Land Records Division

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The Land Records Division encompasses the offices of the County Surveyor and Real Property Lister. Below are descriptions of each position.

County Surveyor

Duties:

Reestablish and maintain the corners of the Public Lands Survey (PLSS)
Review survey maps for compliance with state statutes & local ordinances
Index and maintain copies of all surveys in the county
Perform survey work for other government agencies
Assist the public with land surveying and land ownership questions

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Real Property Lister

Duties:

Maintain ownership and assessment information for all Eau Claire County municipalities except the City of Eau Claire
Furnish assessors with their forms, work rolls, and completed assessment rolls
Create and maintain an up-to-date property listing file which accurately displays the ownership, mailing address, and tax status of every tax parcel within the county

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Photo of a historic survey team

Why is the PLSS important to the County Surveyor and Eau Claire County?

From 1846 to 1853, Eau Claire County's system of property line boundaries were originally laid out with physical markers. If you look at a map or an air photo, you will see that land is arranged in a series of one mile squares. This grid represents the method used to locate property under a system largely designed by Founding Father Thomas Jefferson called the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). This grid system provides a basis for clear and unambiguous title to land, together with the physical means by which that title can be inherited and transferred. At the corner of each of those one mile squares and on the lines halfway between each of those corners, there is a monument in the field which represents the position of the marks placed between 1846 and 1853. It is the responsibility of the County Surveyor to preserve and perpetuate the location of these corners, which are essential to accurately determine the boundaries of individual properties.

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