Wis. Stat. » CHAPTER 801 — CIVIL PROCEDURE — COMMENCEMENT OF ACTION AND VENUE
Wisconsin Statutes

Wis. Stat. § 801.51 (2026)

Challenges to improper venue

✓ current as of July 2026
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801.51801.51 Challenges to improper venue. Any party may challenge venue, on the grounds of noncompliance with s. 801.50 or any other statute designating proper venue, by filing a motion for change of venue:
801.51(1)(1) At or before the time the party serves his or her first motion or responsive pleading in the action.
801.51(2)(2) After the time set forth in sub. (1), upon a showing that despite reasonable diligence, the party did not discover the grounds therefor at or before that time.
801.51 HistoryHistory: 1983 a. 228.
801.51 NoteJudicial Council Note, 1983: This section sets forth the procedure for challenging the plaintiff’s initial choice of venue on the grounds that it fails to comply with the provisions of s. 801.50 or any other statute specifying proper venue. The former statute’s 2-stage proceeding was unnecessary and tended to create confusion for unwary litigants. [Bill 324-S]
801.51 AnnotationThis section and s. 801.50, the general venue statutes, do not apply to actions arising from consumer credit transactions. Rather, the venue provision in s. 421.401 applies. Brunton v. Nuvell Credit Corp., 2010 WI 50, 325 Wis. 2d 135, 785 N.W.2d 302, 07-1253.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 13 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1981–2023 · leading case: Brunton v. Nuvell Credit Corp., 2010 WI 50 (Wis. 2010).
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Brunton v. Nuvell Credit Corp., 2010 WI 50 (Wis. 2010). · cites it 24× “¶ 13 Alternatively, Brunton argues that even if Wis. Stat. § 801.51 does not apply, Wis. Stat.”
Kohlbeck v. Reliance Const. Co., Inc., 2002 WI App 142 (Wis. Ct. App. 2002). · cites it 6× “When venue is improper, the appropriate response is a motion for a change of venue under Wis. Stat. § 801.51 , not a motion to dismiss.”
Wisconsin Dep't of Workforce Dev. v. Wisconsin Labor & Indus. Review Comm'n, 2016 WI App 21 (Wis. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 6× “23 (l)(d) authorizes a circuit court to change the place of trial under the general venue provisions of Wis. Stat. §§801.51 to 801.53. Section 102.”
Voit v. Madison Newspapers, Inc., 341 N.W.2d 693 (Wis. 1984). · cites it 4× “*221 The defendants contend that the only place a corporate publisher of a newspaper can be sued is in the county where the newspaper is initially published.”
State Ex Rel. Hansen v. Circuit Court for Dane Cnty., 513 N.W.2d 139 (Wis. Ct. App. 1994). · cites it 3× “Section 801.51, STATS., provides that any party may challenge venue on the grounds of noncompliance with § 801.”
Viking Packaging Tech., Inc. v. Prima Frutta Packing, Inc., 629 F. Supp. 2d 883 (E.D. Wis. 2009). · cites it 4× “When a plaintiff files suit in court rather than an arbitration demand, it is reasonable to presume that if the defendant desires arbitration it will object to plaintiffs choice of forum in its answer or other response to the complaint. This is so because a defendant normally…”
Kett v. Cmty. Credit Plan, Inc., 586 N.W.2d 68 (Wis. Ct. App. 1998). · cites it 2× “*129 (quoting § 801.51, Stats., 1981-82). It did not direct the court to dismiss the action for lack of jurisdiction.”
Nancy Kormanik v. William Brash, 2022 WI 67 (Wis. 2022). · cites it 2× “We generally leave it to the parties to raise venue objections in circuit court, see Wis. Stat. § 801.51 , and I see no reason why the general appellate motions statute, Wis.”
Nancy Kormanik v. William Brash, 2022 WI 67 (Wis. 2022). · cites it 2× “We generally leave it to the parties to raise venue objections in circuit court, see Wis. Stat. § 801.51 , and I see no reason why the general appellate motions statute, Wis.”
Mueller v. Brunn, 304 N.W.2d 144 (Wis. Ct. App. 1981). · cites it 4× “1 Sec. 801.51, Stats. If *235 an action under sec.”
George T. Stelling v. Middlesex Ins. Co., 2023 WI App 10 (Wis. Ct. App. 2023). · cites it 6× “§ 801.51 provides: Any party may challenge venue, on the grounds of noncompliance with s.”
Shopper Advertiser, Inc. v. Wisconsin Dep't of Revenue, 332 N.W.2d 841 (Wis. Ct. App. 1983). “Mueller held that sec. 801.51, Stats., which provides that actions in rem can be commenced only in the county in which the real estate is located, did not deprive other county circuit courts of subject matter jurisdiction over such actions because sec.”
Show all 13 citing cases →
— Wis. Stat. § 801.51(1) — 1 case
Brunton v. Nuvell Credit Corp., 2010 WI 50 (Wis. 2010). “¶ 13 Alternatively, Brunton argues that even if Wis. Stat. § 801.51 does not apply, Wis. Stat.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.