Wisconsin Free Public Records Directory

The state of Wisconsin is located in the Great Lakes region of the United States. It is the 23rd largest state in the U.S. at 65,498 sq. miles and 72 counties. Wisconsin is bordered by Minnesota on the west, Iowa on the southwest, Illinois on the south, Lake Michigan on the northeast, and Lake Superior on the north.

Wisconsin is home to a wide variety of geographical features due to its location between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. It is second to Michigan in length of its Great Lakes coastline. Most of Wisconsin is classified as having a warm summer humid climate, while the southern and southwestern portions are classified as having a hot summer humid climate.

Wisconsin has been settled by a number of cultures through the years. The first Europeans to visit the Wisconsin area were probably French. The British gradually took over Wisconsin, and took control of all of Wisconsin in 1761. In 1763, after the American Revolutionary War, Wisconsin became a territorial possession of the U.S. It became the 30th state of the Union on May 29, 1848. During the 19th and early 20th century, many Europeans from Germany and Scandinavia settled in the state. Similar to Minnesota, the state remains a center of German and Scandinavian cultures.

Wisconsin has an estimated population of 5,795,483, ranking it the 20th most populous state. Its largest city is the city of Milwaukee, located on the western shore of Lake Michigan. Milwaukee is the second-most densely populated metropolitan area in the Midwest, surpassed only by Chicago, Illinois. The state capital is the city of Madison, the 2nd largest city in Wisconsin.

During the early years of statehood, Wisconsin’s economy diversified with agriculture becoming a principal occupation. Railroads were built across the state to help transport grains. Wisconsin briefly became one of the nation’s leading producers of wheat. Beginning in the 1890s, farmers shifted from wheat to dairy production. Wisconsin is particularly famous for its cheese and produces about a quarter of America’s cheese. It also produces about a quarter of the nation’s butter. Since Wisconsin is one of the nation’s leading dairy producers, it is known as “America’s Dairyland.” Today, Wisconsin’s economy is driven by manufacturing including commercial food processing and other consumer goods, agriculture, health care, and tourism. Due to the large number of lakes and rivers in the state, water recreation is very popular among the residents and tourists. The distinctive Door Peninsula, which extends off the eastern coast of the state, is a popular destination for boaters because of the large number of natural harbors, bays, and ports.^[1]

The various Wisconsin public records listed below are sorted into seven general categories for easy access to the records that you may need.

Abbreviation	WI, Wisc.
Capital	Madison
Population	5,795,483 (2017 est.)
Area size	65,498 sq. mi.
Demonym	Wisconsinite
Primary languages spoken	English
Governor	Scott Walker
Lieutenant Governor	Rebecca Kleefisch
U.S. Senators	Ron Johnson, Tammy Baldwin
U.S. House Delegation	5 Republicans, 3 Democrats
Time Zone	Central: UTC -6/-5

*The map and data in the table are from Wikipedia.

Browse by Public Record Category

There are two types of public records; 1) personal public records that document major life milestones such as birth certificates, death certificates, divorce records, and marriage records, etc.; and 2) government records that are made public such as property tax records, recorded land records, voter records, crime data, jail inmate records, and court records. The Freedom of Information Act is a national law that releases government agency public records and makes it possible to view most public records.^[2] Wisconsin Statue 19.31 – In recognition of the fact that a representative government is dependent upon an informed electorate, it is declared to be the public policy of this state that all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.^[3]

Since there are a multitude of records available, it can be difficult to know how or where to access them. When you are ready to start your search, you’ll find our Public Records Directory website easy to use since all of the records can be searched by federal, state, county, city, town or type of record. The links provided will connect you to the best website for the record search, provide details about the record, or provide contact information for those records without search capabilities.