wisconsin public records - CCAP Wisconsin Court Records

What cases are handled by the Wisconsin Circut Court?

Cases handled by a circuit court in Wisconsin are more severe than cases handled by a county or municipal court. However, these cases are not always criminal cases either. There could be a civil lawsuit filed in a circuit court. In Wisconsin, these courts are also known as trial courts for the state.

Cases originate in these courts and are not heard in another court until a ruling has been made in the circuit court.

How do I file a Wisconsin Circut Court case?

There are several ways individuals can file a case in Wisconsin to be heard by a circuit court judge and/or jury. The information that you need to file a case is available under the Circuit Court link on the Wisconsin Court System website. After clicking on this link you will see a tab for fees and filing and it will pull up different links including a pdf download for all circuit court fees and access to the e-filing system and procedures for Wisconsin.

E-Filing a Wisconsin court case is available as a self-service option through the Wisconsin Court System. You would need to register for this service prior to using it and when submitting a case to be filed you would need to pay the filing fee before a case is filed in circuit court.

Who can access my Wisconsin Circut Court case?

As long as your case has not been expunged or sealed, or it does not contain information involving minors, custody or adoption hearings, or terminating parental rights it is considered to be public records. This means not only can your case be accessed by court officials or government agencies, but it can also be viewed by the general public.

Any documents that you file regarding your court case are uploaded to the Wisconsin judicial system case record portal. If a document is not uploaded to the system, then only individuals with access to the case in the e-filing system can access the documents.

If you need help with e-filing a court case or you are unsure what documents can be uploaded to the system, you would need to resort to the faqs and instructions that are provided on the website.

Contacting the Circuit Court

If you need to contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office or the County Clerk’s office, there is a directory available on the Wisconsin court system home page. The directory will list all the Circuit Courts in each county and will provide the main contact number for each department. If you have questions about a specific case, you will refer to the originating court for the case in question.

If you need to access Wisconsin court case records and documents there are several methods that can be followed to do this. Whether you need information regarding judgments, liens, arrests, civil, and/or criminal matters the WI CCAP Circuit Court database and online search portal provides that information.

The database can be accessed by the general public and it is used by attorneys, government agencies, and the clerk of the circuit court’s staff. The portal can be accessed remotely through a computer that has internet access or through the public terminals located in the courts.

WI CCAP Circuit Court Portal

Using the WI CCAP online portal does not require a login, however, you must agree to the terms and conditions listed on the website before you can use the search database. The portal can be used to perform simple or advanced court case searches, research supreme court cases, and/or file documents electronically with the courts.

There are a number of ways that you can learn more about using the portal. Resources are provided on the website and they include tutorials, user guides, and a FAQs section.

WI CCAP Circuit Court Records

As previously mentioned, you can access the portal through the Wisconsin Court system website clicking on the navigation link and selecting the search case option from the dropdown menu. Once you have highlighted this option, you will see another dropdown menu and you would need to select Circuit Court.

Once you have made your selection, you will need to read over the terms and conditions for the portal. After you have read the terms and conditions, click on the “I Agree” option to begin searching the database.

You can search for Wisconsin Circuit Court records with or without the case number. Fill in the blanks for the search criteria and click submit to begin your search. After you have submitted your search request, you will be directed to the search results page. If the results are too broad, you can refine your results by entering additional search criteria on the previous page.

Updating WI CCAP Circuit Court Information

Information that is entered or uploaded to the database is updated on an hourly basis unless there are technical issues that prevent the information from being updated. Maintenance is performed on the website nightly and during this time the website is not accessible.

The Director of the StateCourt’s Office is responsible for the upkeep of the database and making sure it functions properly. Updates to the system are added annually, along with any changes to the Wisconsin state laws. The responsibility of maintaining court case documents is the official record-keeper of the court records. This is usually the county where the circuit court case was filed.

Additional Information

If you are unable to locate a court case by searching the WI CCAP database, you may need to contact the clerk of the court’s office. It is a possibility that the court case in question is not accessible to the public. This normally occurs when the case involves a juvenile or it is sealed.