WisDOT highways and your land
Highway projects and your property / How can we help you? This is your public information site on WisDOT's right of way acquisition processes, contacts and more.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Bureau of Technical Services-Real Estate (WisDOT/BTS-RE) works to acquire the real property needed for highway construction and highway related facilities. This page is intended to provide the general public with basic information about the WisDOT acquisition process as it relates to highway improvement projects. As part of any acquisition, we also provide relocation assistance and services to all individuals and businesses that may be displaced because of a highway project and so we have included some basic information about relocation assistance and services as well. WisDOT/Real Estate is also charged with the mission to sell or lease property that we've acquired in the past as part of a highway construction project, but that has since been deemed to be surplus. See 'How WisDOT sells surplus lands' and check the regional postings for current offerings. Any consultants interested in doing work for us with experience in eminent domain processes are directed to the solicitation and consultant specific information as linked at the bottom of this page.
Mission
Our WisDOT Real Estate Section mission is to provide customer focused real estate leadership and guidance in support of division and department goals for a quality statewide transportation system.
Contacts - doing business with WisDOT Real Estate
Information - basic Wisconsin citizen rights explained
Information - federal based
Note: This excerpt and text was taken directly from and links directly back to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/Realty page. See information they've put together as a broad summary and overview, developed to help introduce and explain basic federal based programs and how they may relate to owners and tenants.
- "Government programs designed to benefit the public as a whole often result in acquisition of private property, and sometimes in the displacement of people from their residences, businesses, nonprofit organizations, or farms. The information on this page provides basic information on your rights as an owner or tenant of real property to be acquired for a federally-funded program or project. The agency responsible for the federally-funded program or project in your area will have specific information regarding your acquisition. Please contact the sponsoring agency to receive answers to your specific questions.
[The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)/Real Estate is your sponsoring agency; contact the regional office for your location.]
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Acquisition: Acquiring Real Property for Federal and Federal-Aid Programs and Projects - Government programs designed to benefit the public as a whole often result in acquisition of private property and, sometimes, in the displacement of people from their residences, businesses or farms. Acquisition of this kind has long been recognized as a right of government and is known as the power of eminent domain.
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Your Rights and Benefits as a Displaced Person (also
Spanish version) - Government programs designed to benefit the public as a whole often result in acquisition of private property, and sometimes in the displacement of people from their residences, businesses, nonprofit organizations, or farms.
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Real Estate Acquisition Guide for Local Public Agencies - This publication serves as a basic reference for agencies and others who receive Federal-aid highway funds for projects involving the acquisition of real property. As an owner or tenant this book provides a general outline of the process that is typically followed when a public project is developed."
Related highway real estate information
Solicitation and consultant specific information