Changes to Birth, Death, Marriage Records Law

Door County Register of Deeds Carey Petersilka announces effective Jan. 1, 2017, residents may no longer have to travel to other counties to obtain their vital records such as birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. Currently, residents have to travel to the county in which the event occurred, order by mail, or order online with a credit card to receive their records. With new technology and a statewide database, this longtime vision of the Wisconsin Register of Deeds Association will become a reality. If your event occurred in the State of Wisconsin, you may be able to walk into any Wisconsin Register of Deeds office to pick up your vital record. At the onset in 2017, there will be limitations since not all of the records will be in the state database. Births from 1994, deaths from Sept. 1, 2013, and marriages from May 18, 2015, to present will be available statewide. Older records will become available as the State Vital Records office completes back scanning and indexing projects. As the WRDA’s 1st Vice President and Co-Legislative Chair, Petersilka worked hard on this legislation with her fellow Register of Deeds and wants to emphasize that not all records will be available at the implementation of this service.