814.67.Fees of witnesses and interpreters.

Ch. 814: Court Costs, Fees, and Surcharges · Last amended 2025 · Last verified July 15, 2026

In one sentenceSection 814.67 sets daily and per-half-day fees for witnesses and interpreters appearing before municipal courts, circuit courts, and appellate courts, adds mileage reimbursement at set rates, and limits who can collect those fees and for what.

Full Text of Section 814.67

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(1) The fees of witnesses and interpreters shall be as follows:

(a) For attending before a municipal judge, an arbitrator, or any officer, board or committee:

1. For witnesses, $17 per day.

2. For interpreters, $35 per one-half day or such higher fees as the municipality or county board may establish.

(am) For witnesses attending before a circuit court, $55 per day.

(b) For attending before the court of appeals or the supreme court:

1. For witnesses, $55 per day.

2. For interpreters, a fee determined by the supreme court.

(bg) For interpreters assisting the state public defender in representing an indigent in preparing for court proceedings, $72 per one-half day.

(c)

1. For a witness, the federal mileage rate for either of the following:

a. Traveling from his or her residence to the place of attendance, and returning by the usually traveled route between such points if his or her residence is within the state.

b. Traveling from the point where he or she crosses the state boundary to the place of attendance and returning by the usually traveled route between such points if his or her residence is outside the state.

a. Except as provided in subd. 2. b., for an interpreter, the mileage rate set under s. 20.916 (8) for traveling from his or her residence to the place of attendance and returning by the usually traveled route between such points.

b. For an interpreter traveling to the place of attendance from his or her place of residence outside the state, the number of miles between the interpreter’s residence and the point at which he or she crosses the state boundary for which the interpreter may receive reimbursement under this subdivision may not exceed 100 miles each way, following the usually traveled route between such points.

(2) A witness or interpreter is entitled to fees only for the time he or she is in actual and necessary attendance as such; and is not entitled to receive pay in more than one action or proceeding for the same attendance or travel on behalf of the same party. A person is not entitled to fees as a witness or interpreter while attending court as an officer or juror. An attorney or counsel in any cause may not be allowed any fee as a witness or interpreter therein.

End

Official Notes

NOTE: Subd. 1. is shown as amended eff. 11-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 179. Prior to 11-1-26 it reads:

1. For witnesses, $5 per day.

NOTE: Subd. 2. is shown as amended eff. 11-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 179. Prior to 11-1-26 it reads:

2. For interpreters, $10 per one-half day or such higher fees as the municipality or county board may establish.

NOTE: Par. (am) is shown as amended eff. 11-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 179. Prior to 11-1-26 it reads:

(am) For witnesses attending before a circuit court, $16 per day.

NOTE: Subd. 1. is shown as amended eff. 11-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 179. Prior to 11-1-26 it reads:

1. For witnesses, $16 per day.

NOTE: Par. (bg) is shown as amended eff. 11-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 179. Prior to 11-1-26 it reads:

(bg) For interpreters assisting the state public defender in representing an indigent in preparing for court proceedings, $35 per one-half day.

NOTE: Subd. 1. (intro.) is shown as amended eff. 11-1-26 by 2025 Wis. Act 179. Prior to 11-1-26 it reads:

1. For a witness, the rate of 20 cents per mile for either of the following:

Plain-English Summary

Fees for witnesses and interpreters scale with the forum. A witness attending before a municipal judge, an arbitrator, or any officer, board, or committee currently earns $5 per day, rising to $17 on November 1, 2026; an interpreter in that same setting currently earns $10 per half-day (or a higher fee if the municipality or county board sets one), rising to $35. A witness attending circuit court, the court of appeals, or the supreme court currently earns $16 per day, rising to $55; interpreter fees at the court of appeals and supreme court, though, are set by the supreme court itself rather than fixed here. A separate, higher rate applies to interpreters who help the state public defender prepare an indigent client for court proceedings — currently $35 per half-day, rising to $72.

Travel gets reimbursed too. A witness currently receives 20 cents per mile, moving to the federal mileage rate on November 1, 2026, for travel from an in-state residence to the place of attendance and back, or, for an out-of-state witness, from the point of crossing into Wisconsin. An interpreter’s mileage is reimbursed at the rate set under s. 20.916 (8), with an out-of-state interpreter’s reimbursable mileage capped at 100 miles each way from the point of crossing the state line.

Subsection (2) sets real limits on who can collect. A witness or interpreter is entitled to fees only for time necessarily spent in attendance, and can’t collect twice for the same attendance or travel in more than one action on behalf of the same party. Someone attending court as an officer or a juror doesn’t get witness or interpreter fees for that attendance. And an attorney or counsel in a case can’t collect a witness or interpreter fee in that same case.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a witness get paid per day in Wisconsin circuit court?

Currently $16 per day, rising to $55 per day on November 1, 2026, under 2025 Wisconsin Act 179.

How is witness travel reimbursed in Wisconsin court proceedings?

Currently at a flat 20 cents per mile. Starting November 1, 2026, that switches to the federal mileage rate, computed from the witness’s in-state residence, or from the point where an out-of-state witness crosses into Wisconsin.

Can an attorney collect a witness fee for testifying in their own case?

No. Subsection (2) bars an attorney or counsel in a cause from collecting a witness or interpreter fee in that same case.

Do jurors get paid a witness fee too?

No. Subsection (2) excludes a person from witness or interpreter fees while attending court as an officer or a juror.

How much do interpreters get paid for helping the state public defender prepare a client?

Currently $35 per half-day, rising to $72 per half-day on November 1, 2026.

Amendment History

History: 1981 c. 317; 1987 a. 27; 1995 a. 27; 2001 a. 16; 2009 a. 28; 2013 a. 20; 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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