What is the difference between recorded acres and calculated acres?
Recorded acreage is listed on the deed or survey. Calculated acreage is derived from drawing all the parcels into one county-wide seamless parcel layer and will have discrepancies from recorded acres because they are forced to fit and account for possible overlaps and gaps. More times than not the recorded acres, calculated acres, and unrecorded map acres will be different. If the recorded and calculated acres are very different for a parcel, contact the assessor.

Recorded Acres: The acres recorded on a deed or Certified Survey Map (CSM). It may also have been carried over from many years ago by assessors or tax lister information when exact acreage was not important.

Calculated Acres: The acres calculated from our digital parcel mapping. Parcel boundaries are not based on good control or Public Land Survey System (PLSS) such as Survey Grade GPS so there are inherent errors built from the beginning. Additional errors are created when fitting the parcels together. For example, in the Geographic Information System the acreage is calculated from the water’s edge not the meander line. In the future, mapping on an accurate control grid will reduce the differences.

Map of Survey, Plat of Survey, or Unrecorded Map: These are not filed in the Register of Deeds office and are not reviewed by the County. At times these are only concept plans. These maps and any other maps are required by law to be filed in the County Surveyor’s office. When we become aware of surveys that have not been submitted to our office, we try to acquire them. In the past the County has not had a Land Records office or County Surveyor so many of those older maps have not been submitted. The map accuracy of an unrecorded map in today’s standards should be the same as a CSM.

Certified Survey Map (CSM): These are maps that are reviewed at the County and recorded in the Register of Deeds office. When the County reviews a map we find an error 90% of the time, then send it back to the surveyor for corrections. Once recorded, the information is then forwarded to the Tax Lister to update the recorded acres in the land records system (NOVUS).

Show All Answers

1. What is the difference between recorded acres and calculated acres?
2. I had a map of survey completed and filed in the Land Records office. Why is the map of survey not reflected on my tax bill or property description?
3. Why don’t the parcel lines match the true location on the interactive mapping site?
4. What is IR imagery and why is it important?
5. Can Land Records help me write a legal description?
6. Who is my assessor?
7. Where can I find property details not in Novus like house square footage and build dates?
8. How can I purchase property owned by Bayfield County?
9. How do I find historic tax records?
10. How do I find my property corners?
11. What is scale?
12. What years of aerial imagery does Bayfield County have online or as a hard copy?
13. How can I obtain Bayfield County GIS data?
14. How do I convert degrees - minutes - seconds to decimal degrees?
15. How do I find my correct address or apply for a new address?
16. What is the road right-of-way width and length?
17. How do I access property records online?
18. What is a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)? How do I obtain a LOMA?
19. Can I be taxed as Forestry and zoned as Agriculture?
20. How often is your parcel data updated on the website?
21. I am splitting my parcel into two parcels this year. What will my exact tax bill be?
22. How do I get a Bayfield County Plat Book?
23. Who owns the trees when the Highway Department cuts the road right-of-way?
24. How do I find out the registered agent office of an LLC?
25. Where do I find out if a property has a lien against it?
26. How do I find out if a surveyor is licensed?
27. How do I find information on easements or private access roads?