767.13.Impoundment of record.

Subch. II: Provisions of General Application · Last amended 2005 · Current through 2025 Wisconsin Act 247 · Last verified September 8, 2026

In one sentenceSection 767.13 keeps the record of a family action open unless the court orders otherwise in writing for good cause.

Full Text of Section 767.13

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Except as provided in s. 767.127 (3), the record or evidence in an action affecting the family may not be impounded, and access to the record or evidence may not be refused, except by written order of the court for good cause shown. No person may permit a copy of any impounded record or evidence, or the substance of the record or evidence, to be taken by any person other than a party to the action or his or her attorney of record, unless a court orders otherwise.

End

Official Notes

Wisconsin prints certain labelled notes with the statute — effective-date notes, cross-references, and notes of the Judicial Council. They are reproduced verbatim below. The unlabelled digest of court decisions that the Legislative Reference Bureau prints after them is annotation rather than statute, and is not reproduced.

NOTE: 2005 Wis. Act 443 contains explanatory notes.

Amendment History

Wisconsin prints each section’s legislative history as a single “History” line naming every act that created or amended it, and every renumbering. It is reproduced verbatim below.

History: 1977 c. 105, 273; 1979 c. 32 s. 50; 1979 c. 352 s. 39; Stats. s. 767.19; 2005 a. 443 s. 76; Stats. 2005 s. 767.13.

Plain-English Summary

The default runs the other way from what many people expect. The record or evidence in an action affecting the family may not be impounded, and access may not be refused, except by written order of the court for good cause shown. Openness is the rule; sealing is the exception, and it takes a written order and a reason.

Where an order is made, it has teeth: no one may permit a copy of the impounded record or evidence, or its substance, to be taken by anyone other than a party to the action. The confidentiality of the financial disclosure under Section 767.127 is expressly preserved alongside this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Wisconsin divorce records public?

Generally yes. The record or evidence in an action affecting the family may not be impounded and access may not be refused, except by written order of the court for good cause shown.

How do I get a family court record sealed?

By asking the court for a written order and showing good cause. Nothing less will do — the section requires both.

Does this apply to the financial disclosure forms?

No. The confidentiality of the disclosure under Section 767.127 is expressly excepted and operates separately.

Source & verification. The statutory text, official notes and history are reproduced verbatim from the Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 767 (Wis. Stat. § 767.13), published by the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Current through 2025 Wisconsin Act 247. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified September 8, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: seal divorce record Wisconsinimpound record family actionare divorce records public Wisconsin767.13 good cause