WetlandsAbout 17% of the county is wetland, and over 20% in Conover, Lac du Flambeau, Lincoln, Manitowish Waters and Winchester. The county wants buildings 10 feet off a wetland, and a new lot needs half its minimum area out of the wetland, 90% if it's under an acre and a half.
• Check before you buyFill or dig in a wetland and you'll likely need a DNR permit, and the DNR flat out advises against buying mapped wetland to build on. Their maps miss some, too. For $300 an acre, up to 5 acres, DNR staff will come out and show you where the wet ground starts.DNR wetland map · DNR wetland permits
• FloodplainThe county's floodplain rules go by FEMA flood maps dated June 5, 2012. Look the address up on FEMA's site, and building in a floodplain takes its own county permit.FEMA flood maps · County floodplain ordinance

From Vilas County Comprehensive Plan, Vilas County General Zoning Ordinance 12 15 2025, dnr.wisconsin.gov, Vilas County Floodplain Zoning Ordinance, vilascountywi.gov

A camper on your lot

• Camping on an empty lot takes a code septic system (even if the camper has its own tanks), written OK from the town, a county zoning permit, and the same setbacks as a house. One campsite per lot. The permit's one-time and good for good; it was $300 on the 2024 fee schedule.
• If the camper has a toilet or sink, it has to hook to a septic system or sewer. No porta-potties and no blue totes outside a licensed campground.
• On a lot with a house, one camper can be lived in one week a year. While you build, you can live in it up to a year once you have zoning and building permits, hooked up to septic. A camper just parked and not slept in only has to meet setbacks, with everything stowed.

From Vilas County General Zoning Ordinance 12 15 2025, 2023 Vilas County Private Sewage System Ordinance, vilascountywi.gov, Fee Schedule 1 1 2024

County land sales

• The county takes land for back taxes through a foreclosure the Treasurer handles. Some of it, if it's inside the county forest boundary, gets kept as county forest.
• In 2019 the county's forestry and land committee voted to sell tax-foreclosed land on the Wisconsin Surplus online auction instead of by sealed bid, and the county website still points there for its surplus auctions. Ask the Treasurer what's coming up.715-479-3609Wisconsin Surplus

From vilascountywi.gov index, 400 Forest Ownership, wxpr.org, vilascountywi.gov

Power and internet

• The county's 2023 plan has Wisconsin Public Service on most of the county, WE Energies in Phelps, Conover, Land O' Lakes and the north half of Washington, Xcel in Presque Isle, Boulder Junction, Manitowish Waters and Winchester, and Eagle River Light and Water around town. Check the state map for the exact line.Electric territory map
• Internet depends on the road you're on. Check the state map before you count on working from the lake.Wisconsin broadband map

From Vilas County Comprehensive Plan, psc.wi.gov