Wisconsin, Public Records Directory

Wisconsin Public Records

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Official Wisconsin sources for criminal, court, vital, business and property records.

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Wisconsin record topics

Open a topic page for the official Wisconsin offices that keep that kind of record.

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Wage Theft Records

Every U.S. Labor Department wage and hour case in Wisconsin by employer, with the back wages agreed and where to file a wage claim.

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State overview

About Wisconsin public records

Wisconsin's circuit courts are the trial courts, with at least one branch serving every county; appeals go to the Court of Appeals, in four districts, and then the Supreme Court. Records of state and local authorities are open under the Public Records Law, explained below.

A Wisconsin business contact may lead to an entity filing or a professional credential. Consult the Reverse Phone Lookup and Email Search guide for telephone and email research and removal options. Verify the connection in the relevant Wisconsin record, taking care to distinguish an entity's registered agent from its owner.

State snapshot

Quick tip: birth, marriage, death and divorce certificates can be ordered from any Wisconsin county Register of Deeds office as well as the state Vital Records Office in Madison.

Bonus tip: an expunged court case still shows on the DOJ criminal history, because expungement clears only the court record (Wisconsin DOJ Crime Information Bureau and form CR-266).

Open the dedicated background page for a deeper history, civic overview, and statewide public records context beyond the agency directory. Open the about page.

Find your county

Wisconsin counties, click yours

Every county on the map opens its own records page, with the courts, clerk, sheriff and offices for that county.

The Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, photographed by Carol M. Highsmith
The Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, photographed by Carol M. Highsmith. Completed in 1917, it is the only state capitol built on an isthmus, and its dome is the only granite dome in the country.Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. No known restrictions on publication. See the catalog record.
Adams CountyAshland CountyAshlandBarron CountyBarronBayfield CountyBayfieldBrown CountyBrownBuffalo CountyBuffaloBurnett CountyBurnettCalumet CountyChippewa CountyChippewaClark CountyClarkColumbia CountyColumbiaCrawford CountyCrawfordDane CountyDaneDodge CountyDodgeDoor CountyDoorDouglas CountyDouglasDunn CountyDunnEau Claire CountyEau ClaireFlorence CountyFlorenceFond du Lac CountyFond du LacForest CountyForestGrant CountyGrantGreen CountyGreenGreen Lake CountyIowa CountyIowaIron CountyIronJackson CountyJacksonJefferson CountyJuneau CountyJuneauKenosha CountyKenoshaKewaunee CountyKewauneeLa Crosse CountyLafayette CountyLafayetteLanglade CountyLangladeLincoln CountyLincolnManitowoc CountyManitowocMarathon CountyMarathonMarinette CountyMarinetteMarquette CountyMenominee CountyMilwaukee CountyMilwaukeeMonroe CountyMonroeOconto CountyOcontoOneida CountyOneidaOutagamie CountyOzaukee CountyOzaukeePepin CountyPepinPierce CountyPiercePolk CountyPolkPortage CountyPortagePrice CountyPriceRacine CountyRacineRichland CountyRock CountyRockRusk CountyRuskSauk CountySaukSawyer CountySawyerShawano CountyShawanoSheboygan CountySheboyganSt. Croix CountySt. CroixTaylor CountyTaylorTrempealeau CountyVernon CountyVernonVilas CountyVilasWalworth CountyWashburn CountyWashington CountyWaukesha CountyWaupaca CountyWaupacaWaushara CountyWausharaWinnebago CountyWood CountyWood

The names are written where they fit. Hover or tap any county for its name, and click it to open its page.

Official source group

General Records

Government sites for Wisconsin records, licenses and public services.

Research guide

Work through Wisconsin court, property, licensing and historical records

Wisconsin's public systems answer different parts of a records inquiry. A court docket helps identify a filing, a transfer return describes a reported property transaction, and a licensing order explains an agency action. Preserve the identifying number from each search so the underlying record can be obtained and checked.

Distinguish WCCA's docket display from the court file

The Wisconsin State Law Library court-records guide describes WCCA as a source of case dockets and directs requests for county court documents to the county Clerk of Court. The library does not itself have access to those county files. Use our Wisconsin court resources to locate the appropriate court.

Start with the case number and the specific docket event. A judgment, a complaint and an entry noting a hearing are different records. Ask for the document that answers the question rather than treating the short event description as a transcript of the proceeding.

The Law Library's WCCA explanation describes the two-year online display period for dismissed or acquitted criminal cases. The underlying court's retention and access rules are a separate issue. If an older case is missing online, ask the clerk whether the public file remains available; do not assume that the search establishes expungement.

Brown County's copy-request instructions show why advance preparation helps. The office uses both on-site and off-site storage, asks researchers to identify the case and documents, and advises calling ahead for older files. Other counties may have different arrangements, so check the relevant clerk's process before visiting.

Use the current route for 2026 property-sales information

Wisconsin DOR's February 24, 2026 RETR notice directs public searches to My Tax Account, under Real Estate Transfer Return and then Search Wisconsin Property Data. It states that 2026 transfer-return data is available through that public-search portal. A bookmark to an older sales-search application can therefore miss the period being researched.

The notice also says the public portal omits grantor and grantee email addresses and telephone numbers. Missing contact fields are a display limitation, not evidence that the transaction lacks named parties or that a recorded conveyance is unavailable.

DOR's Real Estate Transfer explanation describes the return's role in recording a conveyance and in tax administration. Keep the return and the deed as separate research items. For the recorded instrument, use the county directory to reach the Register of Deeds and identify the corresponding document.

When comparing transactions, retain the municipality, parcel reference, conveyance date, recording date and any qualification or explanation supplied in the record. If two records appear inconsistent, compare the original fields before concluding that one contains an error. A date from the sales database may describe a different event from the recorder's indexing date.

Know what the DFI corporate database does not collect

The Department of Financial Institutions corporate search lists entity names, types, identifiers, registered agents, filing histories and status information. Its own exclusions are equally useful: the database does not record sole proprietors, DBAs, domestic LLC member names or a general list of owners.

A registered agent should therefore be recorded as the registered agent, without relabeling that person as the owner. If the research question concerns who signed a particular filing, obtain that filing. If it concerns who operated a storefront under a trade name, identify additional documents that actually connect the name with an operator.

DFI provides an ordering route for charter documents and annual reports, including reports that contain officer or director information. Select the relevant filing year. A current summary and an older annual report can describe different periods without contradicting each other.

Search the current credential and read any associated order

DSPS's LicensE instructions offer searches by credential number, individual, organization or license type. They specify spaces on both sides of the dash in a credential-number search and recommend using fewer name fields when an initial search returns nothing.

The Orders and Disciplinary Actions page explains that the online collection is intended to cover orders from November 1998 onward and includes some earlier orders. It also cautions that an order is not necessarily formal discipline and that an appeal or stay may affect its status.

Use the order's case number, date and respondent name when requesting an original copy from DSPS. Check the current license separately. A historical suspension order answers what the agency ordered at that time; the current credential record addresses the license's present status.

For a business with several regulated workers, keep each license attached to the correct person and profession. Matching only a shared surname or company address can combine unrelated credentials. Save enough detail to show which record supported the conclusion.

Change the search method for a well constructed before 1988

DNR's well-record search instructions recommend the Wisconsin Unique Well Number when known. For pre-1988 wells, use township, range and section: many older entries lack searchable addresses, owner names and construction years, so the scanned Image file must be opened to inspect those details.

For wells built in 1988 or later, the same guidance suggests county and a partial street name, or the owner at construction. It also explains that the system does not search by tax parcel number. Keep the parcel information for property research, but translate it into the location fields the well application supports.

The DNR's Groundwater Retrieval Network adds sample histories and groundwater-quality information. Some samples are taken before treatment and others after treatment. Record the sample location and circumstances before comparing a result with another well or with a different sampling date.

A construction record's yield describes the test reported for that well, rather than a fresh measurement of its present performance. For an old or missing record, DNR's well guidance explains the next inquiry. Keep "no report located" distinct from a finding that the property has no well.

Look separately for filling and sealing records

The Well Filling and Sealing Reports search supports county, location, owner and abandonment-year fields. Its advanced fields apply only to reports received after October 2009. An older report may therefore require a broader location search rather than a precise advanced-field query.

Compare the construction and sealing documents using the well number and location, not only the current street address. A property can contain more than one well record. Preserve which document relates to the original well and which relates to a replacement.

Read the closure conditions behind an environmental map result

DNR's remediation-map data description explains that a closed cleanup activity can retain continuing obligations. It also notes that an activity can cover only part of a property or extend across several properties. A map marker alone does not define the full affected area or the conditions attached to closure.

Use the activity number to find the decision and associated documents. Look for the description of the affected area, any continuing obligations, and the later documents that modify or satisfy a requirement. If the map and the property description seem different, ask the program contact about that specific discrepancy.

The same metadata explains limits in the map's coverage and location accuracy. Some well points are generalized to land-survey areas. Avoid measuring a precise distance from such a point as though it were a surveyed well location.

Use the alternative copy routes while the Historical Society service is paused

The Wisconsin Historical Society's copy-order page, updated April 13, 2026, says its genealogy ordering service is paused. It directs researchers seeking pre-October 1907 vital records to the state Vital Records Office, the relevant county Register of Deeds, an Area Research Center, or the Society's reading-room microfilm.

The Society's family-history collection overview identifies its online pre-1907 birth, death and marriage indexes. Copy the county, event date and volume or page information from an index entry before choosing a copy service.

DHS separately explains in-person genealogy research and appointments. Confirm the service and the form of copy available before traveling. An archive's uncertified research copy and a certified vital-record copy may serve different needs.

Keep a record of the system and period actually searched

Search difficultyUseful follow-upDetail to supply
Older case missing from WCCAAsk the county clerk about the retained fileCounty, case number and approximate final date
2026 property sale missing from an old bookmarkUse DOR's current public-search routeMunicipality, parcel and transaction dates
Older well absent from address resultsSearch township, range and sectionScanned report and any unique well number
Historic vital-record copy cannot be ordered from the SocietyChoose one of its listed alternative custodiansIndex citation and required copy type

The law

The Wisconsin public records law

Five short notes on the statute, each with the code sections it rests on.

How the Wisconsin Public Records Law works

Wisconsin's Public Records Law, Wis. Stat. § 19.31 to 19.39, starts from a presumption of complete public access. Any requester has a right to inspect any record unless a law says otherwise (§ 19.35(1)(a)). A request can be oral, but it must be in writing before it can be enforced in court, and no request may be refused because the requester will not give a name or a purpose (§ 19.35(1)(h) and (i)). The statute text is reprinted in the Department of Justice Public Records Law Compliance Guide.

Deadline: the authority must fill the request or deny it "as soon as practicable and without delay" (§ 19.35(4)(a)). The law sets no fixed number of days.

Fees: copies, mailing and transcription may cost only the actual, necessary and direct cost. Locating records may be charged only when that cost is $50 or more, and prepayment may be required when the total is over $5 (§ 19.35(3)).

Appeals: a written denial must say that it can be reviewed in a mandamus action under § 19.37(1), or by asking the district attorney or the Attorney General. A mandamus action must be filed within three years; a committed or incarcerated person has 90 days from the denial. A requester who wins may recover fees and costs, and punitive damages are possible for an arbitrary or capricious denial or delay (§ 19.37).

What you cannot get in Wisconsin

  • Juvenile records: law enforcement records of children and juveniles are closed, with exceptions such as news reporters who do not reveal the child's identity (Wis. Stat. § 48.396 and 938.396). The DOJ does not release juvenile criminal history unless a statute allows it (form DJ-LE-250).
  • Employees' home details: an employer's records of an employee's home address, home email, home phone number or Social Security number are exempt (§ 19.36(10)(a)).
  • Health and school records: patient health care records (§ 146.82) and pupil records (§ 118.125) are closed under their own statutes.
  • Certified birth certificates go only to people with a "direct and tangible interest," such as the person named or immediate family (§ 69.20(1), DHS birth certificate application).
  • Records closed by other laws: any record exempt under federal law is exempt in Wisconsin, and other records can be withheld only after a balancing test of the public interest (DOJ Compliance Guide).

Expungement and pardons in Wisconsin

Expungement (Wis. Stat. § 973.015): when a person was under 25 at the time of the offense and the maximum prison term is 6 years or less, the judge may order at sentencing that the record be expunged once the sentence is completed. Some Class H and I felonies, such as violent offenses and felonies by people with a prior felony, are excluded. Where no probation or jail was ordered, the person files form CR-266 after completing the sentence and paying all court-ordered amounts.

Expungement clears only the court record. Police, Crime Information Bureau and district attorney records are not affected, and the conviction is not vacated (form CR-266). The DOJ will not remove a record because of an expungement or a pardon (DOJ guidance).

Arrests without a conviction: people released without charges, not prosecuted, dismissed or acquitted can ask the DOJ to remove the arrest fingerprint record with form DJ-LE-250B; each request is reviewed case by case.

Juvenile adjudications: at 17 or older, a person adjudged delinquent may petition the court to expunge the court record of the adjudication (§ 938.355(4m)).

Pardons: only the governor can pardon a Wisconsin conviction; the Governor's Pardon Advisory Board reviews applications and makes recommendations (pardon information).

How to get your own Wisconsin criminal record

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Crime Information Bureau keeps the state criminal history, built from arrest fingerprint cards that law enforcement agencies submit. Anyone may request adult records, including their own (Wis. Stat. § 19.35(1) and 165.82).

  1. Submit a request online on WORCS, the Wisconsin Online Record Check System, and pay the fee shown there.
  2. Or mail form DJ-LE-250 with your name, sex, race and date of birth, the $12.00 fee and a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope to the Crime Information Bureau, Record Check Unit, PO Box 2688, Madison, WI 53701-2688, phone (608) 266-7314. The form also offers certified results and a $20.00 police certificate, which needs a fingerprint card.
  3. Name searches match on exact last name, first initial and date of birth or Social Security number, so check that each entry is yours.
  4. To correct a record, send the challenge form DJ-LE-247 with an FD-258 fingerprint card. The DOJ charges no fee for a challenge; local agencies may charge for taking the prints.

Wisconsin record laws to know

  • Wis. Stat. § 19.31 to 19.39: the Public Records Law, reprinted in the DOJ Compliance Guide.
  • Wis. Stat. § 165.82: criminal history searches by the Department of Justice for any person who asks.
  • Wis. Stat. § 973.015: expungement of court records for offenders under 25, ordered at sentencing.
  • Wis. Stat. § 301.45 and 301.46: the sex offender registry kept by the Department of Corrections and public access to it (registry).

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Answers to common questions about Wisconsin public records.

What is included in a Wisconsin background check?
A Department of Justice check covers adult Wisconsin criminal history: arrests, prosecutions, court findings, sentences, DNA registrations and Department of Corrections admissions and releases, all tied to arrest fingerprint cards. Arrests without fingerprints are not in the database. Anyone may request it for a fee through WORCS; juvenile records are not released unless a statute allows. Court cases are on WCCA and registered sex offenders on the DOC registry.
Where can I find police reports in Wisconsin?
Ask the police department or sheriff's office that wrote the report, under the Public Records Law; it must answer "as soon as practicable and without delay" (Wis. Stat. § 19.35(4)(a)). Crash reports can be searched and bought on Wisconsin Crash Reports once the reporting agency has completed them. Law enforcement records of juveniles are closed with few exceptions (§ 938.396). The DOJ Compliance Guide explains what an agency may withhold.
What are the procedures to obtain Wisconsin vital records, and what information is included?
The Wisconsin Vital Records Office issues birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates from October 1907 on, by mail to PO Box 309, Madison, WI 53701, or online and by phone through VitalChek; in-person counter service is closed. Fees are $20 for the first copy and $3 for each extra copy, and mail orders take about 10 business days. County Register of Deeds offices also issue them. A certified copy is for legal use and goes only to people with a direct and tangible interest; an uncertified copy has the same information on plain paper (DHS).
Where is Wisconsin school performance data published?
The Department of Public Instruction publishes School and District Report Cards for every publicly funded school and district in Wisconsin. They report several years of data in four priority areas: achievement, growth, target group outcomes and on track to graduation, and give each school and district an overall accountability score.
Where are Wisconsin crime statistics published?
The Wisconsin Department of Justice publishes Uniform Crime Reporting data in its UCR Offenses Data dashboard, which shows offenses statewide and by law enforcement agency for the last five years. The same DOJ page links its other dashboards and annual reports.
Where is a person taken after an arrest in Wisconsin?
People arrested in Wisconsin are held in a county jail or a municipal lockup. The Department of Corrections Office of Detention Facilities regulates and inspects county jails, houses of correction, juvenile detention centers and municipal lockups. The criminal case goes to the circuit court of the county and can be followed on WCCA. People sentenced to prison or supervision are on the DOC Offender Locator.
Can I find public records at a Wisconsin library?
Yes. The Wisconsin Historical Society is the State Archives: it collects records and publications of permanent value created by state agencies and local governments, and its resources are available in 14 locations around the state. The Wisconsin State Law Library serves the public with legal research. Current records are requested from the office that holds them under the Public Records Law.
Where are the Wisconsin State Archives located?
The State Archives are part of the Wisconsin Historical Society Library and Archives, at 816 State Street, Madison, WI 53706, on Library Mall of the UW-Madison campus. Archives hours are Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, and Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm, closed Sundays. The building has no dedicated parking; city buses stop one block away.
Where can I get fingerprinted in Wisconsin?
For a DOJ record challenge, the fingerprints must be captured by a law enforcement agency on an FD-258 card; the DOJ charges nothing, but local agencies may charge for the service. Educator license applicants who must submit fingerprints use the state vendor Fieldprint, and the Department of Public Instruction accepts no other electronic submissions.
Where should I search for Wisconsin property sales reported in 2026?

DOR's 2026 notice directs users to My Tax Account, then Real Estate Transfer Return and Search Wisconsin Property Data. It identifies that public portal as the route for 2026 RETR data.

Does Wisconsin's DFI search identify every LLC member or DBA?

No. The DFI database description lists domestic LLC member names, sole proprietors and DBAs among information it does not record.

How should I search for a Wisconsin well built before 1988?

DNR recommends township, range and section, followed by inspection of the scanned report. Older address and owner fields are often unpopulated; see its well-search guidance.

Does a Wisconsin DSPS order always mean formal discipline?

No. DSPS's orders guidance says some orders are not formal disciplinary actions. Read the order and check the current license and any relevant appeal or stay.

Can a closed Wisconsin cleanup site still have obligations?

Yes. DNR's map-data explanation describes continuing obligations at some closed activities. Obtain the closure documents to identify the conditions and affected area.

Where can I obtain a historical Wisconsin vital-record copy while the Society's order service is paused?

The Society's ordering notice lists the state Vital Records Office, county Register of Deeds, relevant Area Research Center and its reading-room microfilm as alternatives for pre-October 1907 records.

City pages

1 Wisconsin city with a standalone page

This Wisconsin city has its own record page. Each county page also links to city and town pages in that county.

Cloverland Town
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