Wisconsin Court Records Search

Wisconsin Court System

The state's Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for the state and has 16 judges who sit to hear appeals. These judges come from the four districts of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Wausau, and Madison. The judges are elected into office and serve six-year terms. The Court of Appeals processes about 1,200 cases per year.

Supreme Court

Court of Appeals

Circuit Court

Municipal Court

WI Public Records That are not Open to the Public

Most WI state records will be readily available to the general public with a few exceptions listed in the WI statutes as stated below: "Any record containing personally identifiable information that, if disclosed, would do any of the following:

- Endanger an individual's life or safety.

- Identify a confidential informant.

- Endanger the security, including the security of the population or staff, of any state prison under s. 302.01, jail, as defined in s. 165.85 (2) (bg), juvenile correctional facility, as defined in s. 938.02 (10p), secured residential care center for children and youth, as defined in s. 938.02 (15g), mental health institute, as defined in s. 51.01 (12), center for the developmentally disabled, as defined in s. 51.01 (3), or facility, specified under s. 980.065, for the institutional care of sexually violent persons.

- Compromise the rehabilitation of a person in the custody of the department of corrections or detained in a jail or facility identified in subd. 2. c."

WI Court Case Filing Information

The Wisconsin Court System Website makes it easy for patrons to file cases in many types of court cases. On their website (wicourts.gov), they offer forms for Circuit Courts and the Court of Appeals. They have them for common types of cases such as criminal, civil, family issues, juvenile matters, guardianships, mental health cases, probate/estate issues, and small claims cases. This state also has a nice eFiling system where patrons can log on and pay traffic tickets, fines, fees, and other court charges along with filing forms. This area is especially helpful to self-represented individuals who will not be using an attorney for their case. Their website also provides a p.o. box address, FAQs, clerk of courts office information, county board details, Consolidated Court Automation Programs (CCAP), list of court staff, general information about jury management, along with self-help resources and the Wisconsin state law library.

Search WI Records Online

WI records are easy to find when you search using Infotracer. With access to hundreds of state court cases, including the areas of Milwaukee County, Dane County, and Waukesha County, Infotracer is the place to go. Thanks to Freedom of Information Act and WI Open Records Law WI Statute 19.21 et seq., just about anyone has access to criminal records, Circuit court records, restraining orders, different case types and case numbers, register of deeds, public health rulings, child support issues, name changes, civil cases, family and probate court matters, divorces, bankruptcies and more.

A WI court records search may be performed privately by anyone without needing permission. The person searching doesn’t even need a reason. Most records for this state will show up except when sealed by court order or kept private by law.

Enjoy free instant access to WI records from Infotracer when you use a WI state court records search by name. It’s easy to look up cases online and find court documents from the state's Circuit and Municipalities in all nine judicial districts in the state.

Wisconsin Court Statistics

In 2012, the Wisconsin courts received 427,496 filings. In 2016, the number of filings decreased by 17.2% and counted 353,884 filings and had 354,896 outgoing cases

Family Court Cases

Domestic relations caseload of Wisconsin at year end of 2016 has decreased by 15.5% compared to the last 5 years, in 2012 the number of incoming cases have been 55,922 but are higher than in 2015.

Wisconsin Criminal Caseloads

The number of criminal cases in Wisconsin courts counts to 110,725, with 39,157 felony cases and 71,568 misdemeanors accordingly.

Circuit Courts

Circuit Courts are the general jurisdiction trial courts for the state. It has 249 Circuit Court judges. These courts are split into branches with at least one in each county. Only six counties share judges. Those paired counties are Buffalo/Pepin, Florence/Forest, and Shawano/Menominee. Each Circuit Court district has a Chief Judge who is appointed by the Supreme Court. He or she may serve three consecutive two-year terms. They may also appoint a deputy chief judge to assist them. Circuit Courts are funded, by both county and state funds. Judges are paid through state funds, and counties pay for operating costs. Each county also has a clerk of Circuit court, also called county clerks to help with questions and administrative tasks. Through he state website the public may gain Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA).

Municipal Courts

Municipal Courts are the limited jurisdiction courts for the state. They handle mostly local ordinance violations like parking and traffic tickets, including DWIs. They also handle juvenile issues like underage drinking, drug charges, curfew violations, truancy, and other items. These courts also handle building code violations, disorderly conduct issues, health code and animal control violations, trespassing, and other local city issues. The state has 237 of these courts with 240 judges presiding. Sixty-seven of these courts serve multiple municipalities. Any incorporated city here can start a Municipal courthouse, and the judicial branch website has a packet to help them get started.