(1) In all civil actions and proceedings in circuit court, the parties and court officials shall use the standard court forms adopted by the judicial conference under s. 758.18 (1), commencing the date on which the forms are adopted. If an applicable court form has been adopted under s. 758.18 (2), that form may be used in lieu of the standard court form.
807.001.Forms.
Ch. 807: Miscellaneous Provisions · Last amended 2005 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 807.001 requires parties and court officials to use the judicial conference’s standard court forms, lets them supplement a form with extra material, bars dismissal for a form defect without a chance to correct it, and permits any consistent format when no standard form exists.
Full Text of Section 807.001
(2) A party or court official may supplement a court form with additional material.
(3) A court may not dismiss a case, refuse a filing or strike a pleading for failure of a party to use a standard court form under sub. (1) or to follow format rules but shall require the party to submit, within 10 days, a corrected form and may impose statutory fees or costs or both.
(4) If the judicial conference does not create a standard court form for an action or pleading undertaken by a party or court official, the party or court official may use a format consistent with any statutory or court requirement for the action or pleading.
Plain-English Summary
Section 807.001 standardizes how civil filings get made across Wisconsin’s circuit courts. Subsection (1) requires the parties and court officials to use the standard court forms the judicial conference adopts under Section 758.18 (1), starting on the date the forms are adopted, though a form adopted under Section 758.18 (2) may be used instead when it applies. Subsection (2) leaves room for individualized filings within that system: a party or court official may supplement a court form with additional material.
Subsection (3) protects litigants from losing their case over a form mistake. A court may not dismiss a case, refuse a filing, or strike a pleading because a party failed to use the standard form or failed to follow format rules. Instead, the court must require the party to submit a corrected form within 10 days, though it may also impose statutory fees or costs, or both, for the error.
Subsection (4) covers the gap where no standard form exists. If the judicial conference has not created a standard court form for a particular action or pleading, the party or court official may use a format consistent with any statutory or court requirement for that action or pleading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use a specific court form for my filing?
Yes, generally. Subsection (1) requires parties and court officials to use the standard court forms the judicial conference adopts under Section 758.18 (1), unless a form adopted under Section 758.18 (2) applies instead.
Can I add my own material to a standard court form?
Yes. Subsection (2) lets a party or court official supplement a court form with additional material.
Can my case be dismissed just because I used the wrong form?
No. Subsection (3) bars a court from dismissing a case, refusing a filing, or striking a pleading solely for failing to use a standard form or follow format rules; the court must instead require a corrected form within 10 days.
What if there is no standard form for the kind of pleading I need to file?
Subsection (4) lets you use a format consistent with any statutory or court requirement for that action or pleading when the judicial conference has not created a standard form for it.
How long do I get to fix a filing that used the wrong form?
10 days. Subsection (3) requires the court to give the party that time to submit a corrected form.
Amendment History
History: Sup. Ct. Order No. 98-01, 228 Wis. 2d xiii (2000); Sup. Ct. Order No. 05-02, 2005 WI 41, 278 Wis. 2d xxxv.
Source & verification. Section text and official notes are
reproduced verbatim from the Wisconsin Statutes, published by the
Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau). Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: wisconsin standard court forms requirementwrong court form dismissal wisconsincorrecting a court filing form wisconsinjudicial conference forms wisconsin civil case