Sheboygan County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Sheboygan County was created in 1836 and named after the Sheboygan River. The county has a land area of 511.5 square miles and a population of over 117,700 people. Its government seat is Sheboygan City. Courts operating in the county include the Sheboygan County Circuit Court and the Municipal Courts.

The Sheboygan County Circuit Court is the highest trial court in the county. It hears civil cases, including contractual disputes, monetary claims, real estate cases, and torts. It also has jurisdiction over felony, misdemeanor, juvenile delinquency, juvenile dependency, and child abuse cases. Probate and family cases also fall within the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court. Sheboygan County is also home to four Municipal Courts located in Elkhart Lake, Sheboygan Falls, Plymouth, and Sheboygan. These courts have jurisdiction over municipal ordinance violations, traffic cases, juvenile drug offenses, truancy, and curfew violations. The Clerk of Courts provides a great deal of support to the Courts, Court Commissioner, and external judges who hear cases for Sheboygan County. Their staff is directly responsible for recording and taking all minutes during hearings and preparing all notices.

The Sheboygan County Circuit Court presided over 1,768 criminal cases, 3,739 civil cases, 476 probate cases, and 308 juvenile cases in 2023. Likewise, the county's crime rate per 1,000 residents stands at approximately 50 incidents. To ensure transparency, most court records are publicly available in Sheboygan County. Anyone can access the records of the Circuit Court by sending a request to the Court's Clerk, mentioning the relevant case information. Relevant case information would include names and docket numbers. Some cases are sealed due to the nature and sensitivity of the information in which case would require special permission to access. This can be handled, in person, at the County Clerk's office. At times, these records may require a court order to access information. Alternatively, researchers can use the Wisconsin Case Search Portal. However, records of the Municipal Courts are available at the courthouse where the proceedings were held. Note that Sheboygan County's juvenile, adoption, and guardianship records are not open to the public.

In summary, the Sheboygan Circuit Court and the Municipal Courts perform adjudicatory functions of the county's government. They ensure the efficient resolution of disputes and the trial of crimes in accordance with state laws and regulations. The courts also ensure that the public can access relevant information about their cases unless such information is prejudicial to the parties involved.