Making the Most of Wisconsin Public Records

Find information on individuals or property with Wisconsin public records

Making the most of Wisconsin public records will require you to have a guide or referral. You can conduct Internet searches of many government agencies for free but you will spend a lot of time looking at irrelevant links and websites if you have no idea where to start.

You will first need to obtain some basic information on the individual or property for which you are seeking vital records in Wisconsin. For example, if you are seeking information on an individual, it will be helpful to know some addresses where that person has previously lived.

There are three general types of public records in Wisconsin:

1. Criminal records in Wisconsin that include files on registered sex offenders, past convictions or information on current inmates in a particular prison. These records can help you perform a Wisconsin background check on prospective employees.
2. Wisconsin divorce records, census records, consumer protection information or legislation minutes. You may find these records helpful when researching a product or political candidate.
3. Real estate records like property appraisals, ownership and taxes. These types of records can be useful when buying or selling a home.

 

Find Wisconsin criminal records from local government agencies

City and county clerks in Wisconsin can frequently provide a great deal of current information on an individual when you know their name and address.
Try: Wisconsin.gov has links that will take you to the website for each county in Wisconsin if available. Wisconsin Court System has a list of links that take you directly to the website of each county court where available.

Learn more about the laws regarding Wisconsin public records

The records that are publicly available vary widely by state. You will want to have at least a general idea of what information you can expect to find before conducting your search.
Try: The Office of the Secretary of State of Wisconsin provides the procedures for obtaining public records and identifies the relevant state statute where applicable. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction provides a FAQ for librarians regarding Wisconsin’s Public Records Law.

Perform a search of specific Wisconsin public records

Many cities and counties in Wisconsin maintain a variety of records on individuals and property that are freely available to the general public.
Try: The Kenosha County Court Clerk maintains official court records that are available to the public for a fee. Columbia County provides online searches for vital records such as birth, death and marriage certificates.

 

• Exhaust free sources of information before you consider paying for Wisconsin death records. Sites that charge a fee may only provide information you could obtain elsewhere for free. Fortunately, libraries frequently subscribe to services that you would normally need to pay a fee to access. You should also bear in mind that many Wisconsin death certificates are simply not available online.

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