Office of the Secretary of State, State of Wisconsin Office of the Secretary of State, State of Wisconsin State of Wisconsin Capital Dome

Welcome!

Doug La Follette 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






VOTER INFORMATION
Government Accountability Board (GAB)
Voter Information
Election information
My Vote
League of Women Voters
Voter Protection

Office Hours and Holiday Closure Dates
How soon can I get my Apostille or Authentication?

IMPORTANT NOTICE

UNFORTUNATELY

Because of the Governor’s budget passed by the Legislature the Office of the Secretary of State’s functions have been significantly changed.

This Office no longer handles notaries public or trademarks and trade names functions. Therefore, for this type of information, please do not contact this office. Thank you!

These functions are now performed by the Department of Financial Institutions which is a separate agency and not a part of the Office of the Secretary of State.

Please contact that Department regarding information, questions, forms to complete and all other concerns about notaries public or trademarks and trade names. You may connect with that Department by calling 608-261-9555 or by going to their website at http://www.wdfi.org

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, issuing authentications and apostilles; recording annexations and charter ordinances of municipalities; publishing legislative acts; filing oaths of office; and filing deeds for state lands and buildings.


The Secretary of State is a member of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL). Secretary La Follette currently serves as the Chair of the Board.


Public Records:

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

  • 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:


The Office of the Secretary of State
P.O. Box 7848
Madison, WI 53707 - 7848
608-266-8888, then press 3
statesec@sos.state.wi.us

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