The state's Public Records Law took much of its present form in 1981 and is in place to provide the public with reasonable access to public records at reasonable costs.  Portions of the law were substantially revised in 2003 as a legislative response to several court decisions interpreting the law. 

As a public service, the Department of Justice has developed and recently revised (August 2008) a document in outline format that explains Wisconsin's Public Records Law and discusses significant cases that have an impact on the law's implementation. This document is now available to you through this website to be reviewed and downloaded for your convenience. 

http://www.doj.state.wi.us/dls/spar.asp#pubrec