Wisconsin Court Docket Search

A Wisconsin court docket search is a way of finding out information about cases that have been heard in the state's court system. It provides an up-to-date listing of all hearings, trials, and decisions related to a particular case or legal matter. The search results may include access to relevant documents such as pleadings, motions, orders, judgments, and other associated materials.

Much like a standard Wisconsin court record, a Wisconsin court docket can be searched through the Wisconsin Circuit Courts Case Management System (CCMS), which allows users to search by party name, attorney name and/or case number. This online database can provide detailed information on any active or concluded civil or criminal case in the state's circuit courts.

A court docket is a case log of the complete timeline of court proceedings in a court case presented in chronological order. Every court has a unique docket number assigned by the court clerk. Court dockets in Wisconsin may include:

Case number
Filing date
Names of the parties involved
Cause of action
Type of case/court
Judge involve
The attorneys involved
Date of every event
Summary of the claims and charges
Pleading, motions, briefs

The case number may serve as the court docket identifier in Wisconsin.

Are Court Dockets Public Records in Wisconsin?

Ye, court dockets for non-confidential cases are public records in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Public Record Law allows record custodians to grant access to members of the public who wish to review public records, including court records. Case information, documents, and dockets of sealed and confidential cases are not part of public court records in Wisconsin. The law however, does not guarantee access to any record containing personally identifiable information except otherwise authorized by a court. Only case parties and their attorneys involved may access court information and dockets of restricted cases. Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) is the gateway to accessing case information and dockets for cases at the Wisconsin circuit courts. Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Access (WSCCA) provides access to case information and dockets of the case at the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

Where to Find a Court Docket in Wisconsin?

According to the Wisconsin Public Record Law, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) has designated a Custodian of Public Records and Deputy Custodians for the DOJ and the Divisions of the DOJ respectively. Record seekers may request court case dockets and/or obtain a copy through

Office of Open Government
Wisconsin Department of Justice
P.O. Box 7857
Madison, WI 53707 -7857

The Wisconsin Court System provides remote access to court records through the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) and the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Access (WSCCA). WCCA provides access to circuit court records while WSCCA provides access to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals records. Converted cases are also accessible on WCCA. These are cases that existed in the county's case management system and are now enrolled in WCCA after the adoption of the circuit court case management system. Circuit court dockets and case information before the unified Consolidated Court Automation Program (CCAP) may be obtained at the clerk's office of the individual court.

Wisconsin Court Clerks
Clerk of Supreme Court
110 E Main St Ste 215
P.O. Box 1688
Madison, WI 53701 -1688
Fax: (608) 267-0640
Main Line: (608) 266- 1880

Clerk of Court of Appeal

110 E Main St Ste 215
P.O. Box 1688
Madison, WI 53701 -1688
Fax: (608) 267- 0640
Main Line: (608) 266- 1880

Circuit Courts Clerks' contacts

Court dockets of cases at the Municipal courts may be obtained from the county court clerk's office and remotely on their websites.

Record seekers may also review public court records of federal courts in Wisconsin on the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) and RECAP Archives, and also at the court clerk's office. These include Federal Appellate Court, U.S. District, and Bankruptcy courts

How to Conduct a Wisconsin Court Docket Search?

To conduct a Wisconsin court docket search, record seekers may visit Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) where court records of cases at Wisconsin circuit courts are made available. Court dockets of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and The Wisconsin Court of Appeal may be accessed through the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeal Access (WSCCA). The Wisconsin Consolidated Court Automation Program (CCAP) is the information technology platform for managing the court services of the Wisconsin court system. WCCA and WSCCA provide access to court records in the CCAP system. For court dockets of cases at municipal courts, record seekers may conduct an in-person search at the clerk's office of the Municipal Court. Remote court docket search may also be done on the website of the Municipal court where the case may have been filed. For court dockets for cases at the federal courts in Wisconsin, interested individuals may conduct a court docket search using Public Access to Court Electronic Record (or RECAP Archive). The federal courts include

• U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Wisconsin

• U.S. District Court for Western District of Wisconsin

• U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Eastern District of Wisconsin

• U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Western District of Wisconsin

Court dockets for a case at the Federal Courts before 2005 (adoption of PACER) may be searched at the clerk's offices of the courts

Eastern District of Wisconsin
United States Federal Building and Courthouse
517 E. Wisconsin Ave. Rm. 362
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 297-3372

Jefferson Court Building
125 S. Jefferson St., RM. 102
Green Bay, WI 54301 - 4541
Phone: (920) 884-3720

Western District of Wisconsin
United States District Court
120 N. Henry St., Rm. 320
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 264-5156
Fax: (608) 264-5925

U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Western District of Wisconsin
120 North Henry Street, Room 340
Madison, WI 53703 -2559

U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Western District of Wisconsin
500 South Barstow Street
Eau Claire, WI 54701

For the contacts, circuit court clerks are available here.

All court dockets are available for public inspection at the clerk's office of the court where the case may have been filed, during normal business hours.

Using Third Party Sites for a Wisconsin Court Docket Search

Certain private aggregate websites also disseminate court dockets, e.g., for cases of public interest. When using third-party sites for a Wisconsin court docket search, care should be taken to verify case information or documents obtained against the official dockets maintained by the applicable court clerk's office (where the case was filed). This way, a researcher can guarantee the accuracy and completeness of case information retrieved from third-party sites.

What is the Purpose of a Court Docket in Wisconsin?

The purpose of a court docket in Wisconsin is to have the summary of every case on record for easy case information management. Case dockets are the brief representation of case proceedings from filing to disposition. Court dockets in Wisconsin are used to schedule court sessions and for announcing the cases for hearing during court seating. Court dockets serve as the case details that are made available for public review. Researchers may also depend on court dockets to generate data for research analysis. Court dockets may be used to retrieve information about motions, testimony transcripts, jury instructions and worksheets, judge rulings, and expert witness names in a court case.

What Do Court Dockets Contain Wisconsin?

Court dockets provide a general overview of the individual cases at a court. Wisconsin court dockets may contain

Case information such as case number assigned by the court clerk, case type (family, juvenile, bankruptcy, civil or criminal), filing date, and public status of the case (open or sealed or confidential).
Name of the judicial officer(s) (jurors, magistrates, judges) involve
The names of case parties i.e. plaintiff (s) and defendant(s)
Their attorneys (with the contact details of the attorneys).
Chronological list of all filings by date with a brief description of the filings. Filings may include motions, affidavits, orders, briefs, and pleadings
Cause of action. This is a brief description of the applicable statute(s) and law, claims,d charges.
Hearing schedules including the location, date, and time of hearings
The status of the case (active, dismissed, closed, or disposed of) with a clue to where the case details may be found.

What is a Court Docket Number in Wisconsin?

A court docket number is a unique case docket identifying code that is used to differentiate the various case dockets from one another. The court docket number may be the same as the case number which appears on documents filed in a case. Usually, court dockets for a court case contain the case number, the case name, and the docketing date. A court number appears on all documents generated from the case and can be used to retrieve case dockets from a court. Generally, a court docket number contains

The case filing year
The court where the case was filed
Court case type
The assigned sequence number

How to Conduct a Court Docket Number Lookup in Wisconsin?

A court docket number lookup in Wisconsin can be done either in-person at the county courthouses or remotely using the internet-based Wisconsin court system database. To retrieve any court docket from the case management system, the court docket number is a major requirement. It may be used in combination with other criteria such as the name of the case party, date of birth, county, attorney's name, date of filing, and business name. Record seekers who don't have access to the internet may conduct court docket number lookups at the county courthouses using the public access computer terminals. To conduct a court docket number lookup remotely, interested individuals can access the Wisconsin court system electronic database through Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) for the trial court. Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Access (WSCCA) is for cases at the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. To conduct a court docket number lookup through WCCA requires that the record seekers know the case party's name (first and last), date of birth, business name, and case number. The listed criteria may be used individually or combined as a set of search criteria. WSCCA court docket number lookup may be done by using the appeal number, circuit court case number, party name, business name, attorney name, filing date, class code, district, case type, county, and case status. Except when using the appeal number or business name, court docket number lookup should be with the combination of at least two (2) of the listed criteria.