Dane County, WI

Locating someone in Madison (Dane County, Wisconsin) using public records: start with the Dane County Residents Directory at https://residentsdirectory.wisconsinofficialrecords.com/county/dane which combines court, clerk, sheriff, register of deeds, and vital records. Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) at https://wcca.wicourts.gov/ is the free statewide tool - searches all Dane County Circuit Court civil/criminal/family/small-claims cases by name; results include current address-of-record. The Dane County Clerk of Courts (https://courts.danecounty.gov/Resources/Court-Records, 215 South Hamilton Street, Madison, WI 53703, 608-266-4311) holds in-person filings; criminal index is online from approximately 1984 forward. The City of Madison Public Records Request Center (https://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/about/public-records) accepts e-requests for police, building, and clerk records. For incarcerated individuals, see the Wisconsin DOC Offender Locator (https://offender.doc.wi.gov/lop/). The Dane County Sheriff's Records Section (https://www.danesheriff.com/Records, 115 W Doty Street, Madison, WI 53703, 608-284-6800) provides incident reports. Dane County Public Record Requests at https://www.danecounty.gov/record-requests handle all other county records. Wisconsin Open Records Law (Wis. Stat. section 19.31) governs access.

To look up property records in Wisconsin, contact the Register of Deeds in the county where the property is located. The Wisconsin Register of Deeds Association directory is at https://wrdaonline.org/. Major counties: Milwaukee at https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Register-of-Deeds, Dane (Madison) at https://rod.countyofdane.com/, Waukesha at https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/register-of-deeds/. Wisconsin Land Information Office Statewide Parcel Map Initiative at https://www.sco.wisc.edu/ provides ownership and parcel data. WI Open Records Law (Wis. Stat. §19.31-19.39) makes deeds public; recording fees are $30 first page; certified copies typically $5 plus $2/page. Sources: WI Register of Deeds Association (https://wrdaonline.org/), WI Land Info (https://www.sco.wisc.edu/).

To find court records in La Crosse County, WI, use Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) at https://wcca.wicourts.gov/. Free name and case-number search returns La Crosse County Circuit Court records (felony, misdemeanor, civil, family, probate, traffic, small claims). The La Crosse County Clerk of Circuit Court is at 333 Vine Street, La Crosse, WI 54601 (608-785-9590). Certified copies of court documents typically cost $5 plus $1.25 per page. WI Open Records Law (Wis. Stat. §19.31-19.39) governs disclosure. Sealed/expunged records are excluded. Sources: WCCA (https://wcca.wicourts.gov/), La Crosse County (https://www.lacrossecounty.org/).

To get a death certificate in Aniwa, WI (Marathon County, also partially in Shawano County), the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Vital Records Office at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/vitalrecords/ issues certified death certificates for $20 (records from 1907 forward). The Marathon County Register of Deeds at 500 Forest Street, Wausau, WI 54403 (715-261-1470) issues local copies for deaths in Marathon County. Order from DHS online via VitalChek, by mail to PO Box 309, Madison, WI 53701, or in person. Only the spouse, parents, children, siblings, or legal representatives can obtain certified copies under Wis. Stat. §69.21. WI Open Records Law (Wis. Stat. §19.31-19.39) governs disclosure. Sources: WI DHS Vital Records (https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/vitalrecords/), Marathon County (https://www.marathoncounty.gov/).

To search property ownership in Wisconsin, contact the Register of Deeds in the county where the property is located. Wisconsin has 72 counties; the WI Register of Deeds Association directory is at https://www.wrdaonline.org/. Major counties: Milwaukee at https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Register-of-Deeds, Dane (Madison) at https://danecountyrod.com/, Waukesha at https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/. The state property tax portal at https://www.revenue.wi.gov/Pages/PropertyTax/home.aspx provides assessment data. WI Open Records Law (Wis. Stat. §19.31-19.39) makes deeds and assessment records public; recording fees average $30 first page. Sources: WI Register of Deeds Assoc. (https://www.wrdaonline.org/), WI DOR (https://www.revenue.wi.gov/).

To search court records in Wisconsin, use Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) at https://wcca.wicourts.gov/. Free name and case-number search returns civil, criminal, family, traffic, and small claims records from all 72 Wisconsin counties. Appellate-court records are at https://www.wicourts.gov/courts/appeals/. The Office of the State Courts Director is at 110 East Main Street, Madison, WI 53703 (608-266-6828). WI Open Records Law (Wis. Stat. §19.31-19.39) governs disclosure. Sealed and expunged records are excluded; some records are confidential under SCR 72.01 (juvenile, mental health). Sources: WCCA (https://wcca.wicourts.gov/), WI Courts (https://www.wicourts.gov/).