Wisconsin Public Records
State Level Information
The Open Records Law is the name given to the Wisconsin laws that were created to guarantee that the public has access to public records of governmental agencies at all levels in the state of Wisconsin. In its introduction, the statute states, "All persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them."
According to Wis. Stat. 19.35(1)(a) "any requester has a right to inspect any record", but people who are incarcerated and people who have been involuntarily committed to a mental institution are restricted in their rights of access to public documents. Litigants in pending lawsuits do not lose their rights as requestors of documents.
State of Wisconsin Department of Health and SafetyState of Wisconsin Secretary of State
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumber Protection
State of Wisconsin Department of Regulation & Licensing
Wisconsin Department of Revenue
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Wisconsin State Veterinary Medical Examining Board
State of Wisconsin Department of Administration
Court Record Resources
As Wisconsin is an open records state, most records are open to public inspection. This includes all adult criminal records in the CIB database but does not include juvenile records under Section 938.396 of the law.
All information in the database is entered based on submissions from law enforcement agencies and arrest fingerprint cards. Fingerprint cards were required by law (under s. 165.84(1)) effective in 1971 and therefore arrests without supporting fingerprint data are not included in the database.
Wisconsin Court SystemWisconsin State Patrol
Wisconsin Department of Corrections
Wisconsin Department of Health Services