Vital Records: In-Person Research
Advance appointments are required for in-person research. Appointments are available Monday through Friday 2–4 p.m. To make an appointment, call 608-266-1373 or email DHSVitalRecords@wi.gov.
We will be closed to self-search appointments for the month of September to accommodate moving to a new space. Contact us in October to schedule appointments.
Policy for on-site searching
Each person entering the search area must have an appointment. Two persons may request to be scheduled together. We reserve the right to alter the number of searchers allowed in the area.
Each searcher must register each day they enter the search area by completing an application form and showing proper identification. The following are acceptable forms of identification. Expired cards or documents will not be accepted.
One of the following:
- State issued driver's license or ID card
- US government issued photo ID
- US or foreign passport
- Tribal or military ID card
Or two of the following:
- Bank/Earnings statement
- Current, dated, signed lease
- Health insurance card
- Utility bill or traffic ticket
- Vehicle registration/title
Cancellations are allowed. If you do not show up for your appointment, you may be restricted from future searches.
Searchers will be provided an orientation upon request.
Children under 12 are not allowed in the search area. Children age 12 and older must have an appointment to enter the search area.
FAQs (frequently asked questions)
| Kind of Record | Records | Indexes |
|---|---|---|
| Birth records | Earliest filed through 1938 | Earliest filed through 1984 |
| Death records | Earliest filed through 1971 and 50 years from today's date | Earliest filed through 2016 |
| Marriage records | Earliest filed through 1967 | Earliest filed through May 2015 |
| Divorce records | October 1907 through 1967 | October 1907 through 1986 |
The Wisconsin State Vital Records Office doesn’t publish any records or indexes online.
To find an online index of Wisconsin birth, death, and marriage records filed before October 1907, visit The Wisconsin Historical Society
| County | Births | Deaths | Marriages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 1857 | 1876 | 1857 |
| Ashland | 1876 | 1877 | 1874 |
| Barron | 1877 | 1877 | 1868 |
| Bayfield | 1879 | 1870 | 1869 |
| Brown | 1814 | 1834 | 1823 |
| Buffalo | 1855 | 1873 | 1856 |
| Burnett | 1853 | 1846 | 1869 |
| Calumet | 1858 | 1856 | 1850 |
| Chippewa | 1858 | 1855 | 1869 |
| Clark | 1869 | 1877 | 1857 |
| Columbia | 1860 | 1877 | 1849 |
| Crawford | 1858 | 1876 | 1862 |
| Dane | 1860 | 1876 | 1839 |
| Dodge | 1870 | 1852 | 1843 |
| Door | 1852 | 1856 | 1860 |
| Douglas | 1861 | 1877 | 1854 |
| Dunn | 1870 | 1877 | 1858 |
| Eau Claire | 1870 | 1876 | 1857 |
| Florence | 1882 | 1882 | 1882 |
| Fond du Lac | 1879 | 1854 | 1844 |
| Forest | 1891 | 1877 | 1889 |
| Grant | 1870 | 1876 | 1842 |
| Green | 1862 | 1874 | 1838 |
| Green Lake | 1864 | 1877 | 1858 |
| Iowa | 1876 | 1871 | 1836 |
| Iron | 1886 | 1887 | 1858 |
| Jackson | 1876 | 1876 | 1858 |
| Jefferson | 1852 | 1856 | 1844 |
| Juneau | 1877 | 1876 | 1844 |
| Kenosha | 1876 | 1876 | 1850 |
| Kewaunee | 1861 | 1873 | 1857 |
| La Crosse | 1877 | 1876 | 1851 |
| Lafayette | 1854 | 1877 | 1847 |
| Langlade | 1882 | 1868 | 1881 |
| Lincoln | 1875 | 1871 | 1875 |
| Menominee became a county in 1961 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| County | Births | Deaths | Marriages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manitowoc | 1858 | 1864 | 1859 |
| Marathon | 1870 | 1868 | 1865 |
| Marinette | 1874 | 1879 | 1878 |
| Marquette | 1864 | 1876 | 1863 |
| Milwaukee | 1835 | 1872 | 1851 |
| Monroe | 1877 | 1876 | 1856 |
| Oconto | 1876 | 1872 | 1855 |
| Oneida | 1887 | 1888 | 1877 |
| Outagamie | 1856 | 1869 | 1855 |
| Ozaukee | 1852 | 1849 | 1855 |
| Pepin | 1863 | 1877 | 1857 |
| Pierce | 1870 | 1876 | 1851 |
| Polk | 1867 | 1865 | 1855 |
| Portage | 1866 | 1875 | 1859 |
| Price | 1880 | 1879 | 1880 |
| Racine | 1877 | 1880 | 1839 |
| Richland | 1875 | 1876 | 1864 |
| Rock | 1856 | 1871 | 1847 |
| Rusk | 1900 | 1901 | 1901 |
| St. Croix | 1858 | 1876 | 1852 |
| Sauk | 1864 | 1876 | 1852 |
| Sawyer | 1869 | 1883 | 1883 |
| Shawano | 1862 | 1873 | 1848 |
| Sheboygan | 1852 | 1854 | 1852 |
| Taylor | 1877 | 1877 | 1875 |
| Trempealeau | 1845 | 1847 | 1856 |
| Vernon | 1863 | 1889 | 1893 |
| Vilas | 1889 | 1889 | 1893 |
| Walworth | 1872 | 1872 | 1839 |
| Washburn | 1883 | 1883 | 1883 |
| Washington | 1859 | 1873 | 1846 |
| Waukesha | 1860 | 1872 | 1846 |
| Waupaca | 1858 | 1848 | 1852 |
| Waushara | 1859 | 1876 | 1852 |
| Winnebago | 1876 | 1876 | 1844 |
| Wood | 1871 | 1872 | 1844 |
We cannot confirm if a record exists. We are also unable to confirm any information from a record. An application, accepted identification, and fee must be included to request a search for a record.
You may bring laptop computers, pencils, and paper. Cell phones, tablet devices, such as iPads, imaging devices, such as cameras and scanners, and pens or markers are not allowed in the search area. They must be always kept behind the genealogy counter.
Staff members are available to answer questions and give you a short introduction. However, they cannot search for you.
Yes. You will need to complete an application for each record requested. You will need to show your identification and pay the $20 fee.
Each additional copy (of the same record) costs $3. You may pay for and pick up your records at the end of your search appointment.