Clerk of Courts

The Clerk of Court's office, through dedication and professionalism, shall strive for service excellence to the Circuit Court and general public of St. Croix County. The office is committed to providing timely assistance, ensuring equal access to court services, treating users of the court system with respect and dignity, and enhancing public trust and confidence in the court system.

Services

The Clerk of Court's office is a public administrative entity, charged by Statute to provide administrative and record-keeping services for the circuit courts and the citizens of St. Croix County. The Clerk of Circuit Court is a public official, elected every four years, whose primary duties are enumerated in section 59.40 of the Wisconsin Statutes. The Clerk is the administrator of the Clerk of Circuit Courts office and holds the responsibility for budgeting and administering trial court resources accurately and efficiently.

The Clerk of Court is part of the Judicial Branch of local government and as such is required to maintain a record of all documents filed with the courts, keep a record of all court proceedings, and collect various fines and forfeitures ordered by the court and specified by statute.

Divisions

The complexity of the office and the duties involved necessitate departmentalizing the work into areas of:

• Accounting
• Civil
• County Ordinance Violations
• Criminal
• Family
• Juvenile Ordinance Violations
• Paternity
• Small Claims
• Traffic

Support

These divisions provide the specialized support services for all court actions related to these areas. This includes:

• docketing pleadings
• entering judgments
• filing new cases
• preparing conviction papers for those sentenced to prison
• receipting and disbursing fees and fines
• reporting case dispositions to the proper agencies
• scheduling cases for hearing
• serving the public by telephone and in person
• taking court minutes

Duties

Duties also include:

• issuing warrants
• processing search warrants
• providing the court with jurors on those cases in which a jury trial has been requested
• records retention management
• vacating warrants
• payment of witness fees, court ordered fines/costs and guardian ad litem fees
• processing orders for psychological evaluations
• processing requests for interpreters
• recording juror attendance and processing payment vouchers for jury service
• docketing money judgments and satisfying judgments for public information
• maintaining the law library for the public to use

Legal Advice

Clerk of Court staff cannot give legal advice. Please contact an attorney if you have legal questions or call the lawyer referral service at 800-362-9082. A Free Legal Clinic is available the second Wednesday of every month from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the St. Croix County Government Center. The clinic is staffed by members of the St. Croix Valley Bar Association.

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