The address number identifies the distance from the point of origin or starting point, which is located in the southwestern corner of the county. A predominately west/east road will start at the west baseline of 100,000.  A predominately south/north road will start from the south baseline of 200,000. As addresses are assigned to the north and east they will increase. Addresses are issued at a rate of roughly 1,600 numbers per mile, or a new number approximately every 3.3 feet. Even numbers will be on the north and west sides of a road; odd numbers will be on the south and east sides of the road. Regular users of the Marathon County Uniform Addressing System, such as Citizens, Fire Departments, EMS, Sheriff’s Office personnel and other agencies such as the U.S Postal Service, can determine the general location of an address within Marathon County based upon the number. 

Marathon County Uniform Address Grid (PDF)

Marathon County's Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Department issues and administers all Uniform Addresses within Marathon County. To obtain an address, complete the Marathon County Uniform Site Address Application  (fillable pdf) and return the completed application to the Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Department. Detailed instructions are provided with the Application Form.
 

Typical Steps to Obtain an Address

1. Determine exact location for new driveway, if not already present on property.
2. Obtain Driveway Permit from appropriate agency. The actual address issuance is dependent upon the exact location of the driveway. Therefore, before a new Address can be issued, the exact driveway location must be known. Depending on the class of road the new driveway will be located on, along with any site-specific physical limitations that may exist, there may be different restrictions affecting the driveway location. Please contact the appropriate office regarding this prior to completing the Uniform Site Address Application. If the driveway will be located on a:
   • Town Road - Town officials may approve the driveway location and issue a permit. Find your Local Clerk.
   • County Road - The Marathon County Highway Department must approve the driveway location.
   • State or Federal Highway - The Wisconsin Department of Transportation must approve the driveway location.
3. Submit an Application

• Email the application to: Alexandra Peacock
• Mail the application to: Conservation, Planning & Zoning, 210 River Drive, Wausau, WI 54403
• Submit In Person at: 210 River Drive, Wausau, WI 54403

The assignment of all road names will be coordinated through Marathon County Conservation, Planning, & Zoning Department (CPZ). To ensure proper street name dedication, names should be submitted early in the plat/CSM review process. To maintain equality among developments, CPZ maintains a request list. This is a list of approved road names that have been reserved by individual developments. These names will only be held for two years at max. At that time, they will be removed and available to other developments. To keep order, road names should be submitted by the surveyor of the respective future road. The surveyor will have to provide the municipality, name of the plat, and survey firm to reserve a name.

Road Name Requirements

A proposed road name must:

• Comply with any existing municipality rules
• Not be a duplicate or similar road name. The use of an existing road name with a different prefix or suffix will not be allowed (such as Pine Rd, Pine Ln, N Pine Ct, S Pine Cir, etc.). Review the Master Road Name Index to verify there are no duplicates or similarities
• Not contain special characters in road names (such as hyphens, apostrophes, or dashes)

Request a New Road Name

Staff from the Conservation, Planning, and Zoning Department will review the request. We reserve the right to deny any name that may interfere with the efficiency of the E911 system. Upon approval, we will send the request to the appropriate municipality for approval. Contact Alexandra Peacock, GIS Specialist, via email at Alexandra.peacock@co.marathon.wi.us or phone at 715-261-6000 with any questions.

Complete the form and submit payment to:
Conservation, Planning, & Zoning
210 River Drive
Wausau WI 54403

Check or money order should be made payable to: Marathon County