Measure Distance on a Map of Wisconsin
How much fence for the pasture, how long a trench to the barn, how far the drive is from the road to the house site. Tap out the line over aerial imagery and read its length at once.
Measure a line now
Tap the start, tap each corner, choose Done. The length appears in feet or miles.
Open Measure →What Measure is for
Measure is the quickest tool on the site. It reads no elevation, so it is instant and works anywhere on the map. Use it for the jobs where you need a length before you pace it out or ask for a quote:
- Fencing a pasture, a garden or a dog run, and pricing the wire and posts.
- Trenches and pipe runs: a water line to a barn, power to a shop, a drain to a ditch.
- Driveways and farm lanes, as a first length before the grade is checked.
- Hedges, windbreaks and tree lines along a field edge.
- Trail distances between two points on a map you are planning from.
How to measure a distance
- Find the place. Search an address or place name, and switch to the aerial basemap so fences, field edges and buildings are visible.
- Open Measure and tap the start point.
- Tap each corner along the line. Add as many points as you like; Undo point removes the last one, Clear starts over.
- Choose Done. The panel shows the total length, in feet or, for longer lines, miles, and how many points the line has.
- Draw a new line to measure the next one.
Zoom in before you tap the corners that matter. The length is only as good as the points you place.
Map distance versus ground distance
The length is the plan distance: what a map or a site plan shows, as if the ground were flat. On a slope, the fence you buy and the distance you walk are longer. On gentle farmland the difference is small; on the bluffs along the Mississippi or the sides of a Driftless coulee it adds up.
| Slope (degrees) | Slope (percent) | Ground distance longer than map distance by about |
|---|---|---|
| 5° | 9% | 0% |
| 10° | 18% | 2% |
| 15° | 27% | 4% |
| 20° | 36% | 6% |
| 25° | 47% | 10% |
| 30° | 58% | 15% |
To see how steep the ground is along your line, draw it again with Elevation Profile. It gives the climb, the descent and the grade section by section, and the steeper stretches tell you where to add the extra.
When length is not the whole answer
Measure gives flat distance. These tools add the ground.
Measuring along a parcel line
Select the parcel with the Property tool first so its boundary is drawn on the map, then open Measure and tap along it. That gives a fair idea of how much fence a boundary needs. Parcel lines are the assessor's maps, drawn for property tax, and can differ from the fences and corners on the ground and from recorded surveys. If the fence is going on the line, or a setback depends on it, a licensed land surveyor should mark the corners first.
About the data
Ground elevations come from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) seamless bare-earth model, with elevations above NAVD 88. Source cells are 3.3 ft per pixel in the finest work units, with about 9.8 ft per pixel and 33 ft per pixel sources elsewhere. USGS elevation data is public domain. Lidar coverage and source dates vary across Wisconsin. Check your site against the USGS 3DEP work-unit index; an unavailable lookup means coverage is unknown. Measure itself reads no elevation: the length is computed from the points you tap. The elevation model is used by Elevation Profile and the other tools. More from the USGS 3D Elevation Program and Wisconsin elevation resources.
Frequently asked questions
How do I measure a distance on the map?
Open Measure, tap the start point, then tap each corner along the line. Choose Done. The panel shows the total length and the number of points. Undo point removes the last corner while you are drawing.
Does the measurement allow for hills?
No. It is the flat map distance, the length a site plan would show. On sloping ground the length along the surface is longer: about 6% more on a 20° slope and about 15% more on 30°. Draw the same line with Elevation Profile to see the slope along it.
How accurate is it?
The length is computed on the earth’s surface between the points you tap, so it is as accurate as your taps. Zoom in on the aerial basemap for the corners that matter. It does not replace a survey for a boundary question.
Can I measure my property line?
You can measure along the parcel line drawn on the map, but parcel lines are the assessor’s maps for property tax, not surveys, and can differ from the corners on the ground. For a boundary dispute, a fence on the line or a setback, hire a licensed land surveyor.
Can I measure an area instead of a length?
Measure gives length only. For the area of a parcel or a drawn shape, select it and run Terrain Stats, which reports the measured area along with the elevation range.
Does it need a pass?
No. Measure runs on the map, for free, with no account. It has no download.
Related guides
- How to create an elevation profile — the climb and grade along the same line.
- Slope maps for building on sloping land — how steep the ground your line crosses is.
- Contour map of your property — the shape of the whole parcel.