Wisconsin local government websites

• The Blue Book counts 190 cities and 415 villages. Cities are first through fourth class by population, from 150,000 or more down to under 10,000. (Wisconsin Blue Book 2023-2024 (opens in a new tab); U.S. Census Bureau (opens in a new tab))
• A town board usually has three supervisors, there's no elected executive, and voters decide some matters, such as the tax levy, at the annual town meeting. (Wisconsin Blue Book 2023-2024 (opens in a new tab))
• Villages have a board of trustees and a village president. Counties have a board of supervisors, and 12 have an elected county executive. Lake districts and town sanitary districts are common special districts. (Wisconsin Blue Book 2023-2024 (opens in a new tab); U.S. Census Bureau (opens in a new tab))

• Notice goes up at least 24 hours before the meeting. With good cause it can be shorter, but "in no case" less than two hours. (Wis. Stat. § 19.84 (opens in a new tab))
• Each meeting needs its own notice, giving the time, date, place and subject matter, including any closed session the body expects to hold. (Wis. Stat. § 19.84 (opens in a new tab))
• Notice also goes to news media that asked in writing and to the official newspaper. The current list of three methods dates from 2019 Wis. Act 140. (Wis. Stat. § 19.84 (opens in a new tab); Wisconsin DOJ (opens in a new tab))
• Motions and roll call votes must be recorded, preserved and open to inspection, and a body must make a reasonable effort to let people record or film its meetings. (Wis. Stat. §§ 19.88 and 19.90 (opens in a new tab))

The Department of Justice's Open Meetings Law guide (opens in a new tab) asks bodies meeting by video to give the public an accessible link and to strongly consider a phone dial-in. It encourages posting recordings "as soon as practicable" and reads "reasonably accessible" meetings to include people with disabilities, so remote links and posted video should be usable by them too.

• Authorities respond "as soon as practicable and without delay." There's no fixed deadline, but DOJ says 10 working days is generally reasonable for a simple request. (Wis. Stat. § 19.35 (opens in a new tab); Wisconsin DOJ (opens in a new tab))
• Copy fees can't exceed the actual, necessary and direct cost. A location fee is allowed only when that cost is $50 or more, and prepayment may be required over $5. (Wis. Stat. § 19.35 (opens in a new tab))
• Requests may be oral, and a request can't be refused because the person won't give a name or reason, with limited exceptions. (Wis. Stat. § 19.35 (opens in a new tab))
• An authority without regular office hours allows access on 48 hours' notice or sets at least two consecutive hours a week for it. (Wis. Stat. § 19.34 (opens in a new tab))

• Website-only is never enough. Even the electronic option keeps one physical posting. (Wis. Stat. § 985.02 (opens in a new tab))
• Some notices must always be published, including tax sale and delinquent-tax land notices, annexations, notices to specific individuals, and town ordinances that impose forfeitures. (Wis. Stat. § 985.05 (opens in a new tab))
• A notice before an event goes up by the date the first newspaper publication would have run. Actions posted after the fact take effect on posting. (Wis. Stat. § 985.02 (opens in a new tab))
• An attorney general opinion annotated to the statute says a county may not post legal notices on its website instead of the newspaper or a physical bulletin board. (Wis. Stat. § 985.02 (opens in a new tab))
• Newspapers that run legal notices also post them free online. 2025 Acts 70 and 72 changed county newspaper bids and notice typeface, not the website option. (Wis. Stat. § 985.02 (opens in a new tab); 2025 Wis. Act 70 (opens in a new tab); Wisconsin Newspaper Association (opens in a new tab))

• City council proceedings, including "the substance of every official action taken," are published as a class 1 notice. Ordinances take effect the day after publication unless a later date is set. (Wis. Stat. § 62.11(4) (opens in a new tab))
• The budget summary shows general fund revenues and spending by category, fund balances and the property tax contribution to each fund, plus where the full budget can be inspected. (Wis. Stat. § 65.90 (opens in a new tab))
• After a budget changes, a municipality other than a town may publish a class 1 notice or post a notice on its website within 15 days. (Wis. Stat. § 65.90 (opens in a new tab))
• An attorney general opinion says a county may print its own proceedings or post them on its website. (Wis. Stat. § 59.14 (opens in a new tab))

Wisconsin law doesn't require a local government to keep a website at all. The rules above apply when one exists or when a body chooses the website option. (Wis. Stat. § 19.84 (opens in a new tab); Wis. Stat. § 985.02 (opens in a new tab))

The same Census table shows 239 cities and villages and 714 towns with fewer than 1,000 people, which is a lot of very small offices facing the same standard. The counts use 2021 estimates; DOJ uses the 2020 Census, so if you're near 50,000, check your own figure (2024 rule (opens in a new tab)). (U.S. Census Bureau (opens in a new tab))

Wisconsin has no separate accessibility law for local websites. The closest bill, 2023 SB 831, would have set WCAG-based standards for state agencies, not local governments, and it failed to pass in April 2024 (SB 831 history (opens in a new tab)). Our ADA Title II deadlines guide covers exemptions.

Check the WEM program page (opens in a new tab) for what's eligible before applying. The League of Wisconsin Municipalities also keeps a cybersecurity and technology page (opens in a new tab) for member cities and villages.

• League of Wisconsin Municipalities (opens in a new tab) and Wisconsin Towns Association (opens in a new tab).
• Wisconsin Counties Association (opens in a new tab) and Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association (opens in a new tab).
• DOJ's Open Meetings Law guide (opens in a new tab) and Public Records Law guide (opens in a new tab).

• Municipalities can browse state contracts and post their own solicitations and contracts on VendorNet (opens in a new tab).
• Use of NASPO ValuePoint contracts by political subdivisions is subject to prior approval of the state chief procurement official. (Wisconsin WSCA-NASPO participation document (via Dell) (opens in a new tab))
• Sourcewell contracts are open to public entities across the country, and each participant uses them under its own state's laws. (Sourcewell (opens in a new tab))