Originally part of Milwaukee County, Waukesha County was established in 1846 and is located in southeastern Wisconsin. The county is home to over 400,000 Wisconsinites and covers an area of about 581 square miles. Waukesha County has its county seat in Waukesha City and is known for its scenic landscapes, including numerous lakes, natural springs, and high-quality water.

Courts in Waukesha County

The trial courts for Waukesha County comprise both Circuit and Municipal Courts. The Waukesha County Circuit County has general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases. They preside over criminal felonies, misdemeanor and traffic violation cases, and civil disputes, including property, personal injury, and contracts.

The District Court has a Family Division that handles child visitation, child custody, child support lawsuits, and marriage dissolution cases. It also has a Probate Division, which presides over wills, estates, and guardianship cases, and the Juvenile Division, which hears cases involving minors, including delinquencies, truancy, and paternity lawsuits. The Municipal Courts in Waukesha County handle cases involving non-criminal city or town ordinance violations, such as traffic offenses and local code violations.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Waukesha County

Public court records are documents maintained by the courts that are publicly available to anyone who requests the records. The Clerk of the Circuit Court is the record custodian for Waukesha County. The office provides electronic access to public court records through the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. Furthermore, record seekers can view and obtain court records by visiting the courthouse during business hours. The courts also permit mail requests for court records.

Types of Public Court Records in Waukesha County

Access to public court records builds the citizens' trust in the county legal system as they can see how the courts handle and make decisions about different lawsuits. Court records publicly available in Waukesha County include:

• Criminal Court Records: Felonies and misdemeanor cases, including drug trafficking, arson, homicide, shoplifting, simple assaults, and public intoxication
• Civil Court Records: Employment disputes, small claims, personal injury claims, contract breaches, and business litigations
• Probate Records: Wills, estates, guardianships, conservatorships, trusts and name change
• Family Court Records: Marriage dissolution, legal separation, annulment, alimony, child custody, and child support cases
• Traffic Records: Speeding tickets, illegal parking, driving under the influence, and driving with an expired license

Confidential Court Records in Waukesha County

Confidential court records are legal documents from judicial proceedings unavailable to the public.  Confidential court records are sealed by court order or state or federal laws to safeguard sensitive information, protect privacy, or prevent prejudice to the individual named on the court document. Confidential court records include:

• Domestic violence protection orders
• Grand jury proceedings
• Trade secrets and business proprietary information
• Medical and mental health records
• Juvenile court records
• Adoption records

Court records contain personal data that is confidential by law. Therefore, access to personally identifying information on court documents is excluded from public view. Personal identifiers are information used to identify an individual. Personal identifiers,  including Social Security numbers, date of birth, telephone numbers, passport numbers, vehicle plate numbers, and financial account numbers, are redacted from legal documents.

Juvenile Delinquency in Waukesha, WI

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Waukesha County, juvenile delinquency issues are on the rise. There are many reasons for the rise in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in Wisconsin often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of crimes, and other family matters.

In 2017, a total of 455 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Waukesha County. Of that total, 34% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 155 court cases. Another 33% were dependency cases that accounted for 149 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Waukesha County, are focusing on family therapy and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Waukesha County juvenile delinquency numbers will show whether or not this approach is working.

Government of Waukesha County, WI

https://www.wisconsin.gov/

County Seat:	Waukesha
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Dillon's Rule
Year Organized:	1846
Total Square Miles:	581
2019 Population:	400,621
Persons/Square Mile:	0.00
County Contact:	1320 Pewaukee Rd County Courthouse Waukesha , WI 53188-3878 https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/

Waukesha County, WI Courts