County report card · Wisconsin
Clark County, Wisconsin
County portal uses an access restriction which deters automated access but may be bypassed by determined actors
- Population
- 34,801
- Portal
- Assessor & Recorder
- Portal vendor
- Not identified
What the audit checked
Four low-cost protections every online records portal can have. How we rate counties.
- robots.txtYes — permissive
- Terms of useNot checked
- Bot challengeAccess denied to automated clients
- Owner notificationUnknown
Portal audited: ascent.co.clark.wi.us/LandRecords/PropertyListing/RealEstateTaxParcel#/Search, www.clarkcountywi.gov/county-clerk, www.clarkcountywi.gov/register-of-deeds, clarkcowi.wgxtreme.com/, maps.sco.wisc.edu/Parcels/, tapestry.fidlar.com
Doing well
- Technical barriers (access_denied) that deter casual bulk access
Room to grow
- Expanding the robots.txt file to disallow automated scrapers
What to ask for
Three low-cost steps that have worked in other counties to close gaps like this one:
1. Adding clear robots.txt rules that disallow automated scrapers
2. Updating the Terms of Use to prohibit automated access
3. Implementing a notification system that alerts residents when their records are accessed
The full playbook is What Counties Can Do.