Wisconsin, Columbia County
Where Columbus's records are kept. Columbus has its own city government; county and state offices keep its other public records.
Start here
The cards below include Columbus's own offices, along with State of Wisconsin offices; the Columbia County offices are on our Columbia County page. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
County court
Wisconsin's central criminal history file, kept by the Department of Justice, holds fingerprint supported arrests, charges and outcomes; anyone may request an adult record for a fee through WORCS.
Open official site Wisconsin Department of Justice Criminal Background ChecksPolice & jail
Columbus Inmate and offender search 3099 East Washington Avenue Post Office Box 7925 Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7925 DOC Records Office (608) 240-3750
Open official site State of Wisconsin Department of CorrectionsState records
The society's genealogy team offers indexes to more than 3 million records, including birth, death and marriage indexes before 1907, plus a library and archives catalog, finding aids and digital collections.
Open official site Wisconsin Historical Society Family HistoryCounty court
Bankruptcy court for western Wisconsin with divisions in Madison and Eau Claire; the Eau Claire office takes filings in person only. Dockets are on PACER and hearings on an interactive public calendar.
Open official site U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of WisconsinCounty court
Wisconsin's court system runs WCCA, which shows public circuit court case records searchable by party name, business name or case number; adoption, juvenile and mental commitment cases are confidential and not shown.
Open official site Wisconsin Circuit Court AccessVital records
Wisconsin birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates are ordered here by mail or through VitalChek, which charges extra; the Department of Health Services counter is closed, but county registers of deeds also issue copies.
Open official site Wisconsin Vital Records OfficeState records
Run by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the clearinghouse lists missing children and adults with posters, searchable by name or county, along with unidentified and unsolved cases.
Open official site Wisconsin Clearinghouse for Missing and Exploited Children and AdultsState records
Wanted list of the FBI Milwaukee Field Office: fugitives sought for violent and nonviolent crimes, terrorism suspects, kidnapping and missing person cases, and requests for tips from the public.
Open official site FBI Milwaukee Wanted and Missing PersonsPolice & jail
Search by name, county or radius around an address and get email alerts on nearby registrations; the Department of Corrections list generally covers people convicted, incarcerated or supervised since December 25, 1993.
Open official site Wisconsin Public Sex Offender RegistryState records
The Wisconsin Department of Justice runs WORCS for individuals and organizations to request criminal background checks and get results online. Police certificates and good conduct statements must be ordered by mail.
Open official site Wisconsin Online Record Check System (WORCS)Vital records
Census Bureau summary of Columbus city, Wisconsin, with population totals, age, sex, housing and business statistics. It carries the most recent estimates only, so earlier years need other Census tools.
Open official site U.S. Census Bureau QuickFactsCity records
Pay online, apply for permits, view city maps, and check agendas, minutes, absentee voting, garbage and recycling and brush pickup news. Columbus City Hall is at 105 N. Dickason Boulevard.
Open official site City of ColumbusEverything else, organized
14 more Columbus sources not listed above.
Local record guide
Useful local context without burying the official record links above.
Local profile
Columbus, a place of 5,540 people, is in Columbia County, whose county seat is Portage. Court and property records sit with Columbia County, and birth and death certificates come from the State of Wisconsin. Columbus's own offices are in the cards above, and our Columbia County page lists each county office.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Voter registration in Wisconsin is run by the Wisconsin Elections Commission and local election officials. Its site lists the registration deadline, online registration where Wisconsin offers it, polling places and the local election office for Columbus.
Businesses that operate in Columbus register with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, which runs the state business entity search. A local business license, where Columbus requires one, comes from the town or Columbia County.
Certified birth and death certificates for events in Wisconsin come from the state vital records office, Wisconsin Vital Records. Its site lists who may order a copy, the fee and how to order.
Same county
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.