Wisconsin Statutes
Wis. Stat. § 59.14 (2026)
Publication of ordinances and proceedings
✓ current as of July 2026
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59.14(1)(1) Whenever a board enacts an ordinance under this chapter the clerk shall immediately publish the ordinance either in its entirety, as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985, or as a notice, as described under sub. (1m) (b); and the clerk shall procure and distribute copies of the ordinance to the several town clerks, who shall file it in their respective offices.
59.14(1m)(a)(a) In this subsection, “summary” means a brief, precise, and plain-language description that can be easily understood.
59.14(1m)(b)(b) A notice of an ordinance that may be published under this subsection shall be published as a class 1 notice under ch. 985 and shall contain at least all of the following:
59.14(1m)(b)4.4. Information as to where the full text of the ordinance may be obtained, including the phone number of the county clerk, a street address where the full text of the ordinance may be viewed, and a website, if any, at which the ordinance may be accessed.
59.14(2)(2) The board shall, by ordinance or resolution, provide for publication in one or more newspapers in the county as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985, a certified copy of all its proceedings had at any meeting, regular or special; said publication to be completed within 60 days after the adjournment of each session.
59.14(3)(3) The board may at any meeting, regular or special, provide by resolution for the publication in pamphlet form by the lowest and best bidder therefor, of a sufficient and designated number of copies of its duly certified proceedings, for general distribution.
59.14(4)(4) The board may order public notices relating to tax redemption and other affairs of the county to be published in a newspaper printed in any other than the English language, to be designated in such order, whenever the board considers it necessary for the better information of the inhabitants of the county, and it shall appear from the last previous census that one-fourth or more of the adult population of the county is of a nationality not speaking the English language, and that there shall have been a newspaper published in the county continuously for one year or more in the language spoken by that nationality; but all of the notices shall also be published in a newspaper published in the English language as provided by law. The compensation for all of the publications shall be paid by the county ordering the publications, and shall be the same as that prescribed by law for publication in the English language; and no extra charge shall be allowed for translation in any case. No irregularity, mistake or informality in any such publication shall affect the validity or regularity of any tax redemptions or other legal proceedings.
59.14 HistoryHistory: 1987 a. 378; 1995 a. 201 s. 244; Stats. 1995 s. 59.14; 2007 a. 72; 2017 a. 365 s. 112.
59.14 AnnotationDiscussing sub. (1) in reference to the effect of the failure to distribute and the requirements of distribution and publication. 62 Atty. Gen. 81.
59.14 AnnotationDiscussing codification and publication of ordinances. 70 Atty. Gen. 124.
59.14 AnnotationA county with a population of less than 250,000 is not required to designate an official newspaper. A county is not required to seek bids for the publication of legal notices. Even if a county does not competitively bid the publication of its own proceedings as provided in sub. (3), it may print its own proceedings or post them on its website. A county may not, in lieu of publication in a printed newspaper or posting on a physical bulletin board, post its legal notices on its official website. OAG 2-08.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 11
cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1969–2022 · leading case: State Ex Rel. Schultz v. Bruendl, 483 N.W.2d 238 (Wis. Ct. App. 1992).
State Ex Rel. Schultz v. Bruendl, 483 N.W.2d 238 (Wis. Ct. App. 1992). “On appeal, Schultz argues that sec. 59.14, Stats., obliges a county sheriff to provide such records and that the circuit court erred in not granting his petition for a writ of mandamus.”
WISC-T—Channel 3/Madison v. Mewis, 442 N.W.2d 578 (Wis. Ct. App. 1989). “The issue is whether sec. 59.14, Stats., which requires clerks of circuit court and registers in probate to make all records in their custody open and available to the public, and the Wisconsin Open Records Law, secs.”
John Doe 1 v. Madison Metro Sch. Dist., 2022 WI 65 (Wis. 2022). “at 553. ¶14 In Bilder, we identified three exceptions to the right codified in Wis.”
State Ex Rel. Bilder v. Twp. of Delavan, 334 N.W.2d 252 (Wis. 1983). “The newspapers argue that the clear language of sec. 59.14(1), Stats. 1979-80, that every clerk of the circuit court “shall open to the examination of any person all books and papers required to be kept in his or her office and permit any person so examining to take notes and…”
State Ex Rel. Mitsubishi Heavy Indus. Am., Inc. v. Circuit Court for Milwaukee Cnty., 2000 WI 16 (Wis. 2000). “[5] The deposition became part of the court record and apparently was available to the public pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 59.14 (1983-84), subject to statutory and common law limitations on public access.”
State v. Stanley, 2012 WI App 42 (Wis. Ct. App. 2012). “2d 252 (1983) (interpreting Wis. Stat. § 59.14 (1979-80)). Subchapter II of Chapter 19 of the Wisconsin Statutes ( Wis.”
State Ex Rel. Journal Co. v. Cnty. Court of Racine Cnty., 168 N.W.2d 836 (Wis. 1969). “It is the position of the respondent that its right to inspection rests upon the provisions of sec. 59.14, Stats., which was antecedent to the 1917 passage of sec.”
City of Madison v. Appeals Comm. of Madison Human Servs. Comm'n, 361 N.W.2d 734 (Wis. Ct. App. 1984). “Sec. 59.14(1), Stats. 2 The right of public inspection under sec.”
C.L. v. Edson, 409 N.W.2d 417 (Wis. Ct. App. 1987). “Depending on the documents’ custodian, Wisconsin courts have applied two distinct tests to questions of sealing public documents.”
Law Offices of Pangman & Assocs. v. Stigler, 468 N.W.2d 784 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991). “While Attorney Pangman correctly quotes Bilder, he overlooks that Bilder was decided under sec. 59.14, Stats., governing records maintained by a clerk of courts rather than under the public records statute.”
John Doe 1 v. Madison Metro Sch. Dist., 2021 WI App 60 (Wis. Ct. App. 2021). “§ 59.14 (1979-80) (renumbered sec. 59.20 (2019-20)), which requires the “clerk of the circuit court” to open all court records to public examination.”
— Wis. Stat. § 59.14(1) — 3 cases
State Ex Rel. Schultz v. Bruendl, 483 N.W.2d 238 (Wis. Ct. App. 1992). “On appeal, Schultz argues that sec. 59.14, Stats., obliges a county sheriff to provide such records and that the circuit court erred in not granting his petition for a writ of mandamus.”
State Ex Rel. Bilder v. Twp. of Delavan, 334 N.W.2d 252 (Wis. 1983). “The newspapers argue that the clear language of sec. 59.14(1), Stats. 1979-80, that every clerk of the circuit court “shall open to the examination of any person all books and papers required to be kept in his or her office and permit any person so examining to take notes and…”
City of Madison v. Appeals Comm. of Madison Human Servs. Comm'n, 361 N.W.2d 734 (Wis. Ct. App. 1984). “Sec. 59.14(1), Stats. 2 The right of public inspection under sec.”
— Wis. Stat. § 59.14(2) — 1 case
State Ex Rel. Schultz v. Bruendl, 483 N.W.2d 238 (Wis. Ct. App. 1992). “On appeal, Schultz argues that sec. 59.14, Stats., obliges a county sheriff to provide such records and that the circuit court erred in not granting his petition for a writ of mandamus.”
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