PROPERTY LINES

NOTE: Information contained herein is current as of 3/30/2023

CITY OF MENASHA  Community Development Department

100 Main Street, Suite 200

 Phone (920) 967-3650  website: http://www.menashawi.gov

PROPERTY LINES

How do I find my property line?

Official Lot Survey. The best and most accurate way to identify your property lines is to hire a licensed land

surveyor to do a plat of survey or certified survey map (CSM). Surveyors are licensed by the State of Wisconsin and

can be found by searching "Surveyors-Land".

Locate Your Property Stakes.* When lots are created, metal property

stakes are placed at the corners of the lot. Alternative names for these

official property stakes include property irons and pins.

 How do I know where to look for my property stakes? The

easiest way to know where to begin looking for your property

stakes is to get a map of your property from your County's

Mapping Website. Please see the section below on Winnebago

and Calumet County Mapping websites.

 What if the stakes are not visible? When installed, property

stakes are placed flush with ground if practicable, per WI

statute 236.15. Over time they often become buried due to

landscaping, paving, or grading changes. Borrowing or renting

a metal detector can be helpful in finding buried property

irons.

 *Disclaimer: Finding the property irons is not a guarantee that

you have located your property lines, especially in older

neighborhoods. Sometimes survey stakes have been moved or

removed. Other times, you may think you have located the

iron that reflects the corner of your lot, while in fact you have

located the stakes for rear yard neighbor's property (see Figure

2 for an illustration). In other instances, small strips of

property may have been transferred between abutting lots via

legal instruments that do not require the placement of new

property irons. In these cases the new lot lines may not even

be reflected in your county's mapping system.

 What if I can't find my property stakes and am unable or

unwilling to hire a surveyor? The property owner is responsible

for preserving and/or documenting the location of their

property stakes. Maps and aerial photos are available at City

Hall that may be useful to residents who wish to attempt to

locate their own stakes. Ultimately it may be necessary to hire

a licensed Surveyor to legally re-establish the location of

property lines.

IGURE

EAR

ROPERTY STAKES MAY BE

CLOSE TOGETHER

; MAKE SURE YOU HAVE

THE CORRECT STAKE IDENTIFIED

IGURE

HAT DOES A PROPERTY STAKE

LOOK LIKE IN THE GROUND

NOTE: Information contained herein is current as of 3/30/2023

Penalty for disturbing property monuments (property stakes).

Per WI Statue 236.32, any person who knowingly removes or disturbs any such monument without the permission

of the governing body of the municipality or county in which the subdivision is located or fails to report such

disturbance or removal to it, may be fined not more than $250 or imprisoned not more than one year in county jail.

The city does not enforce the state statue as this would be civil matter.

Can the City locate my property lines for me?

No, the City of Menasha does not have available certified staff to locate property lines.

Will the City resolve a property line dispute between neighbors?

Property line disputes are private, civil matters. The city does not get involved in resolving property line disputes.

How do I get a map of my property?

County Mapping Websites. The easiest and most efficient way to find information on your property is to utilized

Winnebago and Calumet County's digital mapping systems. These websites are fully functioning Geographic

Information Systems (GIS) that contain various types of property related information, including lot lines.

Winnebago County GIS https://wcgis3.co.winnebago.wi.us/parcelviewer/

Calumet County GIS https://calumetcowi.wgxtreme.com/

Subdivision Plat Maps. The city retains paper copies of all subdivision plats within the City of Menasha. These can be

made available upon request for viewing in the Community Development Department. In many cases, the County

web-based mapping is more current, as it reflects lot-line changes that may have occurred to property lines after the

initial subdivision was platted. The county website also contains information on properties that may not be part of a

legally platted subdivision.

Disclaimer

This information is only a general guide to help you locate your property lines. While we have made an attempt to

answer the questions most often asked of this department, your situation may not be included. For more

complicated situations not addressed in this factsheet, such as easements and floodplain, feel free to contact the

Community Development department to discuss your project.

Recommended Actions

Call Diggers Hotline. Please remember that there may be underground electric,

phone or cable T.V. wires buried on your property in easements that are

generally 5' or 6' wide on your side and rear lot lines. Please call the Digger's

Hotline before you do any digging on your property.

DIGGERS HOTLINE: 811 or (800) 242-8511 www.diggershotline.com