
It is an extremely important tool and resource for those of us working in the legal system. CCAP also allows us to keep track of and monitor our cases. In virtually every case, we feel an obligation to search CCAP to discover potential issues or problems. Family lawyers can better protect our clients from undisclosed issues. It is difficult now to hide bad behavior and conceal legal problems or debts. Pre-divorce planning is crucial in these situations and you should consult with your attorney regarding same.Ĭonversely, public court records can also be extremely helpful. However, with the advent of CCAP, we can no longer do that. Often when there is domestic violence, we want to initiate the divorce quickly to obtain a court date but don’t want to serve to allow our clients time to move out or put into place a safety plan. Sometimes, there are reasons to file but to wait to serve the papers. Therefore, if you don’t want your spouse to know you filed yet, you simply can’t file. Occasionally, the judges will seal or restrict what appears on CCAP but a party would need to petition the court for that and there would need to be a compelling reason (a public figure, safety issues, etc.).Īs family lawyers, one issue that we have with CCAP is that your divorce filing appears almost instantly. This is dependent on the clerk and the judge. But, sometimes details peek through in the notes the clerks make in the system with regards to hearings and court findings. The details of your divorce judgment are not necessarily listed on CCAP. The fact of it is, in Wisconsin, any contact you have had with the legal system is an open book for all to see. There have been complaints about discrimination from prospective employers, landlords, etc. There has been much debate in Wisconsin about the level of access the public should have to these records. But, CCAP does cause all types of issues for the people of Wisconsin. How does this affect you? In reality, unless you have a really nosy neighbor with way too much time on their hands, people you know are not going to trek to the courthouse and peruse through your divorce file. All family court proceedings, again except paternity cases, are open to the public. Your court file is public record with the exception of financial statements, which are sealed. The only exception is paternity or children’s court cases which are confidential.
#Wisconsin divorce records full
In fact, Wisconsin is one of the few states that give full public access to all court records online, including divorce (see CCAP). In Wisconsin, the answer is yes, divorce records are public. The premise of the article is that marriage and family are private and protected in many other areas of the law and society – so should then be divorce. Additional fees apply when using these services.Is a divorce part of the public record in Wisconsin? Should it be? After all, are your family issues really anyone else’s business? I ran across an interesting article from a few years ago written by a California divorce attorney lamenting the fact that divorce records are public and found that I agreed with most of his points. Personal checks are not accepted.īrown County uses VitalChek and Official Records Online to process online vital records requests. Submit completed application, a photocopy valid identification and the correct fee.Īcceptable payment - cashier's check or money order.


All mail requests are processed the day they are received.


Personal checks are not accepted.Ĭomplete the Divorce application form (link below). Applicant must show valid identification with application.Īcceptable payment - cash, credit/debit (additional fees apply) and cashier's check or money order. There are three options available to obtain a vital record:Īll in-person requests are processed while you wait between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:45 PM. The fee for vital records is $20.00 for the first copy and $3.00 for each additional copy. *For Divorces occurring before January 1st, 2016 contact the Clerk of Circuit Court office where the divorce occurred for the divorce decree or the Wisconsin Department of Health Services-Vital Records Services for the divorce certificate. Statewide issuance of vital records allows any Register of Deeds office in the State of Wisconsin to issue Divorce certificates from all Wisconsin counties if the Divorce occured in Wisconsin after January 1st, 2016.
