Welcome!

The Office of the Secretary of State of Wisconsin

"I believe my most important job is being there when you need help."
- Doug La Follette, Secretary of State

About the Office:

The Office of the Secretary of State is headed by an elected Secretary of State, whose term of office is four years. Wisconsin's Constitution requires the Secretary of State to maintain the official acts of the Legislature and Governor, and to keep the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin and affix it to all official acts of the Governor. In addition, the Office administers program responsibilities set forth in approximately 100 sections of the Wisconsin Statutes, including issuing notary public commissions; issuing notary authentications and apostilles; recording annexations and charter ordinances of municipalities; registering trade names and trademarks; publishing legislative acts; filing oaths of office; and filing deeds for state lands and buildings.

Public Records:

These Wisconsin documents are among those preserved in the Office of the Secretary of State:

• Notaries Public *(available on-line)
• Trade names and Trademarks *(available on-line)
• City, Village and Town Records *(available on-line)
• Forest Land Deeds *(available on-line)
• Wisconsin Blue Books (Complete set dating from 1853)
• Statutes and Laws of Wisconsin (Dating from 1836)

* These Databases are maintained by the Office of the Secretary of State and can be accessed on-line at www.sos.state.wi.us. If you wish to obtain a copy of an entire database, please contact:

There will be a programming charge to format the database to meet your specific needs.