Ch. 814: Court Costs, Fees, and Surcharges · Last amended 2025 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 814.595, a new provision taking effect November 1, 2026, will require the director of state courts to report, starting in 2032 and every third fiscal biennium after, what a long list of chapter 814 dollar-amount fees would be if adjusted for inflation.
(a)“Base year” means the year immediately preceding the year in which a fee or surcharge specified in par. (c) was first established or, if the fee amount increased or decreased after the fee or surcharge was first established, the year immediately preceding the year in which the fee amount was last adjusted.
(b)“Consumer price index” means the average of the consumer price index over each 12-month period, all items, U.S. city average, as determined by the bureau of labor statistics of the U.S. department of labor.
(c)“Fee amount” means the amount of a fee or surcharge under ss. 814.60 (1), 814.61 (1) (a) and (b), (3), (4), (5) (am), (6), (7) (a) and (b), (8) (am) 1. and 2., (9), (11), (12) (a) 1. and (c), and (13) to (14), 814.615 (1) (a) 2. and 3., 814.62 (1), (2), (3) (a), and (4), 814.63 (1) (b) and (2), 814.65 (1), 814.66 (1) (a) 2., (b) 2., (c), (e) to (g), and (i) to (o) and (3), 814.67 (1) (a) 1. and 2., (am), (b) 1., and (bg), 814.68 (1) (a) and (2), 814.70 (1), (2), (3) (b), (7), (8), (9) (a), and (12), 814.72, 814.85 (1) (c), and 814.86 (1) for which a dollar amount is specified.
(2)REPORTS. Beginning in 2032, and in every 3rd fiscal biennium thereafter, no later than the last day for agencies to submit budget requests under s. 16.42 (1), the director of state courts shall submit to the department of administration, the governor, the legislative fiscal bureau, and the legislature, under s. 13.172 (2), a report that includes a calculation of the fee amount of each fee or surcharge specified in sub. (1) (c) if the fee amount were increased by the percentage difference between the consumer price index for the 12-month period ending on December 31 of the preceding year and the consumer price index for the base year, rounded up to the nearest dollar.
Official Notes
NOTE: This section is created eff. 11-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 179.
Plain-English Summary
Section 814.595 is not yet part of Wisconsin law. An official note confirms it is created effective November 1, 2026, by 2025 Wisconsin Act 179. Once effective, it sets up a periodic check on whether chapter 814’s dollar-denominated court fees and surcharges have kept pace with inflation.
Subsection (1) supplies the definitions the reporting requirement runs on. “Base year” means the year before a listed fee was first set, or, if the fee amount was later increased or decreased, the year before it was last adjusted. “Consumer price index” means the average of the index over each 12-month period, all items, U.S. city average, as the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics determines it. “Fee amount” is defined by a long, specific list of dollar-figure fees and surcharges across chapter 814 — including, among many others, the criminal-case clerk’s fee set in section 814.60(1), which is one of my batch’s own sections.
Subsection (2) sets the reporting mechanism itself. Beginning in 2032, and in every third fiscal biennium after that, no later than the deadline for agencies to submit budget requests under section 16.42(1), the director of state courts must submit a report to the department of administration, the governor, the legislative fiscal bureau, and the legislature. That report calculates what each listed fee amount would be if increased by the percentage change in the consumer price index between the base year and the 12-month period ending the prior December 31, rounded up to the nearest dollar. The section only requires this calculation and report — it does not itself raise any fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is section 814.595 currently in effect in Wisconsin?
No. An official note states the section is created effective November 1, 2026, by 2025 Wisconsin Act 179, so it is not yet operative.
Does section 814.595 automatically raise court fees for inflation?
No. It only requires the director of state courts to calculate and report what the listed fees would be if adjusted for inflation; the section does not itself change any fee amount.
When does the first report under this section come due?
Beginning in 2032, and then in every third fiscal biennium after that, no later than the deadline for agencies to submit budget requests under section 16.42(1), according to section 814.595(2).
Which fees does this inflation report cover?
Section 814.595(1)(c) lists a large set of specific dollar-amount fees and surcharges across chapter 814, including the criminal-case filing fee set in section 814.60(1).
What index does the report use to calculate the inflation-adjusted fee amounts?
The consumer price index, defined in section 814.595(1)(b) as the average of the index over each 12-month period, all items, U.S. city average, as determined by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Amendment History
History: 2025 a. 179.
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
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