Vernon County
Located in southwest Wisconsin and formerly called Bad Axe County, Vernon County was created in 1851. It has 791.6 square miles of land, occupied by about 30,714 people and it is the 32nd largest county in the state by total area. The seat of government was moved from Hamlet of Springville to Viroqua City in 1852.
Vernon County operates a court system in which the Circuit Court, which is a part of Wisconsin's 7th Judicial District, plays a central role. The Circuit Court has original jurisdiction over all criminal, civil, probate, and juvenile cases. Its Small Claims Division handles landlord-tenant cases without financial limits and civil cases with claims up to $10,000. All traffic and ordinance violations are decided by the Circuit Court's Traffic Division. There are two Recovery Courts in Vernon County, namely Drug Courts and Sobriety Court. They both offer post-adjudication treatment services to drug abuse convicts. The Sobriety Court runs a program for persons convicted of Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) offenses.
Court records in Vernon County refer to legal papers and information gathered during case filing and court proceedings. They include warrants, summons, transcripts, affidavits, and court orders typically maintained by the Circuit Clerk. Vernon County court records are publicly accessible. However, juvenile records, records sealed by court orders, and other confidential records in Vernon County are exempt from public disclosure.
Some common public court records in Vernon County are:
- Criminal Records
- Civil Records
- Family Law Records
- Probate Records
Vernon County court records may be searched online by interested individuals through the Wisconsin Circuit Court Case Search portal. Similarly, the daily court calendar may be viewed online by interested individuals. Alternatively, copies of Vernon County court records may be obtained in person by contacting the local courts where the cases were heard.
