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Wisconsin (WI)

Law: Wisconsin Public Records Law (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31–19.39)

Notes: Requests can be oral or written; written is safer. Agencies must respond ‘as soon as practicable’. Fees are generally limited to actual costs.

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Jurisdiction Facts

Sourced from the jurisdiction registry. Not legal advice.

Best Practice

Requests can be oral or written; written is safer. Agencies must respond ‘as soon as practicable’. Fees are generally limited to actual costs.

Statutory Response Deadline

Records must be furnished as soon as practicable and without delay under Wis. Stat. § 19.35(4); no fixed numeric deadline.

Observed Average Response

98 days (MuckRock observed average, not a statutory deadline).

Fee Waivers / Intake

No statutory fee waiver.

Appeals

No administrative appeal; may file suit in circuit court. Mandatory attorney fees for prevailing requesters.

Direct links to the governing statute, official requester guidance, and central portal for this jurisdiction.

Common Agencies

Milwaukee Fire Department

Email: [email protected]

Mail: Milwaukee Fire Department, 711 W. Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233

Fees & notes

There is no specific audit data available for the Milwaukee Fire Department's open records performance. It does not have a dedicated portal and relies on a general email address.

Reviewed 2026-04-27

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Milwaukee Police Department

Email: [email protected]

Mail: Milwaukee Police Department, Open Records Section, 749 W. State Street, Milwaukee, WI 53233

Fees & notes

The Milwaukee Police Department Open Records Section warns of a high volume of requests that creates a significant backlog and delays responses. It is known for being difficult to reach by phone and slow to process requests.

Reviewed 2026-04-27

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