Carlo Esqueda
Clerk of Circuit Court and Register in Probate
Dane County Courthouse
Room 1000
215 S Hamilton St.
Madison, WI 53703
Map to the Courthouse
Phone: (608) 266-4311
Fax: (608) 267-8859
TTY: Call Wisconsin Relay 711
Hours:
7:45 AM to 4:30 PM
Closed all County holidays
Customers should arrive in time to complete all business by 4:30 PM
All filings and requests through the mail require a self addressed stamped envelope to return incorrect and/or processed paperwork and receipts to you. Please ensure all required documents are properly notarized before filing with the court.
Legal Name Change
A packet of the official forms and a description of the procedure is available
from the Dane County Legal Resource Center, located in Room L1007 of the Dane
County Courthouse (address above) for $2.00. Written requests for forms must
be prepaid. Call (608) 266-6316 or email
dclrc.ref@wicourts.gov for more information.
Confidential Name Change Procedure for an Adult or Minor 14 or Older in Dane County
Under Wis. Stat. § 786.36(4), a judge can waive the publication requirement for a name change if the petitioner shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that publication of the petition could endanger him or her and that the petitioner is not seeking a name change in order to avoid a debt or conceal a criminal record. If a judge makes this finding, all records related to the petitioner’s name change shall be confidential and are exempt from disclosure under Wis. Stat. § 19.35(1). [Wis. Stat. § 786.36(2m)(a)]
Common Law Name Change
A name change after a divorce or marriage is usually a common law name change.
Common law name changes do not need to go through a separate name change court
proceeding in order to change certain documents. Most agencies that hold
documents that you need to change, such as the DMV or Social Security Agency,
have internal forms for you to fill out. Some may require a certified copy of
your divorce judgment or marriage certificate (available from the Record Center
in Room 1002 of the Dane County Courthouse or the Register of Deeds in Room 110 of the City County Building). Contact the
individual agencies to see what they require. There are no official court forms
available for a common law name change.
Restraining Order Documents
Filing of a Petition for Termination of Parental Rights
All Petitions for Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) are filed with the Court Commissioner’s Center (Room 2000, Dane County Courthouse). This includes TPR petitions that are accompanied by a petition for adoption.
A TPR petition may be filed by an agency, district attorney, corporation counsel, GAL, attorney or interested person. Parties and/or the child must reside in Dane County. This petition must:
- Contain the names and address of all interested parties.
- State facts and circumstances which support the petition and if filing an involuntary petition, the petition must also include the statutory reference for the grounds of the termination of parental rights.
Discontinuation of support payments is not a valid ground for filing a TPR petition.
Sufficient copies (5) for service on all interested parties must be provided at the time the original petition is filed. 4 of the copies will be returned to the petitioner along with copies of the summons once the hearing date has been set, one copy will be retained by the court to provide to the GAL that is assigned.
The petitioner is responsible for providing service on the interested parties. This can be accomplished by the petitioner contacting their local sheriff or police department. Most police agencies charge a fee for providing service.
The mandatory state forms are available at: http://www.wicourts.gov/
or as a packet for a small fee at the Dane County Legal Resource Center, Room L1007, Dane County Courthouse. There is no filing fee to file a TPR petition.
Forms are available from the Dane County Legal Resource Center (608-266-6316) for a small fee. You can also download the forms from the Wisconsin Court Systems Website or by clicking on the icons below. The necessary forms are:
Information on Filing a Petition for Adoption
(Download Viewer)
Posted January 15, 2008.
JC-1645, Petition for Adoption Child/Adult- JC-1641, Order for Hearing and Investigation/Screening
- JC-1643, Order for Hearing and Screening (Stepparent Adoption)
- JC-1646, Consent to Adoption
- JC-1647, Order for Adoption Child/Adult
Juvenile Court Forms
Most Juvenile Court Forms can be found on the mandatory forms website.
However, there may be additional Dane County-specific forms available from the Clerk
of Courts office. For more information, contact the Clerk of Courts at the location
listed above.
Bankruptcy Forms
The Western District of WI Bankruptcy Court
has forms on their website and the US Bankruptcy Court has forms on their website.
Wills/Power of Attorney Forms
Basic Wisconsin Will Packets are available for purchase for $10 at the
Dane County Legal Resource Center (Room L1007 in the Dane County Courthouse) or at an
office supply store, like Badger Office Supplies. Some Power of Attorney
forms are available online through the Wisconsin State Law Library website.
Lien/Real Estate Forms
Lien and other real estate forms are available online at the Wisconsin State Law Library website
or on the Wisconsin State Bar's Legal Forms page.
Other Sources for Forms