Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Columbia County, Wisconsin, has about 58,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Columbia County Circuit Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Clerk of Circuit Court, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Columbia County public records, Columbia County arrest records, Columbia County warrants, Columbia County inmate search, Columbia County criminal records, Wisconsin arrest records and Wisconsin inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Columbia County
In Columbia County, the Columbia County Circuit Court hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the Circuit Court, and the file stays with the Clerk of Circuit Court.
The Clerk of Circuit Court keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Wisconsin Public Records Law.
Looking Up a Case from Columbia County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at co.columbia.wi.us/columbiacounty/clerkofcourts (page title: Columbia County Clerk of Courts Home Page), phone 800-362-9082, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Statewide, Wisconsin Circuit Court Access is the free statewide case search of every circuit court.
The Wisconsin court page SearchSystems verified is at wicourts.gov/casesearch.htm.
What Reaches the Court from Columbia County
Together, the four agencies in Columbia County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 2,778 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Columbia County Circuit Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.columbia.wi.us/columbiacounty/da (page title: Columbia County District Attorney Home Page), phone (608) 742-9650, 400 DeWitt Street Portage, WI 53901, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Columbia County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Columbia County criminal records, Columbia County divorce records, Columbia County traffic tickets, Columbia County DUI and Columbia County property records.
More Official Court Pages for Columbia County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Columbia County and Wisconsin. These court pages from its Columbia County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Docketed civil judgment search (wcca.wicourts.gov)
- Wisconsin Court System (wicourts.gov)
Cities in Columbia County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Columbia County Circuit Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Columbia County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Columbia County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at co.columbia.wi.us, phone 800-362-9082. Statewide, Wisconsin Circuit Court Access is the free statewide case search of every circuit court.
Which court hears felonies in Columbia County?
The Columbia County Circuit Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case.
Who keeps the court records in Columbia County?
The Clerk of Circuit Court. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Wisconsin?
Yes: Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the free statewide case search of every circuit court.
Is this the official Columbia County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.