Getting Public Records
Wis. Stat. 19.35 — any requester, no reason needed, and an answer as soon as practicable
Any requester. Except as otherwise provided by law, any requester in Wisconsin has a right to inspect any record and to get a copy. A request may not be refused because the requester will not give a name or say why, or because it came by mail, except in the cases the section allows.
As soon as practicable and without delay. The authority fills the request, or tells the requester it is denied in whole or part and why, as soon as practicable and without delay. A written request that is denied gets a written statement of reasons. An oral denial becomes written if the requester demands it within 5 business days.
A copy fee may not exceed the actual, necessary and direct cost of reproducing and transcribing the record, unless another law sets it. A fee for locating a record is allowed only when that cost is $50 or more. Audio and video recordings are copied substantially as good as the original.
An individual also has a right to inspect and copy personally identifiable information about themselves that an authority keeps, with the exceptions the section lists.
Sources for this section (1)
- Wis. Stat. 19.35 — Access to records; fees
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Wisconsin attorney.