Library: Genealogy and Local History Resources: Land Records

Property Assessments & Tax Rolls

Property assessments and tax rolls establish exactly where individuals lived at a given time and are very useful for determining the age of a structure and chain of ownership for a building or piece of property. They are organized by township or city, and include: owner's name, description of property, valuation of lands and improvements as fixed by the Board of Review and the amount of property tax levied.

How to Locate Tax Roll Entries for Real Estate Parcels in Kenosha and Racine Counties

Overview of tax rolls

Tax rolls for the counties of Racine and Kenosha exist in two broad categories: city and county. To find a property in the city or county, you will need to know the legal description of the parcel. You will find this information in the current tax record. Search for the address in the tax lookup system.

Racine County

https://www.racinecounty.com/departments/county-treasurer/tax-inquiry

Kenosha County

https://www.kenoshacounty.org/963/Property-Taxes

The Kenosha Tax Parcel ID Numbering System chart on the left will help you understand to what the numbers refer.

There are different approaches for finding parcels in city tax rolls vs. township tax rolls. A detailed description of methods for locating tax roll entries for real estate parcels in Kenosha and Racine Counties is found below.

Patron Guide to Tax Roll Research
A user-friendly guide to looking up properties in the tax rolls.
City and County Land Parcel Information
In-depth guide to city and county land parcel and tax roll information
Property Record Form
Handy form to record property information, including tax records.

Government Land Office

Bureau of Land Management: General Land Office Records
Access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, including image access to more than five million Federal land title records issued between 1788 and the present.

Maps

Plat Maps of Racine and Kenosha Counties
Plat books and maps make use of the Public Land Survey System to represent land ownership patterns on a county-by-county basis. They are a great resource for tracing property owners and borders. The plat map for each year depicts the most updated information for the property at the time the County Register of Deeds' records were consulted. Such information includes the land owner, number of acres, placement of a house and sometimes other features.
Wisconsin Historical Society Maps and Atlases Collection
View more than 6,000 of historic maps of Wisconsin and the World, dating from as early as 1513. Examples of nearly every type of traditional cartographic medium can be found — from elaborate maps of Renaissance explorations to simple outline maps. These maps are an invaluable resource for researching the history of North American exploration, economic and social development, environmental change and genealogy.

Property Information

Racine County Register of Deeds
Documents recording the conveyance of real estate. Entries show number and type of deed, date, names of grantor and grantee, description of property, names of witnesses, amount paid, date recorded, and notarial acknowledgement.
Preservation Racine Newsletters
Volunteers from Preservation Racine perform extensive research on historically significant homes in Racine.

Genealogy and Local History Resources

Kenosha Tax Parcel ID Numbering System

Racine County Tax Inquiry Example

Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI)

Property Assessments & Tax Rolls

How to Locate Tax Roll Entries for Real Estate Parcels in Kenosha and Racine Counties

Government Land Office

Maps

Property Information