Walworth County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Located in the state of Wisconsin, Walworth County has an estimated population of over 105,100 residents. It is situated on 577 square miles of territory and has Elkhorn as its county seat. Two Trial Courts, the Circuit Court, and Municipal Court, constitute Walworth County's trial court system, including the rest of Wisconsin.

The Second Judicial District Circuit Court is the highest in Walworth County. It is located in Elkhorn and has original jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases. However, cases under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Municipal Courts are exempt from its purview. The Circuit Court generally presides over all civil and criminal jury trials and hears criminal cases such as felonies, misdemeanors, and criminal traffic crimes. Typical civil cases that fall under Walworth County Circuit Court's jurisdiction include general civil cases and civil equity suits, probate cases, domestic relations such as divorce and child custody, and certain juvenile matters. Fifteen Municipal Courts are situated in various cities, towns, and villages in Walworth County and exercise general jurisdiction over most ordinance violations, traffic crimes, and jury-ess first-time drunk driving offenses. They, however, have limited jurisdiction over equitable relief cases and general juvenile cases such as truancy, drug violations, and alcohol and curfew offenses. The locations of some Walworth County municipal courts include Elkhorn, Lake Geneva, Bloomfield, Town of Delavan, Town of East Troy, and Fontana. Other municipal courts can be found in:

• Whitewater
• City of Delavan
• Linn
• Village of East Troy
• Darien
• Sharon
• Village of Walworth
• Williams Bay
• Geneva

A Circuit Court Caseload Statistics Report shows that a total of 12,159 cases were handled in 2023 compared to 10,766 disposed cases in the preceding year, indicating an approximate 13% caseload increase. Of the total cases opened in 2023, 2003 were criminal cases, while civil, probate, and juvenile cases accounted for 2,944, 414, and 201 cases, respectively. Municipal Court statistics from Walworth County reported a three-year average (from 2020 to 2022) of 6,789 filed cases spanning ordinance violations and non-criminal traffic offenses, among others. The Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains all court records and provides court case information to interested members of the public upon request. Court case records requestors can access recent records online via the state-supported portal. Other request channels available to requestors include:

• In-person courthouse visits for inspecting and copying certain records
• Electronic request options such as telephone, email, or fax

Generally, the Walworth County court system, composed of the Circuit Courts and the Municipal Courts, offers county residents multiple legal channels for administering justice and ensuring law and order is maintained throughout the county. They also guarantee that publicly accessible, accurate, and detailed records of numerous individuals and local institutions in the county are properly documented and preserved.