938.185 Venue.
(1) Proceedings generally. Subject to subs. (3) and (4), venue for any proceeding under ss. 938.12, 938.125, 938.13, 938.135, and 938.18 may be in any of the following:
(a) The county where the juvenile resides.
(b) The county where the juvenile is present.
(c) In the case of a violation of a state law or a county, town or municipal ordinance, the county where the violation occurred, except that in that case the court of the county where the violation occurred may, after the juvenile is adjudged delinquent, transfer the proceeding to the county where the juvenile resides for disposition, if the court of the county of residence agrees to that transfer.
(2) Juvenile subject to dispositional order. Venue for any proceeding under s. 938.357, 938.363, or 938.365 shall be in the county where the dispositional order was issued, unless prior to the proceeding the court of that county determined that proper venue for the proceeding lies in another county and transferred the case, along with all appropriate records, to that other county.
(2m) Extended out-of-home care. Venue for a proceeding under s. 938.366 (3) (am) shall be in the county where the most recent order specified in s. 938.366 (1) (a) was issued.
(3) Sex offender registry violations. Venue for a proceeding under s. 938.12 or 938.13 (12) based on an alleged violation of s. 301.45 (6) (a) or (ag) may be in the juvenile's county of residence at the time that the petition is filed. If the juvenile does not have a county of residence in this state at the time that the petition is filed, or if the juvenile's county of residence is unknown at the time that the petition is filed, venue for the proceeding may be in any of the following counties:
(a) Any county in which the juvenile has resided while subject to s. 301.45.
(b) The county in which the juvenile was adjudicated delinquent or found not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect for the sex offense that requires the juvenile to register under s. 301.45.
(c) If the juvenile is required to register under s. 301.45 (1g) (dt), the county in which the juvenile was found to be a sexually violent person under ch. 980.
(d) If the juvenile is required to register only under s. 301.45 (1g) (f) or (g), any county in which the juvenile has been a student in this state or has been employed or carrying on a vocation in this state.
(4) Indian juveniles. Venue for a proceeding under s. 938.12 or 938.13 (12) based on an allegation that an Indian juvenile has committed a delinquent act may not be in the county specified in sub. (1) (a), unless that county is specified in sub. (1) (b) or (c), if all of the following circumstances apply:
(a) At the time of the alleged delinquent act the juvenile was under an order of a tribal court, other than a tribal court order relating to adoption, physical placement or visitation with the juvenile's parent, or permanent guardianship.
(b) At the time of the alleged delinquent act the juvenile was physically outside the boundaries of the reservation of the Indian tribe of the tribal court and any off-reservation trust land of either that Indian tribe or a member of that Indian tribe as a direct consequence of a tribal court order under par. (a), including a tribal court order placing the juvenile in the home of a relative of the juvenile who on or after the date of the tribal court order resides physically outside the boundaries of a reservation and off-reservation trust land.
(c) A petition relating to the delinquent act has been filed in a tribal court that has jurisdiction over the juvenile.
History: 1995 a. 77, 352, 440; 1999 a. 89; 2003 a. 284; 2005 a. 344; 2009 a. 94; 2015 a. 55, 373.
NOTE: 2003 Wis. Act 284 contains explanatory notes.
Venue becomes an issue only in the event that it is contested. It is not an element of the crime charged. The county where a juvenile “resides" is the county of domicile. The county where a juvenile “is present" is the county where the child is present at the time a petition is filed. State v. Corey J.G., 215 Wis. 2d 395, 572 N.W.2d 845 (1998), 96-3148.
Structure Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 938 - Juvenile justice code.
938.01 - Title, legislative intent and purposes.
938.028 - Indian juvenile welfare.
938.03 - Time and place of court; absence or disability of judge.
938.067 - Powers and duties of intake workers.
938.069 - Powers and duties of disposition staff.
938.07 - Additional sources of court services.
938.08 - Duties of person furnishing services to court.
938.09 - Representation of the interests of the public.
938.10 - Power of the judge to act as intake worker.
938.12 - Jurisdiction over juveniles alleged to be delinquent.
938.125 - Jurisdiction over juveniles alleged to have violated civil laws or ordinances.
938.13 - Jurisdiction over juveniles alleged to be in need of protection or services.
938.135 - Referral of juveniles to proceedings under ch. 51 or 55.
938.14 - Jurisdiction over interstate compact proceedings.
938.15 - Jurisdiction of other courts to determine legal custody.
938.18 - Jurisdiction for criminal proceedings for juveniles 14 or older; waiver hearing.
938.183 - Original adult court jurisdiction for criminal proceedings.
938.19 - Taking a juvenile into custody.
938.195 - Recording custodial interrogations.
938.20 - Release or delivery from custody.
938.205 - Criteria for holding a juvenile in physical custody.
938.207 - Places where a juvenile may be held in nonsecure custody.
938.208 - Criteria for holding a juvenile in a juvenile detention facility.
938.209 - Criteria for holding a juvenile in a county jail or a municipal lockup facility.
938.21 - Hearing for juvenile in custody.
938.217 - Change in placement; juvenile held in custody.
938.22 - County and private juvenile facilities.
938.222 - Contracts with private entities for juvenile detention facility services.
938.223 - Contracts with Minnesota counties for juvenile detention facility services.
938.224 - Contracts with department for juvenile detention facility services.
938.225 - Statewide plan for juvenile detention and correctional facilities.
938.24 - Receipt of jurisdictional information; intake inquiry.
938.243 - Basic rights: duty of intake worker.
938.245 - Deferred prosecution.
938.25 - Petition: authorization to file.
938.255 - Petition; form and content.
938.263 - Amendment of petition.
938.265 - Consultation with victims.
938.273 - Service of summons or notice; expense.
938.275 - Parents' contribution to cost of custody, sanctions and court and legal services.
938.28 - Failure to obey summons; capias.
938.29 - Substitution of judge.
938.295 - Physical, psychological, mental or developmental examination.
938.296 - Testing for HIV infection and certain diseases.
938.2965 - Waiting area for victims and witnesses.
938.297 - Motions before trial.
938.299 - Procedures at hearings.
938.305 - Hearing upon the involuntary removal of a juvenile.
938.31 - Fact-finding hearing.
938.312 - Notice of dismissal.
938.315 - Delays, continuances and extensions.
938.325 - Proceedings by telephone or live audiovisual means.
938.331 - Court reports; effect on victim.
938.335 - Dispositional hearings.
938.34 - Disposition of juvenile adjudged delinquent.
938.341 - Delinquency adjudication; restriction on firearm possession.
938.3415 - Delinquency adjudication; restriction on body armor possession.
938.342 - Disposition; truancy and school dropout ordinance violations.
938.343 - Disposition of juvenile adjudged to have violated a civil law or an ordinance.
938.344 - Disposition; certain intoxicating liquor, beer and drug violations.
938.345 - Disposition of juvenile adjudged in need of protection or services.
938.346 - Notice to victims of juveniles' acts.
938.35 - Effect of judgment and disposition.
938.355 - Dispositional orders.
938.356 - Duty of court to warn.
938.357 - Change in placement; juvenile subject to dispositional order.
938.358 - Trial reunification.
938.36 - Payment for services.
938.361 - Payment for alcohol and other drug abuse services.
938.362 - Payment for certain special treatment or care services.
938.363 - Revision of dispositional orders.
938.364 - Dismissal of certain dispositional orders.
938.365 - Extension of orders.
938.366 - Extended out-of-home care.
938.368 - Continuation of dispositional orders.
938.371 - Access to certain information by substitute care provider.
938.373 - Medical authorization.
938.383 - Reasonable and prudent parent standard.
938.385 - Plan for transition to independent living.
938.39 - Disposition by court bars criminal proceeding.
938.44 - Jurisdiction over persons 17 or older.
938.45 - Orders applicable to adults.
938.47 - Motion for postdisposition relief and appeal.
938.48 - Authority of department of corrections.
938.485 - Authority of department.
938.50 - Examination of juveniles under supervision of department of corrections.
938.505 - Juveniles placed under correctional supervision.
938.51 - Notification of release or escape of juvenile from correctional custody or supervision.
938.52 - Facilities for care of juveniles in care of department of corrections.
938.53 - Duration of control of department of corrections over delinquents.
938.533 - Community supervision.
938.534 - Intensive supervision program.
938.535 - Early release and intensive supervision program; limits.
938.538 - Serious juvenile offender program.
938.546 - Juvenile treatment court grant program.
938.547 - Juvenile alcohol and other drug abuse pilot program.
938.548 - Multidisciplinary screen and assessment criteria.
938.549 - Juvenile classification system.
938.57 - Powers and duties of county departments providing juvenile welfare services.
938.59 - Examination and records.
938.595 - Duration of control of county departments over delinquents.
938.78 - Confidentiality of records.
938.795 - Powers of the department.
938.988 - Interstate placement of juveniles.