Wisconsin’s circuit courts are the state’s general trial courts, with at least one branch in every one of the 72 counties and jurisdiction over nearly every kind of legal dispute governed by state law.1Wisconsin Court System. Circuit Courts If you have a lawsuit to file, a case to defend, a record to look up, or a decision to appeal, this is where it starts. Judges are elected locally in nonpartisan spring elections and serve six-year terms, so the person on the bench answers to the voters in that county.2Wisconsin Court System. Court System Overview
What Circuit Courts Handle
Circuit courts have original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters, including probate, juvenile, and traffic cases.1Wisconsin Court System. Circuit Courts In practice, that means the circuit court is almost always the first court to hear the case, whatever it is.
On the criminal side, this covers everything from a Class C misdemeanor to a Class A felony. Misdemeanors run in three classes, with Class A carrying up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine, Class B up to 90 days and $1,000, and Class C up to 30 days and $500.3Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 939.51 – Classification of Misdemeanors Felonies run across nine classes, from Class I (up to three and a half years) to Class A (mandatory life).4Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 939.50 – Classification of Felonies Defendants keep their full constitutional protections, including the right to appointed counsel if they cannot afford a lawyer, and the state must prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt.
On the civil side, the court splits cases by amount. Small claims covers disputes of $10,000 or less under a faster, less formal process set out in Chapter 799.5Wisconsin Court System. Small Claims Watch one catch: personal injury and other tort claims in small claims are capped at $5,000, not $10,000.6Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 799.01 – Procedure in Small Claims Actions Anything larger goes forward as a standard civil action with full discovery and motion practice. The plaintiff’s burden is a preponderance of the evidence, which is why someone acquitted of a crime can still lose a civil suit over the same conduct.
Family, probate, and juvenile cases also fall under the circuit court. Family branches handle divorce, custody, and support. Probate handles estates and adult guardianships. Juvenile branches handle delinquency and child protection. Each uses distinct procedures but sits inside the same circuit court system.
Deadlines to File
Every case has a filing deadline, and courts rarely forgive a missed one.
Civil Claims
Personal injury claims must be filed within three years of the injury.7Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 893.54 – Injury to the Person Wrongful death claims arising from a motor vehicle accident have a shorter window of two years.8Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 893.54(2m) Breach of contract claims get six years from the date of the breach.9Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 893.43 – Action on Contract Property damage claims generally get six years, but drop to three when the damage comes from a motor vehicle accident. Medical malpractice gives you three years from the injury or one year from when you discovered (or should have discovered) it, whichever is later, with an outside limit of five years from the act or omission.
Criminal Charges
The state generally must begin a felony prosecution within six years and a misdemeanor prosecution within three.10Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 939.74 – Time Limitations on Prosecutions Several serious offenses carry no time limit at all, including first-degree homicide and first-degree sexual assault. Other violent and sexual offenses carry extended windows of 10 to 20 years.
How to File a Case
Before you file, pin down the full legal name and current address of each person or entity you are suing, because the court has to deliver formal notice. File in the correct county, usually where the defendant lives or where the key events happened. Filing in the wrong county does not kill the case, but a transfer costs you: a civil change of venue runs $75 at the receiving court plus a $15 transmittal fee from the sending court, and $22 at the receiving court for small claims.11Wisconsin Court System. Wisconsin Circuit Court Fee, Forfeiture, Fine and Surcharge Tables
Standardized forms for civil, criminal, family, guardianship, juvenile, probate, and small claims cases are posted on the Wisconsin Court System website.12Wisconsin Court System. Circuit Court Forms Mistakes on the summons or complaint can force a refiling, so take the time to get names, addresses, and case details right.
Filing fees depend on the case. A small claims action (non-tort, $10,000 or less) is $94.50. A civil money claim above $10,000 is $265.50. Family cases start at $184.50 without a support request and $194.50 with one. An electronic filing surcharge of $35 per case per party applies on top.11Wisconsin Court System. Wisconsin Circuit Court Fee, Forfeiture, Fine and Surcharge Tables
If you cannot afford the fees, file a Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs (Form CV-410A). The form asks for your income, take-home pay, cash and other assets, household size, and debts such as mortgage, auto loans, and credit cards.13Wisconsin Court System. Petition for Waiver of Fees and Costs – Declaration of Indigency A judge reviews it and decides.
Protected Information You Must Redact
Before you file anything, remove the sensitive numbers. Wisconsin Statute 801.19 defines five categories of protected information that cannot appear in public court filings: Social Security numbers, employer and tax identification numbers, financial account numbers (including bank accounts, credit cards, passwords, and PINs), driver license and state ID numbers, and passport numbers.14Wisconsin Court System. Court Services for Attorneys – Redaction If you are drafting a document, leave those numbers out. If you are submitting an existing document like a tax form or bank statement, black them out. When the court actually needs one of these numbers, submit it separately on the confidential disclosure form (GF-241). Failing to redact can result in an order to refile and to pay costs that other parties incurred.
Serving the Other Party
Filing is only half of starting a case. Wisconsin law sets the order in which you have to try to serve the defendant.15Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 801.11 – Personal Jurisdiction, Service Start with personal service, which means physically handing the summons and complaint to the defendant, in or out of state. If that fails despite reasonable effort, you can leave a copy at the defendant’s usual home with a competent member of the household who is at least 14, or with a competent adult currently living there. Only when both of those methods have proven impractical can you turn to publication: publishing the summons as a class 3 notice in a newspaper and mailing a copy of the summons and complaint to the defendant’s last known address. Courts expect you to document why the earlier methods did not work.
What Happens Before Trial
After the pleadings, both sides exchange information in discovery so no one is ambushed at trial. Four tools do most of the work: depositions, where witnesses answer questions under oath with a court reporter creating a verbatim transcript; interrogatories, which are written questions the other side must answer; requests for production, which compel the other side to hand over documents, emails, and electronic records; and requests for admissions, which ask the other party to confirm or deny specific facts. The court can schedule, limit, and control all of these methods, including discovery of electronically stored information.16Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 802.10 – Calendar Practice and Pretrial Conference
Disputes are common. If the other side stonewalls, you file a motion to compel, and the judge can order compliance and, in some cases, impose sanctions. For evidence to come in at trial, it must be relevant and reliable enough that its value outweighs any unfair prejudice, with the judge acting as gatekeeper, especially on expert testimony.
Appealing a Circuit Court Decision
If you lose, you can appeal to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Deadlines are strict and vary by case type.
- Civil cases. 45 days from entry of final judgment to file a Notice of Appeal if you received written notice of the judgment within 21 days; 90 days if no one sent written notice.17Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Code 808.04 – Initiating an Appeal
- Criminal cases. 20 days after sentencing or final judgment to file a Notice of Intent to Pursue Postconviction Relief. After the circuit court rules on any postconviction motion, you have another 20 days to file the actual Notice of Appeal.18Wisconsin Court System. Guide to Wisconsin Appellate Procedure for the Self-Represented
- Small claims evictions. 15 days from entry of final judgment.18Wisconsin Court System. Guide to Wisconsin Appellate Procedure for the Self-Represented
The filing fee to open a case in the Court of Appeals is $195.18Wisconsin Court System. Guide to Wisconsin Appellate Procedure for the Self-Represented You then have 14 days to file a Statement on Transcript telling the court which trial transcripts you need. The circuit court clerk transmits the record, the appellant’s brief is due 40 days after the record is filed, and the respondent has 30 days to reply. The Court of Appeals reviews the circuit court’s record for legal errors. It does not hold a new trial or hear new evidence.
Looking Up a Case Online
The public search tool for circuit court records is Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, or WCCA. People often call it “CCAP,” but that name technically refers to the Consolidated Court Automation Programs case management system the courts use internally.19Wisconsin State Legislature. Public Access to Circuit Court Records WCCA is free. Each county courthouse also offers a public terminal for people without internet access.20Wisconsin Court System. Consolidated Court Automation Programs
You can search by name to pull up public case records statewide, or narrow by case number, county, or filing date range. Each case summary lists the parties, case type, assigned judge, and whether the case is pending or closed, with an itemized chronological record of filings, hearings, payments, and the final disposition. Civil case records also show whether a judgment was entered against any party and whether it has been paid.19Wisconsin State Legislature. Public Access to Circuit Court Records Certain records are sealed or restricted by law, so not every case or document will appear.
Where Your County’s Court Sits
Each of the 72 counties has at least one circuit court branch, with six smaller counties paired to share judges: Buffalo and Pepin, Florence and Forest, and Shawano and Menominee.1Wisconsin Court System. Circuit Courts Larger counties run multiple branches to keep up with caseloads, and roughly 261 judges staff the system statewide.21Wisconsin Court System. Wisconsin Judicial System Overview For most readers, the practical point is simple: your case will be filed, heard, and decided in your own county, by a judge your neighbors elected.