| Clerk of Circuit Court | Winnebago County Clerk of Courts |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Winnebago County Courthouse, 415 Jackson St., Oshkosh, WI 54901 (Clerk of Courts, 1st floor; Register in Probate, Room 242). Mail: P.O. Box 2808, Oshkosh, WI 54903-2808 |
| Phone | Clerk of Courts (920) 236-4848; Circuit Court contact line (920) 236-4808; fax (920) 424-7780; Register in Probate (920) 236-4833, fax (920) 424-7536 |
| Hours | Clerk of Courts: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., except occasional Thursday mornings when the office opens after a staff meeting, no later than 9:00 a.m. Register in Probate: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m. |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | $1.25 per page (Wis. Stat. § 814.61(10)(a)) |
| Certified copy fee | $1.25 per page plus a $5.00 certification fee per document (Wis. Stat. § 814.61(10)(a) and § 814.61(5)(am)) |
Winnebago County's circuit court sits in the county courthouse at 415 Jackson Street in Oshkosh. The Clerk of Courts office on the first floor keeps the civil, criminal, traffic, family, and small-claims files and handles jury management and records requests for the whole county, including the Neenah and Menasha end of the Fox Valley. Two floors up, in Room 242, the Register in Probate keeps estate, guardianship, commitment, termination-of-parental-rights, and adoption files under a combined Register in Probate and Juvenile Court office.
Winnebago is one of the more transparent Wisconsin counties about what records cost. Its Records and Copy Requests page spells out the statutory fee schedule: $1.25 per page for copies, $5 per document for certification, $5 for a name search when you cannot supply a case number, and $15 plus per-page charges for an exemplified (triple-seal) copy used for out-of-state filings. It also publishes a Request for Copies, Record Search, or Certification form that can be mailed, emailed, or brought to the counter.
One scheduling quirk: the clerk's office is occasionally closed on Thursday mornings for staff meetings and reopens no later than 9:00 a.m. Online case lookup runs through the statewide Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) system, which the clerk and the probate office both link to for case searches and filed wills.
Search Winnebago County court records online
Clerk of Circuit Court
Winnebago County Clerk of Courts
- Cost
- Free case search on WCCA; $1.25 per page for copies, $5 per document for certification, $5 name search
- Coverage
- Circuit-court civil, criminal, traffic, family, and small-claims case files for Winnebago County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Traffic
Records and copy requests can be submitted by email, by mail to P.O. Box 2808, or in person using the office's Request for Copies, Record Search, or Certification form. Office occasionally closed Thursday mornings until no later than 9 a.m.
Other courts
Winnebago County Register in Probate / Juvenile Court
- Cost
- Free case search on WCCA; per-page fee for copies
- Coverage
- Estates, guardianships, mental, alcohol, and drug commitments, terminations of parental rights, and adoptions
- Records
- Probate
Room 242 of the courthouse at 415 Jackson St. Closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m. The office cannot give legal advice and refers callers to the State Bar lawyer referral line.
What is available online
Winnebago County circuit-court case summaries and docket entries are on the statewide WCCA system at no cost, and the Register in Probate's page notes that estate actions and filed wills can be searched there too. Filed documents generally are not viewable online; the clerk supplies them by email, mail, or at the counter for the statutory per-page fee. Electronic filing for parties runs through the state's eFiling system, not a county site.
Which clerk has your record
In Wisconsin, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Wisconsin page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Courts | Felony and misdemeanor criminal cases; Divorce, custody, and other family cases; Civil suits and small claims | Clerk of Circuit Court of the county (probate and related matters held by the Register in Probate) |
| Municipal Courts | Municipal ordinance violations; Non-moving and moving traffic citations issued within city or village limits; Local forfeiture actions | Municipal court clerk for that city or village |
Request records in person or by mail
Winnebago County clerk offices
Winnebago County Courthouse, 415 Jackson St., Oshkosh, WI 54901 (Clerk of Courts, 1st floor; Register in Probate, Room 242). Mail: P.O. Box 2808, Oshkosh, WI 54903-2808
Phone: Clerk of Courts (920) 236-4848; Circuit Court contact line (920) 236-4808; fax (920) 424-7780; Register in Probate (920) 236-4833, fax (920) 424-7536
Hours: Clerk of Courts: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., except occasional Thursday mornings when the office opens after a staff meeting, no later than 9:00 a.m. Register in Probate: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Online. Confirm the case number and status on WCCA at wcca.wicourts.gov first. The clerk's office does not run its own search tool, and a name search at the counter costs $5 under Wis. Stat. § 814.61(11) if you cannot supply a case number.
By email or mail. Fill out the clerk's Request for Copies, Record Search, or Certification form (linked from the Records / Copy Requests page) and send it by email to the address shown there, or mail it to Winnebago County Clerk of Courts, P.O. Box 2808, Oshkosh, WI 54903. Copies are $1.25 per page and certification is $5 per document; an exemplified copy for out-of-state use is $15 plus $1.25 per page.
In person. The Clerk of Courts counter is on the first floor of the courthouse at 415 Jackson Street, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with occasional late openings on Thursday mornings.
Probate, guardianship, and commitment records. Contact the Register in Probate in Room 242, (920) 236-4833, which closes from noon to 1:00 p.m. Guardianship, commitment, TPR, and adoption files carry statutory confidentiality restrictions; estate files are generally public.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $1.25 per page (Wis. Stat. § 814.61(10)(a)) |
| Certified copy | $1.25 per page plus a $5.00 certification fee per document (Wis. Stat. § 814.61(10)(a) and § 814.61(5)(am)) |
Wis. Stat. § 814.61(10)(a) sets $1.25 per page for "copies, certified or otherwise" of any court document without its own specific fee. The $5.00 certificate fee comes from § 814.61(5)(am), and county clerks (Dane, Winnebago, Kenosha, and Marathon among them) publish it as a $5.00-per-document charge on top of the per-page copy fee. A records or file search when you cannot supply a case number is $5.00 under § 814.61(11), rising to $14.00 on November 1, 2026 under 2025 Wis. Act 179. Exemplified (triple-seal) copies are commonly $15.00 plus the per-page fee. Register in Probate offices follow a separate fee section, so confirm probate copy fees with that office.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Wisconsin court records are public under the state's open-records law, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31–19.39, but several categories are removed from public view:
The Wisconsin guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a certified copy of a Winnebago County court record cost?
$5 per document for the certification plus $1.25 per page for the copy, per the clerk's published fee schedule citing Wis. Stat. § 814.61. An exemplified (triple-seal) copy for out-of-state filing is $15 plus $1.25 per page.
Can I request Winnebago County court records without visiting Oshkosh?
Yes. The Clerk of Courts accepts its Request for Copies, Record Search, or Certification form by email or by mail to P.O. Box 2808, Oshkosh, WI 54903. Include the case number if you have it; a name search without one costs $5.
Why was the Winnebago County Clerk of Courts closed on a Thursday morning?
The office holds occasional Thursday-morning staff meetings and opens when they end, no later than 9:00 a.m. Regular hours are otherwise 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Who keeps probate and guardianship records in Winnebago County?
The Register in Probate, in Room 242 of the courthouse at 415 Jackson Street, which also serves as the juvenile court office. It handles estates, guardianships, commitments, terminations of parental rights, and adoptions, and closes from noon to 1 p.m.
Sources
- Winnebago County Clerk of Courts — https://www.winnebagocountywi.gov/227/Clerk-of-Courts
- Winnebago County Clerk of Courts — Records / Copy Requests — https://www.winnebagocountywi.gov/252/Records-Copy-Requests
- Winnebago County Probate (Register in Probate / Juvenile Court) — https://www.winnebagocountywi.gov/474/Probate
- Wisconsin Court System — Circuit court clerk contact information — https://www.wicourts.gov/courts/circuit/clerkcontact.htm
- Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) — https://wcca.wicourts.gov/
- Wisconsin Court System — Court system overview — https://www.wicourts.gov/courts/overview/overview.htm
- Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Access (WSCCA) — https://wscca.wicourts.gov/
- Wisconsin Online Record Check System (WORCS) — https://recordcheck.doj.wi.gov/
- Wisconsin Department of Justice — Criminal Background Checks — https://www.wisdoj.gov/Pages/CriminalJusticeServices/criminal-background-check.aspx
- Wisconsin Statutes § 814.61 — Fees of the clerk of circuit court — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/814/ii/61/1
- Wisconsin Statutes § 814.61(10) — Copies — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/814/ii/61/10
- Wisconsin Statutes § 814.61(5) — Certificates, judgments, and other filings — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/814/ii/61/5
- Wisconsin Statutes § 973.015 — Special disposition (expungement) — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/973/015
- Wisconsin Statutes ch. 19, subch. II — Public Records — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/19/ii
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin — https://www.wied.uscourts.gov/
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin — https://www.wiwd.uscourts.gov/
See also: all Wisconsin counties.