Wis. Stat. » CHAPTER 230 — STATE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
Wisconsin Statutes

Wis. Stat. § 230.13 (2026)

Closed records

✓ current as of July 2026
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230.13230.13 Closed records.
230.13(1)(1) Except as provided in sub. (3) and ss. 19.36 (10) and (11) and 103.13, the director and the administrator may keep records of the following personnel matters closed to the public:
230.13(1)(a)(a) Evaluations of applicants, including any examination scores and rankings.
230.13(1)(c)(c) Dismissals, demotions and other disciplinary actions.
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230.13(1)(d)(d) Pay survey data obtained from identifiable nonpublic employers.
230.13(1)(e)(e) Names of nonpublic employers contributing pay survey data.
230.13(2)(2) Unless the name of an applicant is certified under s. 230.25, the director and the administrator shall keep records of the identity of an applicant for a position closed to the public, except as provided in sub. (3).
230.13(3)(3) 
230.13(3)(a)(a) The director and the administrator shall provide to the department of children and families or a county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) information requested under s. 49.22 (2m) that would otherwise be closed to the public under this section. Information provided under this paragraph may only include an individual’s name and address, an individual’s employer and financial information related to an individual.
230.13(3)(b)(b) The administrator and the director may provide any agency with personnel information relating to the hiring and recruitment process, including specifically scores and ranks and other evaluations of applicants.
230.13(3)(c)(c) The administrator and the director shall provide an appointing authority with access to the personnel files of any individual who currently holds a position whom the appointing authority intends to make an offer of employment.
230.13 HistoryHistory: 1971 c. 270; 1977 c. 196 s. 37; Stats. 1977 s. 230.13; 1979 c. 339; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 269, 317; 1997 a. 191; 2003 a. 33, 47, 320; 2007 a. 20; 2015 a. 150; 2017 a. 59.
230.13 NoteNOTE: 2003 Wis. Act 47, which affects this section, contains extensive explanatory notes.
230.13 AnnotationOnly names of applicants for classified positions who were not certified for employment may be withheld under sub. (2). Milwaukee Journal v. UW Board of Regents, 163 Wis. 2d 933, 472 N.W.2d 607 (Ct. App. 1991).
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 16 cases, 1935–2006 · leading case: Woznicki v. Erickson, 549 N.W.2d 699 (Wis. 1996).
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Woznicki v. Erickson, 549 N.W.2d 699 (Wis. 1996). · cites it 22× “We also note that Wis. Stat. § 230.13 (1)(c) permits a state secretary or administrator to keep personnel records closed to the public when they involve disciplinary actions of employees.”
Milwaukee Journal v. UW Bd. of Regents, 472 N.W.2d 607 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). · cites it 56× “*947 The majority opinion does not address whether any part of sec. 230.13, Stats., other than sub. (2) applies to unclassified employees.”
Milwaukee Teachers' Educ. Ass'n v. Milwaukee Bd. of Sch. Directors, 596 N.W.2d 403 (Wis. 1999). · cites it 8× “The fourth statute we cited is Wis. Stat. § 230.13 (1993-94). See Woznicki, 202 Wis.”
Kroeplin v. Wisconsin Dep't of Nat. Resources, 2006 WI App 227 (Wis. Ct. App. 2006). · cites it 4× “We also observe that the DNR provided several reasons in its denial letter for rejecting The Lakeland Times' open records request that it does not argue on appeal: the public policy in Wis. Stat. § 230.13 (l)(c) explicitly recognizes that the disciplinary records of individual…”
Vill. of Butler v. Cohen, 472 N.W.2d 579 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). · cites it 3× “To that end, sec. 230.13, Stats., permits records of certain personnel matters, such as evaluations and disciplinary actions, to be kept closed.”
Law Offices of Pangman & Assocs. v. Zellmer, 473 N.W.2d 538 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). · cites it 5× “Furthermore, by analogy, the City denied disclosure based upon sec. 230.13(3), Stats., which keeps state employee personnel dismissal, demotion and disciplinary actions closed.”
State Ex Rel. Journal/Sentinel, Inc. v. Arreola, 558 N.W.2d 670 (Wis. Ct. App. 1996). · cites it 4× “ng employees opportunities for satisfying careers and fair treatment based on value of service; (4) Impinge upon the officers' ability to have and retain competent personnel; (5) Prevent a reviewer from making candid assessments of an officer; and (6) Run counter to the…”
Cont'l Illinois Nat'l Bank & Trust Co. v. Schoendorf, 152 N.W.2d 868 (Wis. 1967). · cites it 4× “Were the Gebhardts’ Remainder Interests Vested or Contingent ? Sec. 230.13, Stats., provides: “Future estates are either vested or contingent.”
Dep't of Taxation v. Scherffius, 215 N.W.2d 547 (Wis. 1974). · cites it 2× “Sec. 230.13, Stats. 1965, defines vested and contingent estates: "Future estates are either vested or contingent.”
Meyer v. Reif, 258 N.W. 391 (Wis. 1935). “Sec. 230.13, Stats. 1933 (sec. 2037, Stats.”
Armada Broad., Inc. v. Stirn, 501 N.W.2d 889 (Wis. Ct. App. 1993). · cites it 8× “Schauf finds a right to privacy in another statute, sec. 230.13, Stats., which, he says, provides that personnel records of state employees are "closed records.”
Milwaukee Teachers' Educ. Ass'n v. Milwaukee Bd. of Sch. Directors, 582 N.W.2d 122 (Wis. Ct. App. 1998). “13(6), Stats, (limiting employee's right to view his or her own employment file); § 103.13(3), Stats, (allowing employee's representative to view personnel file only with written permission from the employee); § 230.”
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— Wis. Stat. § 230.13(2) — 2 cases
Milwaukee Journal v. UW Bd. of Regents, 472 N.W.2d 607 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). “*947 The majority opinion does not address whether any part of sec. 230.13, Stats., other than sub. (2) applies to unclassified employees.”
Woznicki v. Erickson, 549 N.W.2d 699 (Wis. 1996). “We also note that Wis. Stat. § 230.13 (1)(c) permits a state secretary or administrator to keep personnel records closed to the public when they involve disciplinary actions of employees.”
— Wis. Stat. § 230.13(3) — 1 case
Law Offices of Pangman & Assocs. v. Zellmer, 473 N.W.2d 538 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). “Furthermore, by analogy, the City denied disclosure based upon sec. 230.13(3), Stats., which keeps state employee personnel dismissal, demotion and disciplinary actions closed.”
— Wis. Stat. § 230.13(5) — 2 cases
State Ex Rel. Journal/Sentinel, Inc. v. Arreola, 558 N.W.2d 670 (Wis. Ct. App. 1996). “ng employees opportunities for satisfying careers and fair treatment based on value of service; (4) Impinge upon the officers' ability to have and retain competent personnel; (5) Prevent a reviewer from making candid assessments of an officer; and (6) Run counter to the…”
Law Offices of Pangman & Assocs. v. Zellmer, 473 N.W.2d 538 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). “Furthermore, by analogy, the City denied disclosure based upon sec. 230.13(3), Stats., which keeps state employee personnel dismissal, demotion and disciplinary actions closed.”
— Wis. Stat. § 230.13(l)(c) — 2 cases
Kroeplin v. Wisconsin Dep't of Nat. Resources, 2006 WI App 227 (Wis. Ct. App. 2006). “We also observe that the DNR provided several reasons in its denial letter for rejecting The Lakeland Times' open records request that it does not argue on appeal: the public policy in Wis. Stat. § 230.13 (l)(c) explicitly recognizes that the disciplinary records of individual…”
Milwaukee Teachers' Educ. Ass'n v. Milwaukee Bd. of Sch. Directors, 582 N.W.2d 122 (Wis. Ct. App. 1998). “13(6), Stats, (limiting employee's right to view his or her own employment file); § 103.13(3), Stats, (allowing employee's representative to view personnel file only with written permission from the employee); § 230.”
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