The Dane County Clerk of Courts is responsible for processing circuit court case records, among other duties. Court records are documents generated during legal proceedings, such as criminal case files, bankruptcy records, and records from family or probate court.

Records Search

Court, Criminal, Marriage, Divorce, Property


They contain information about these legal proceedings, including names of the parties involved, dates of hearings, testimony and evidence, and rulings in cases. Court records are kept in office for a period of time and then disposed of or archived. Most are considered public records, though some information may be redacted when copies are provided to the public. In some cases, court records may be sealed and require a court order to access, but many others can be accessed easily online. Jeff Okazaki is the current Clerk of Circuit Court and Shelly Maas is the Chief Deputy Clerk of Court.

Dane County court records may be accessed in several ways. A criminal index from 1984 forward is available online and records of some civil actions are available online. Records from approximately the past five years are retained on-site, with the exception of traffic and non-criminal ordinance violations, which are only maintained for one year. Requests for court records that fall outside this timeframe may take several days as these records are housed in multiple locations.

Requests for copies of court records should provide the name, phone number, and address of the person making the request and as much of the following information as possible: full name and any other names case could be filed under; phone number and current address; case number; the specific need the request is meant to fill; and indication of if the records should be certified or not. Certified records are stamped by the custodian of records to indicate they are true copies of the originals. The case number for the records may be searched online at the link provided below. If the total cost of records is more than $5, the fee must be paid in advance. Fees may be paid online or via telephone using a credit or debit card.

Requests for Juvenile documents have additional requirements. A form, either a JD-1738A and B or JD-1739A and B, must be sent with the request and will be reviewed by a judge. A photo ID is also required. These forms are available on the Court Records website.

Requests for Dane County court records may be submitted in person or by mail, email, or fax. No phone requests are taken. The office is open Monday through Friday from 7:45am to 4:30pm.

Dane County Courthouse
Room 1002
215 S Hamilton St.
Madison, WI 53703

Email: Dane.courtrecords@wicourts.gov
Fax: (608) 267-8859
Phone: (608) 266-4311

Dane County Clerk of Courts
https://courts.countyofdane.com/

Circuit Court Records Requests
https://courts.countyofdane.com/Resources/Court-Records

Case Number Search
https://wcca.wicourts.gov/

Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (Online Court Records Search)
https://wcca.wicourts.gov/