Certified survey map (CSM survey) in Wisconsin: cost, county review fees and licensed surveyor quotes
A certified survey map (CSM) is the Wisconsin document for splitting land into up to 4 parcels, adjusting a lot line or combining lots, and only a professional land surveyor can prepare it. Expect $1,500 to $4,000 from the surveyor for a simple two-lot split and up to $5,500 or more with acreage or a road dedication, plus $125 to $850 in local review fees and a flat $30 to record it. Approval must come within 90 days of submission.
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Who needs a certified survey map, and what you are paying for
You need a CSM when you divide Wisconsin land into 4 or fewer parcels, when you move a lot line with a neighbor, or when you combine lots into one. Section 236.34(1)(am) caps a CSM at 4 parcels unless a local ordinance allows more on commercial, multifamily, industrial or mixed-use land. Cross the subdivision threshold in 236.02(12), which is 5 or more parcels of 1 1/2 acres or less created at once or within 5 years, and you need a full subdivision plat instead.
The people who order these are selling a building lot off a farm, giving a parcel to a family member, splitting a house from its acreage before a sale, or cleaning up a lot line before a builder can pull a permit. They pay for three things: a professional land surveyor who researches the title and neighboring records, sets iron monuments at every new corner and draws the map to the statute (8 1/2 by 14 inch sheets, closure no worse than 1 in 3,000); a review fee to each body that has to sign it, which can be the town, the county and a nearby city or village; and $30 to record it with the register of deeds.
The statute sets the floor. Your county or town land division ordinance usually adds the rules that drive cost: minimum lot sizes, road frontage, soil tests on unsewered lots, and wetland or shoreland review. Our Wisconsin land surveyors page covers the licensing rules and what a CSM can and cannot do in more depth. This page is about the bill and how to buy it.
How much does a certified survey map cost?
The surveyor is most of the bill. The public fees are small but add up when three bodies each review the map, and the conditional items are where budgets get blown.
| Line item | Typical cost | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| CSM for a simple two-lot split, good records, sewered or small lots | $1,500 - $4,000 | Professional land surveyor |
| CSM on acreage, 3 or 4 lots, or with a road dedication or easements | $4,000 - $5,500+ | Professional land surveyor |
| Local review and approval | $125 - $850 per jurisdiction | Town, county, city or village |
| Recording the approved CSM | $30 flat, regardless of pages | County register of deeds |
| Extra review rounds after corrections | $100 - $400 each | Reviewing jurisdiction |
| Soil test for a new lot without sewer | Separate quote, plus local filing fee | Soil tester and county |
| Wetland delineation where the county requires one | $2,500 - $4,500 under 2 acres | Wetland consultant |
| Park fee in some cities (City of Kenosha, 1 and 2 family) | 5% of land value, not less than $1,415 per lot | City |
The surveyor ranges are market ranges. One Waunakee firm publishes approximate averages of $2,800 to $5,500 for a certified survey map, a fair picture of Dane County pricing. The $30 recording fee is set by state statute and is the same in every county. Soil tests matter when a new lot needs a private septic system; see our perc test cost guide for what those run.
Certified survey map review fees by Wisconsin county and city
These are the published CSM review fees from each jurisdiction's own fee schedule or application. Your map may need sign-off from more than one of them: Dane County, for example, requires the county, the town and any nearby city or village with extraterritorial review to approve.
| Jurisdiction | CSM review fee | Schedule date |
|---|---|---|
| Sauk County | $125 plus $25 per additional lot | Brochure 2023 |
| Waupaca County | $200 per map | Page as of 2026 |
| Town of Hortonia (Outagamie Co.) | $300 plus $20 per additional lot | Current schedule |
| Winnebago County | $300 | Page as of 2026 |
| Richland County | $300 plus $20 per lot | Resolution 25-118, Dec 2025 |
| Outagamie County | $350 plus $30 per lot; $100 for each review after the second | Effective Jan 1, 2024 |
| Waukesha County (town CSMs in shoreland areas) | $465 | 2026 schedule |
| Dane County | $265 per lot | 2021 schedule |
| City of Madison | $250 plus $200 per lot and outlot | Effective Jan 2021 |
| Brown County | $650 ($350 planning plus $300 property listing); retracement or combination CSM $400 | Page as of 2025 |
| City of Milwaukee | $640 combined (application, engineering review and recording); $200 more after two DPW reviews | Revised Feb 2024 |
| City of Kenosha | $750 for 2 lots, $800 for 3, $850 for 4; $1,500 with a developer agreement | As of Jan 2020 |
| State DOA (only CSMs over 4 parcels) | $100 | Wis. Admin. Code Adm 49.03 |
Fee schedules change, and several of these are a few years old; confirm the current figure with the planning or zoning office before you budget. The same two-lot split costs $150 in review fees in Sauk County and $650 in Madison or Brown County, and a town review can stack on top of the county one.
The same two-lot CSM, priced in six places
Public fees only, for a house lot split off a larger parcel (2 lots on the map), from the schedules above. The surveyor bill comes on top.
| Where | Review fee | Recording | Public fees total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauk County | $150 | $30 | $180 |
| Outagamie County | $410 | $30 | $440 |
| Dane County (county review only) | $530 | $30 | $560 plus town review |
| City of Milwaukee | $640 incl. recording | included | $640 |
| City of Madison | $650 | $30 | $680 |
| City of Kenosha | $750 | $30 | $780 |
Outagamie: $350 plus $30 for each of 2 lots. Dane: $265 for each of 2 lots on the 2021 schedule. Madison: $250 plus $200 for each of 2 lots; an outlot adds another $200. Milwaukee bundles recording into its $640.
What makes a CSM get rejected or cost more
Most overruns come from local conditions the surveyor has to satisfy, not from the drawing itself. Ask about each of these before you sign a quote.
- No sewer. A new lot without municipal sewer usually needs a soil test before the map is approved (Waukesha lists it as a submittal item; Richland charges a $125 soil test filing fee).
- Water nearby. Land within 1,000 feet of a lake, 300 feet of a navigable stream or in the 100-year floodplain can trigger county shoreland review and a wetland delineation report. The county keeps that review power even in towns that left county zoning.
- A road dedication or new easement. Allowed on a CSM, but it needs owners' and mortgagees' certificates and approval from the town, village or city board, which adds a meeting cycle.
- A mortgage on the parent parcel. The lender has to consent. Call them early; this is a common reason a finished map sits unsigned.
- Unpaid taxes. Milwaukee will not sign until current and prior year taxes and special assessments are paid in full.
- Lot size and frontage. Each new lot must meet the zoning district minimums and, in some counties, abut a public road. A lot that fails means a redesign, not a correction.
- Correction rounds. Outagamie charges $100 for each review after the second, Milwaukee $200 after two engineering reviews, City of Kenosha $400 per resubmittal. A surveyor who works in your county regularly draws a map that passes the first time.
How long does a certified survey map take?
1.
Check the local ordinance first
Before you spend on field work, confirm with the town and county that the split is allowed: minimum lot size, frontage, and whether a nearby city or village has extraterritorial review. Your surveyor can make these calls for you.
2.
Research and field work, 2 to 4 weeks
The surveyor pulls deeds, earlier CSMs and plats for your parcel and the neighbors, recovers existing corners and sets new iron monuments at every new corner.
3.
Draft and pre-review
The map is drafted to the statute and usually sent for an informal check. Kenosha County quotes four to eight weeks from a complete submittal, and Milwaukee about one month for engineering review.
4.
Approval, 90 days at most
Under 236.34(1m)(f) each approving authority must approve, approve with conditions or reject in writing within 90 days of submission, unless you agree to an extension. If it does not act, the map is approved. Sauk County commits to 45 days.
5.
Record within 12 months
The register of deeds will only accept the CSM within 12 months of the last approval and 36 months of the first. Record it, pay the $30, and the new parcels can be sold by CSM number and lot. Milwaukee puts the whole process at about three months.
Certified survey map questions
How much does a certified survey map cost in Wisconsin?
Most simple two-lot CSMs cost $1,500 to $4,000 from the surveyor, and up to $5,500 or more on acreage, with 3 or 4 lots or a road dedication. Add $125 to $850 for each local review and a flat $30 to record. Soil tests, wetland reports and extra review rounds are extra.
Who can prepare a certified survey map?
Only a Wisconsin professional land surveyor. Section 236.34(1m)(a) requires the survey to be performed and the map prepared by one, and the surveyor certifies on the map that it is a correct representation of the land and complies with the statute. A title company, engineer or the owner cannot substitute.
How many lots can you create with a CSM?
Four parcels, counting lots and outlots, under 236.34(1)(am). A municipality, town or county with a planning agency can raise that number by ordinance, but only for land zoned commercial, multifamily, industrial or mixed use. Five or more small parcels within 5 years is a subdivision and needs a full plat.
How long does it take to get a certified survey map approved?
The approving authority has 90 days from submission to approve, approve with conditions or reject, and silence counts as approval. In practice two to three months from order to recording is common: Milwaukee estimates about three months and Kenosha County four to eight weeks for review alone.
How much does it cost to record a certified survey map?
A flat $30 per map in every Wisconsin county, regardless of the number of pages, under the state recording fee statute. A subdivision plat costs $50 to record. Some cities, such as Milwaukee, collect the recording fee as part of their combined application fee.
Does a CSM expire if I do not record it?
Yes. The register of deeds can only accept a CSM offered within 12 months after the last approval and within 36 months after the first approval. Miss that window and the map has to go back through approval.
Can I use a certified survey map to combine lots or move a lot line?
Yes. A CSM can reconfigure lots and outlots of an earlier plat or CSM as long as it does not create a subdivision or break a local ordinance, and it cannot alter land already dedicated to the public. Brown County prices a combination CSM at $400 against $650 for a new split.
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