The approximate representation of real property areas in Lake County, Minnesota.

This map shows the free and open data status of county public geospatial (GIS) data across Minnesota. The accompanying data set can be used to make similar maps using GIS software.

Counties shown in this dataset as having free and open public geospatial data (with or without a policy) are: Aitkin, Anoka, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Big Stone, Carlton, Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Dakota, Douglas, Grant, Hennepin, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac qui Parle, Lake, Lyon, Marshall, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Norman, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Renville, Rice, Scott, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Steele, Stevens, Traverse, Wabasha, Waseca, Washington, Wilkin, Winona, Wright, and Yellow Medicine.

To see if a county's data is distributed via the Minnesota Geospatial Commons, check the Commons organizations page: https://gisdata.mn.gov/organization

To see if a county distributes data via its website, check the link(s) on the Minnesota County GIS Contacts webpage: https://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/county_contacts.html

County Geologic Atlases (CGA) are prepared jointly by the Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Part A of each county atlas is completed by the MGS and provides a detailed account of geologic materials in the county. Part B of each county atlas is completed by the Minnesota DNR and shows groundwater and hydrology information.This story map focuses on Lake County (full publication). The CGA provides information essential to sustainable management of groundwater resources for applications such as monitoring, water allocation, permitting, remediation, and well construction. The maps and Geographic Information Science (GIS) data define aquifer properties and boundaries, as well as the connection of aquifers to the land surface and to the surface-water resources. It also provide a broad range of information on county geology, mineral resources (including construction materials), and natural history.

This dataset is a compilation of county parcel data from Minnesota counties that have opted-in for their parcel data to be included in this dataset.

It includes the following 55 counties that have opted-in as of the publication date of this dataset: Aitkin, Anoka, Becker, Benton, Big Stone, Carlton, Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Dakota, Douglas, Fillmore, Grant, Hennepin, Houston, Isanti, Itasca, Jackson, Koochiching, Lac qui Parle, Lake, Lyon, Marshall, McLeod, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Norman, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Renville, Rice, Saint Louis, Scott, Sherburne, Stearns, Stevens, Traverse, Waseca, Washington, Wilkin, Winona, Wright, and Yellow Medicine.

If you represent a county not included in this dataset and would like to opt-in, please contact Heather Albrecht (Heather.Albrecht@hennepin.us), co-chair of the Minnesota Geospatial Advisory Council (GAC)’s Parcels and Land Records Committee's Open Data Subcommittee. County parcel data does not need to be in the GAC parcel data standard to be included. MnGeo will map the county fields to the GAC standard.

County parcel data records have been assembled into a single dataset with a common coordinate system (UTM Zone 15) and common attribute schema. The county parcel data attributes have been mapped to the GAC parcel data standard for Minnesota: https://www.mngeo.state.mn.us/committee/standards/parcel_attrib/parcel_attrib.html

This compiled parcel dataset was created using Python code developed by Minnesota state agency GIS professionals, and represents a best effort to map individual county source file attributes into the common attribute schema of the GAC parcel data standard. The attributes from counties are mapped to the most appropriate destination column. In some cases, the county source files included attributes that were not mapped to the GAC standard. Additionally, some county attribute fields were parsed and mapped to multiple GAC standard fields, such as a single line address. Each quarter, MnGeo provides a text file to counties that shows how county fields are mapped to the GAC standard. Additionally, this text file shows the fields that are not mapped to the standard and those that are parsed. If a county shares changes to how their data should be mapped, MnGeo updates the compilation. If you represent a county and would like to update how MnGeo is mapping your county attribute fields to this compiled dataset, please contact us.

This dataset is a snapshot of parcel data, and the source date of the county data may vary. Users should consult County websites to see the most up-to-date and complete parcel data.

There have been recent changes in date/time fields, and their processing, introduced by our software vendor. In some cases, this has resulted in date fields being empty. We are aware of the issue and are working to correct it for future parcel data releases.

The State of Minnesota makes no representation or warranties, express or implied, with respect to the use or reuse of data provided herewith, regardless of its format or the means of its transmission. THE DATA IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITH NO GUARANTEE OR REPRESENTATION ABOUT THE ACCURACY, CURRENCY, SUITABILITY, PERFORMANCE, MECHANTABILITY, RELIABILITY OR FITINESS OF THIS DATA FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. This dataset is NOT suitable for accurate boundary determination. Contact a licensed land surveyor if you have questions about boundary determinations.

DOWNLOAD NOTES: This dataset is only provided in Esri File Geodatabase and OGC GeoPackage formats. A shapefile is not available because the size of the dataset exceeds the limit for that format. The distribution version of the fgdb is compressed to help reduce the data footprint. QGIS users should consider using the Geopackage format for better results.

The Minnesota Geological Survey has distributed the latest bedrock outcrop database. GIS data set consisting of more than 200,000 polygons that represent areas where bedrock is at and near the land surface. Attribute table includes descriptions of multiple features.

Compilation of 100,000 scale bedrock maps from MGS County Atlas products beginning with C-08, Fillmore County and ending with the newest Atlas, the Bedrock Geology of Lake County Minnesota for a total of 45 100k maps. Because the maps have been created by different authors over a significant time period, the edges of each map do not always align with adjacent maps and for this project no attempt was made to harmonize them. In addition, the map units may also have been change or updated between products separated by several years. However, in this compilation a single attribute table has been developed that includes all of the map labels as well as descriptive text and other fields that allow interpretations to be made between maps. Many of the map units are also part of the 2011 bedrock geologic map of Minnesota which provides another method of interpretation and description. In addition, the source field identifies which Atlas the polygons were originally part of and which will have additional information available about the units. This map is the foundation of a database of 100,000 bedrock mapping in Minnesota that is intended to be updated as new County Atlas mapping is completed and as time permits to be used to develop a common index of bedrock geologic units in Minnesota.

Updated on: 8/4/25

This dataset contains lidar-derived elevation products for the Minnesota portion of the Red River of the North Basin. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) processed the data to make it consistent with other lidar data available in Minnesota, including converting it to UTM Zone 15 coordinates and tiling to 3.25 square mile blocks based on 1/16 of a standard USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle.

Data covers the following Minnesota counties: Becker, Beltrami, Big Stone, Clay, Clearwater, Grant, Kittson, Koochiching (northern portion), Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau, Stevens, Traverse, Wilkin. Products included are: One- and three-meter DEMs, one- and three-meter hillshades, and two-foot contours, plus a tile index map for each county. Since breaklines were not available for all of the Minnesota portion of the basin, the data has not been hydro-flattened.

The original data was provided by the International Water Institute (IWI) and the United States Geological Survey. IWI's Red River Basin Mapping Initiative acquired a highly accurate digital elevation model (DEM) for the Red River of the North Basin south of the U.S./Canada border in UTM Zone 14 coordinates.

This metadata record was created at the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office by combining information from the IWI and DNR.

DOUGLAS COUNTY SURVEY/GISGIS PARCEL MAPPING GUIDELINES FOR PARCEL DISCREPANCIESIt is the intent of the Douglas County GIS Parcel Mapping to accurately identify the areas of land parcels to be valued and taxed 1. Discrepancies in areas• The Auditor/Assessor (tax) acreage areas started with the original US General Land Office (GLO) township plat maps created from the Public Land Survey (PLS) that was done between 1858 and 1871. The recovery of the PLS corners and the accurate location of these corners with GPS obtained coordinates has allowed for accurate section subdivisions, which results in accurate areas for parcels based on legal descriptions, which may be significantly different than the original areas. (See Example 2)• Any parcel bordering a meandered lake and/or a water boundary will likely have a disparity of area between the Auditor/Assessor acreages and the GIS acreages because of the inaccuracy of the original GLO meander lines from which the original areas were determined. Water lines are not able to be drafted to the same accuracy as the normal parcel lines. The water lines are usually just sketched on a survey and their dimensions are not generally given on a land record. The water boundaries of our GIS parcels are located from aerial photography. This is a subjective determination based on the interpretation by the Survey/GIS technician of what is water. Some lakes fluctuate significantly and the areas of all parcels bordering water are subject to constant change. In these cases the ordinary high water line (OHW) is attempted to be identified. Use of 2-foot contours will be made, if available. (See Example 1)• Some land records do not accurately report the area described in the land description and the description area is ignored. (See Example 3)• The parcel mapping has made every attempt to map the parcels based on available survey information as surveyed and located on the ground. This may conflict with some record legal descriptions.Solutions• If an actual survey by a licensed Land Surveyor is available, it will be utilized for the tax acreage.• If the Auditor/Assessor finds a discrepancy between the tax and GIS areas, they will request a review by the County Survey/GIS department.• As a starting guideline, the County Survey/GIS department will identify all parcels that differ in tax area versus GIS parcel area of 10 % or more and a difference of at least 5 acres. (This could be expanded later after the initial review.)• Each of these identified parcels will be reviewed individually by the County Survey/GIS department to determine the reason for the discrepancy and a recommendation will be made by the County Survey/GIS department to the Auditor/Assessor if the change should be made or not.• If a change is to be made to the tax area, a letter will be sent to the taxpayer informing them that their area will be changed during the next tax cycle, which could affect their property valuation. This letter will originate from the Auditor/Assessor with explanation from the County Survey/GIS department. 2. Gaps and Overlaps• Land descriptions for adjoining parcels sometimes overlap or leave a gap between them.o In these instances the Survey/GIS technician has to make a decision where to place this boundary. A number of circumstances are reviewed to facilitate this decision as these dilemmas are usually decided on a case by case basis. All effort will be made to not leave a gap, but sometimes this is not possible and the gap will be shown with “unknown” ownership. (Note: The County does not have the authority to change boundaries!)o Some of the circumstances reviewed are: Which parcel had the initial legal description? Does the physical occupation of the parcel line as shown on the air photo more closely fit one of the described parcels? Interpretation of the intent of the legal description. Is the legal description surveyable?Note: These overlaps will be shown on the GIS map with a dashed “survey line” and accompanying text for the line not used for the parcel boundary. 3. Parcel lines that do not match location of buildings Structures on parcels do not always lie within the boundaries of the parcel. This may be a circumstance of building without the benefit of a survey or of misinterpreting these boundaries. The parcel lines should be shown accurately as surveyed and/or described regardless of the location of structures on the ground. NOTE: The GIS mapping is not a survey, but is an interpretation of parcel boundaries predicated upon resources available to the County Survey/GIS department.Gary Stevenson Page 1 7/21/2017Example 1Example 2A Example 2B Example 3

BEDROCK GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE ARROWHEAD AREA, ST. LOUIS AND LAKE COUNTIES, MINNESOTA. Full set of digital files (GIS) and documentation can be found at the University of Minnesota.This Open-File Report (OFR) is a repository for on-going mapping in Lake and St. Louis counties that began in 2015 and will be largely completed by 2020. It contains preliminary bedrock and surficial geologic maps and associated products covering parts, and eventually all of the two counties. Because the counties are large, they have been divided for mapping purposes into subareas, each containing the name Arrowhead. Surficial maps are divided into 4 subareas referred to here as the Central (content prefixed “CA,” 2016, 2017); Southeastern (SeA, 2017, 2018); Southwestern (SwA), and Northern Arrowhead (NA) areas. Bedrock maps and associated files cover 3 subareas referred to as Central (CA, 2016); Southern (SA, 2017); and Northern Arrowhead (NA, 2018). Note that the boundaries of NA subareas differ somewhat between the surficial and bedrock maps. Products within this Open File Report include bedrock geologic maps, surficial geologic maps, bedrock topography and depth to bedrock maps, Quaternary stratigraphy, sand distribution models, corresponding GIS files, and other digital content. Ancillary files such as technical reports, geophysical imagery and models, and geochronologic data are included for bedrock mapping in the 3 bedrock subareas. Once these preliminary products are complete, the data and interpretations will be recombined into County Geologic Atlases that will supersede this OFR.

The bulk of the thin sections in the database are poorly located or not located at all, as they temporally span the entire history of the Minnesota Geological Survey. However many of the thin sections constructed since the 1970's can be fairly easily located via old field maps and notebooks on file at the Minnesota Geological Survey. Due to the overwhelming number of sections they have been located on an 'as-needed' basis, meaning that as we progress through different mapping project areas, every attempt was made to properly locate where the sample for the thin section was taken. Several hundred thin sections have been located, mainly in northeastern Minnesota in Cook and Lake Counties, in central St. Louis County, and Itasca County. All thin sections that were made since the advent of GIS and GPS are already located, having been stored with the data for individual mapping projects.

Olmsted County does not own or maintain this layer. The file geodatabase was downloaded and published to ArcGIS Online on August 1st, 2025. Related information is from the MN Geospatial Commons from August 1, 2025.Township, Range, and Section (TRS) Boundaries, Minnesota - Resources - Minnesota Geospatial CommonsThe source for this data set is the USGS 30-minute latitude by 60-minute longitude map series (1:100,000-scale). The following list identifies each of the 71 Minnesota maps in the series by its published map name and the date of map publication. The publication dates range between 1976 and 1994:Ada 1984, Aitkin 1994, Albert Lea 1985, Angle Inlet 1985, Anoka 1985, Austin 1985, Basswood Lake 1977, Battle Lake 1986, Baudette 1976, Bigfork 1976, Blackduck 1978, Brainerd 1986, Brookings 1985, Brule Narrows 1978, Cass Lake 1977, Cavalier 1985, Clear Lake 1985, Crane Lake 1978, Crookston 1984, Detroit Lakes 1986, Duluth 1980, Ely 1994, Fairmont 1985, Fargo 1985, Faribault 1985, Fosston 1985, Glencoe 1986, Grafton 1985, Grand Forks 1985, Grand Marais 1977, Grand Portage 1985, Grantsburg 1985, Grygla 1977, Hallock 1985, Hastings 1985, Hibbing 1978, International Falls 1978, La Crosse 1990, Lake Itasca 1985, Lake Minnewaska 1986, Litchfield 1986, Littlefork 1978, Milbank 1985, Mille Lacs Lake 1985, Montevideo 1986, Mora 1991, New Ulm 1986, Oak Island 1985, Outer Island 1990, Pigeon Point 1985, Pine River 1976, Pokegama Lake 1992, Port Wing 1980, Rochester 1985, Roseau 1976, Saganaga Lake 1976, Saint Paul 1985, Sandstone 1980, Sioux Falls 1985, St. Cloud 1986, Stillwater 1985, Thief River Falls 1985, Tracy 1986, Two Harbors 1976, Upper Red Lake 1978, Vermillion Lake 1994, Wahpeton 1985, Wheaton 1985, Willmar 1986, Winona 1985, Worthington 1985.Many irregularities occur when the theory of the PLSS is applied to land surveys on the ground. However, the PLSS acts today as the structure around which all legal descriptions of land parcels in Minnesota are based. It is, therefore, an important framework for most geographic investigations that require information about land ownership. PLSS information is intended to be used for regional studies conducted at the county or multi-county level. The section lines are not meant to be used as legal records.

Land located within 1,000 feet from the ordinary high water level of DNR public waters, i.e., lake, pond or flowage, as designated on the Carver County Zoning Map or by other designations. These lands in the unincorporated areas of Carver County are placed in the “Shoreland Overlay District”. Data is edited on an as needed basis.