General eFiling Information

The mandatory eFiling rule (Wis. Stat. §801.18) became effective July 1, 2016.   The circuit court mandatory eFiling system began rolling this out county by county.  Paper filings may only be filed by attorneys or high volume filers in the counties that are not mandatory.  A list of participating counties and upcoming mandatory eFiling implementations can be viewed here.

Waukesha County has transitioned to mandatory eFiling for the following case types: 

• Civil (CV), Small Claims (SC), Family (FA), and  Paternity (PA) effective November 16, 2016
• Criminal (CF, CM & CT), Traffic (TR), and Ordinance (FO) effective March 1, 2017
• Formal (PR) and Informal Probate (IN) effective March 1, 2018
• Guardianship (GN), Mental Commitment (ME), and judgment and lien (CL, CO, FJ, HL, OL, & TJ) effective September 1, 2018
• Temporary Physical Custody Requests effective January 4, 2022

NOTE:  Voluntary eFilling is currently under way for the final set of case types and class codes:

• Juvenile Judgments (JJ)
• Juvenile Injunctions (JI)
• Temporary Restraining Orders
• Juvenile CHIPS 68998-Waiver of Parental Consent (Jane Doe)

Electronically filed documents can be viewed only by the attorneys or parties to the case and will not be available on the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA) website.  However, the public can view case documents at the public access terminals located in the Circuit Court offices, as long as it is not a confidential case type.

Each user must log in to his or her own password-protected account in order to upload or view documents, and will only be allowed to upload or view documents in cases that they are involved in.  Anyone, including the general public, has the ability to create a user account on the electronic filing website.  

Instructions for eFiling

Electronically file a new case

1. Log in to the eFiling website and select the “File a new case” link.
2. Select the County, Case Type and Class code.
3. Enter the party information and then upload the filing documents.
   • All documents must be filed in PDF format, with the exception of Proposed Orders, which must be filed in Microsoft Word .docx format.
   • Select the Document Type
   • Enter a descriptive Document Title
4. Upload additional documents.

Check out

1. Select payment type
   • US Bank via Visa, MasterCard, or electronic check: or
   • Court debit account
2. Click “File and Pay” to submit the filing to the circuit court.

Once you have successfully uploaded your documents, you will be transferred to the payment site to complete payment.  Please note the following:

• US Bank charges a convenience fee for payment made with MasterCard, Visa, or electronic check.
• There are no convenience fees associated with utilizing a Court Debit Account 
• You will also be charged the statutory Court eFiling fee.

Opt into an existing case

To become an electronic filing party on an existing case you must opt-in to the case.

1. Select the “my cases” link.
2. Click the Opt in as an electronic party link. 
   • You must be a party or an attorney for a party on the case as recorded in the clerk of circuit courts office.
   • If you are an attorney and have been retained by a party on the case, you will need to file a Notice of Retainer when you opt into the case.
   • You must allow the court time to process this document before you can view the case under "my cases."
   • There is a one time eFiling fee of $20.00 to become an electronic party on each case.

eFiling Fees

How much does it cost to eFile?

Effective July 1, 2016 the cost to eFile will be $20.00 per party per case in addition to the statutory filing fee.

• The fee is a taxable cost.
• The fee may be waived for indigent parties.
• Attorneys may deposit funds towards a Court Debit Account at the Courthouse: or
• A filer may pay with electronic check, MasterCard or Visa on the payment site.
• The following convenience fees are charged through the payment site:
  • $2.50 flat fee for electronic check
  • 2.75% for MasterCard or Visa

eFiling Tips and Troubleshooting

eFiling saves time, money and eliminates the issues of lost mailings, wrong addresses, last minute rushes to the courthouse, and other issues associated with exchanging filings in paper form. Another major advantage of the eFiling system is the fact that it is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can view your eFiled case at anytime by logging into the eFiling website, select the “My Case” link, and click the case number to view case information.

You will receive confirmation emails from the Wisconsin eFiling system for the following:

• Filing a new case with the courts
• When your new filing is processed by the courts
• Additional documents are filed by you or the other party
• A court official signs a court form

If you encounter any problems related to case management while eFiling contact the appropriate division in the Clerk of Courts for assistance. If you are having technical errors with the eFiling website review technical requirements here or leave a message for CCAP.