What is CCAP?
CCAP stands for Consolidated Court Automation Programs and is part of Wisconsin Circuit
Court Access, a database of court records made available to the public by the Wisconsin Open Records Law.
What is the Wisconsin Open Records Law?
The public policy of Wisconsin state government is that all persons are entitled to the greatest
possible information regarding the affairs of government and its official acts. Wis. Statute 19.31. Circuit court records
are open for public inspection, Wis. Stats. 59.20(3), unless closed by a statute, a common law limitation, or a specific court
order.
My case was dismissed. Why is
it still showing up on WCCA?
WCCA is a mirror of the historical
record in the Clerk of Court's office. As a historical record, it shows what has happened in every case filed. If a case
is dismissed, or a person is found "not guilty" in a criminal case, that is part of the historical record and is
disclosed in the records.
Do cases settled out of court display on WCCA?
Once a
case is filed with the court, it will display on WCCA, even if the case was settled.
Why are some cases not available on WCCA?
There are several reasons why a case may not be available on WCCA:
Some older cases were not included when the circuit court in a county automated its records.
How far back WCCA records go differs by county. See When counties began using CCAP.
Case types such as adoptions, mental
commitments, and juvenile cases are confidential by law and so are not shown on WCCA.
A judge may order a misdemeanor
case to be expunged if the convicted offender is under age 21. This order will delete all court records of the case included
on WCCA.
Can I have my address removed from a case on WCCA?
A person whose address
displays on WCCA in a non-criminal case can petition the court to remove their address information from the online record
for safety reasons. In order for the address to be removed, you must show the court that there is a demonstrated potential
of physical or bodily harm or a threat of harm to you, a family member or a member of your household at that address.
If you would like to petition the court to remove your address from WCCA, complete a Petition, Affidavit and Order
Concerning Removal of Address Information from Online Records (GF-183). This form can be found in the forms section of the
Wisconsin Court System website at www.wicourts.gov or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page. This form has instructions printed on it that will
assist you in completing the form. You must submit a separate Petition for each case number in which you wish to have the
address removed. Once you have completed the Petition, take it to the clerk of circuit courts
office in the county where the case was filed. A judge will review your Petition. If your Petition is granted, the address
information will be removed from the online (CCAP/WCCA) case record. This Petition will not remove the address from the paper
file. If you would like your address sealed in the paper file, you must make a general motion to the court to seal your address
in the paper court record.
I don't want my private
information on WCCA. How can I get it removed?
You probably can't get rid of this information.
Wisconsin has a strong open records law [ Wis. Stats. 19.31-19.39 ] that requires most court records to be open. Personal
information appearing in court records is protected by statutes only in limited circumstances. According to Wisconsin court
cases, even if the information may be harmful to an individual's reputation or privacy, that is not enough to allow a
judge to seal a court record. However, if you feel your safety is at risk, you can petition the court to remove your address
from the online record of a non-criminal case.
Does expunction remove my case from everywhere?
No. Even
under the limited circumstances described above, a judge can only order expunction of the court's record. The Wisconsin
Crime Information Bureau also keeps criminal records. The case may still exist in the records of the District Attorney, other
law enforcement records, the Department of Transportation and other places. The judge has no authority to require removal
of those records. I don't want my criminal case on WCCA.
How can I get it removed?
You probably can't. Wisconsin law allows a judge to "expunge"
a case in only two situations, both involving youthful offenders:
Misdemeanors committed by a person under 21. If the judge ordered expunction upon successful completion of the sentence,
the record can be expunged. See §973.015, Wis. Stats.
Adjudication of a juvenile delinquent. A juvenile who has
been adjudged delinquent can, upon reaching age 17, petition the judge for expunction of the juvenile adjudication. See §938.355,
Wis. Stats. However, WCCA does not display juvenile adjudications because they are not public records.
An expunged case
is sealed by the clerk of court and is available to be viewed only with a court order. If the judge properly orders a case
expunged, any reference to it will be removed from WCCA. A judge has no other authority or power to expunge cases, and there
are no similar provisions for other types of cases.
Who
do I contact if the data displayed on this web site is incorrect?
Errors on the Wisconsin Circuit
Court Access (WCCA) Internet Site result from an error in the underlying court record in the county responsible for the case.
To correct an error or update a record, you must contact the court official in the county responsible for the case, usually
the clerk of circuit court or circuit court judge.
Could you describe what the different case types mean? CF - Felony - a crime punishable by imprisonment
in the Wisconsin state prisons and / or a fine
CI - Commitment of an Inmate - a case with a petition alleging that a
person is a sexually violent person
CL - Construction Lien - a claim on property for non-payment of work that improved
the property
CM - Misdemeanor - a crime punishable by a fine and / or confinement in a local jail, but not by imprisonment
in the Wisconsin state prisons
CO - Condominium Lien - a claim on a condominium unit for the owner's non-payment
of assessments for common expenses
CT - Criminal Traffic - a misdemeanor offense involving the operation of a motor
vehicle
CV - Civil - typically, lawsuits seeking claims in excess of $5000, but also such actions as restraining orders,
appeals from municipal court and administrative agency decisions, name changes, etc.
CX - Complex Forfeiture - A forfeiture
action that requires access to the rules of civil procedure and which is punishable by a forfeiture of money.
FA - Family
- divorce, legal separation, annulment, custody, child support, maintenance, property division, or the enforcement or modification
of an order affecting the family
FJ - Foreign Judgment - a judgment or order of a court from a different state, a federal
court outside Wisconsin, a municipal court of another county, or a tribal court; treated as if ordered by a Wisconsin circuit
court.
FO - Non Traffic Ordinance Violation - a violation, unrelated to the operation of a motor vehicle, punishable
by the forfeiture of money
GF - Group File - a category for maintaining documents that are not specifically case-related
HL - Hospital Lien - a claim by a hospital for non-payment of services provided to an injured person. The claim is on
a judgment, award, settlement, etc. that the injured person may have against the person responsible for the injury.
HT
- Habitual Traffic - No longer available for use. A petition claiming a person is not the person identified by DOT as a habitual
traffic offender is now filed as a CV case.
IN - Informal Probate - a typical probate matter in which no issues are
contested and a deceased person's estate is administratively handled by the probate registrar instead of by the court
IP - Incarcerated Person - a case with a petition submitted by a prisoner who wants to begin an action without prepaying
court costs and fees
JD - John Doe - a proceeding under WI Stats. 968.26 to determine whether a crime has been committed.
For clerical convenience, this case type also includes the filing of complaints under WI Stats. 968.02(3) and coroners'
inquests under WI Stats. 979.04.
JJ - Juvenile Judgment - a judgment against a juvenile for unpaid debt, typically restitution
JT - Joint Tenancy - No longer available for use. A statement filed with the Register in Probate that results in the
termination of a decedent's interest in joint property is filed as a PR case.
ML - Mechanics Lien - No longer available
for use. A mechanics lien is not required to be filed with the clerk of circuit court.
OL - Other Lien - claims not
specifically identified by the other lien case types and include such claims as environmental liens, mining liens, quarry
labor liens, etc.
PA - Paternity - Post judgment actions in paternity cases, such as support and custody. Pre judgment
information concerning the determination of paternity is confidential and is not available to the public.
PR - Probate
- formal probate (in which issues are contested and a deceased person's estate is supervised by the court) and such other
probate-related actions as the summary settlement of small estates, the termination of joint tenancy, etc.
SC - Small
Claims - lawsuits seeking claims of less than $5000, evictions, and replevin actions (the repossession of property)
TC
- Tribal Court Order - a judgment, decision, or order of an Indian tribal court in Wisconsin that is treated as if it had
been issued by a Wisconsin state court
TJ - Transcript of Judgment - a judgment or order from another Wisconsin circuit
court, a Wisconsin appellate court, a federal court in Wisconsin, or a municipal court in that county; treated as if ordered
by the circuit court in the county where it's filed.
TR - Traffic Forfeiture - a violation, related to the operation
of a motor vehicle, punishable by the forfeiture of money
TW - Tax Warrant - a warrant issued by the Wisconsin Department
of Revenue for failure to pay income or franchise tax when due. This warrant has the same effect as a judgment granted by
the court.
UC - Unemployment Compensation - a warrant issued by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development for
an employer's failure to pay contributions, interest, or fees. This warrant has the same effect as a judgment granted
by a court.
WC - Workers Compensation - an award issued by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.This award
has the same effect as a judgment granted by a court
WL - Will Filed - a will filed with the court for safekeeping during
a person's lifetime
Where can I find definitions
for some of the legal terms used in court records?
The
Wisconsin News Reporters Handbook, chapter 6, has a good glossary of terms commonly used in Wisconsin courts. You can find
it online here. You can also check the Wisconsin State Law Library web site for legal dictionaries and general legal information.
