For individuals wanting to look up information on Wisconsin Circuit Court cases or cases in the WI CCAP Wisconsin Circuit Court Access database, you would need to access through the WCCA. The information contained in this database is public information that is available to the general public under the Wisconsin open records law.
The open records law has been in effect for nearly 4 decades. The law states that the public is allowed access to the records contained in the database. If you are an employer that needs the information you would need to contact the Department of Justice. The information contained on this website can pull records for the wrong individual.
Understanding CCAP
The CCAP is the Consolidated Court Automation Programs, which is the software that allows users to access Wisconsin court records. The WI CCAP Wisconsin Circuit Court Access database holds information from every county in Wisconsin.
Information is entered into the system from clerks, registers, judges, and other court staff using a CCAP computer. They have access to these computers in the judge’s chambers, clerk offices, and all courtrooms. If you don’t have internet access and you need to access the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access database, there are terminals available for public use.
Accessing CCAP and WCCA
Internet access is needed to access the database. Public information regarding criminal, civil, traffic, juvenile, and Department of Revenue tax issued warrants can be found on the WCCA.
The database is accessible through the Wisconsin Circuit Court website. Once you click on the link to search court records you will be redirected to the terms and conditions of the website. To begin utilizing the search tools you’ll need to agree to the terms and conditions.
Performing Searches on the WCCA
When searching for cases in the WCCA you can do a simple search using the first and last name, date of birth, case number, county or statewide, and/or business name, or perform advance searches by citation number or judgment information. It is not necessary to fill in every blank when performing a search, however, the more information you provide the more narrow the search results will be.
You can filter results by date filed, county, status, date of birth, case number, and defendant name.
The database contains a case summary, charges, defendant information, court notes, citations, dispositions, and money received towards any court assessed fines and fees. Felony and misdemeanor cases, small claims, traffic and ordinance violations, and domestic injunctions that have been dismissed or have a disposition of acquitted more than 2 years, will not appear.
Updates and Miscellaneous
Updates are made to the CCAP software annually to include changes made to state law, features within the software, and to fix any “bugs” with the software.
The WCCA database performs nightly maintenance on the system between 3 am and 4 am. During this time access to WCCA is unavailable and any case information that didn’t update prior to this time will update to the WCCA after the maintenance is performed.
The Wisconsin Circuit Courts have been using an electronic filing system for over 25 years, older cases converted to the newer software have limited information available. Information not available to be viewed on WCCA is not for public view.
If you find information on the WCCA that you believe is incorrect, you would need to speak with a clerk of the circuit court. They are responsible for the recordkeeping of the information contained on the site. Otherwise, the information available from the WI CCAP Wisconsin Circuit Court Access program is deemed accurate.