Chapter 301

301.46(3)(a)1. 1. “Member of the family” means spouse, domestic partner under ch. 770, child, parent, sibling or legal guardian.

301.46(3)(a)2. 2. “Victim” means a person against whom a crime has been committed.

301.46(3)(b) (b) When a person is registered under s. 301.45 (2) or when the person informs the department of a change in information under s. 301.45 (4), the department shall make a reasonable attempt to notify the victim or a member of the victim’s family who has, according to the records of the department or the information provided under par. (d), requested to be notified about a person required to register under s. 301.45.

301.46(3)(c) (c) The notice under par. (b) shall be a written notice to the victim or member of the victim’s family that the person required to register under s. 301.45 and specified in the information provided under par. (d) has been registered or, if applicable, has provided the department with updated information under s. 301.45 (4). The notice shall contain the information specified in sub. (2) (b) 1., 5., 6. and 10. or, if applicable, the updated information.

301.46(3)(d) (d) The department of health services shall provide the department with access to the names of victims or the family members of victims who have completed cards requesting notification under s. 971.17 (6m) or 980.11.

301.46(3)(e) (e) In addition to receiving the notice provided under par. (c), a person who receives notice under par. (b) may request that the department provide him or her with any of the information specified in sub. (2) (b) concerning the person required to register under s. 301.45.

301.46(4) (4) Access to information for agencies and organizations other than law enforcement agencies.

301.46(4)(a) (a) Any of the following entities may request, in a form and manner specified by the department, information from the department concerning persons registered under s. 301.45:

301.46(4)(a)1. 1. A public or private elementary or secondary school or a tribal school, as defined in s. 115.001 (15m).

301.46(4)(a)2. 2. A child care provider that holds a license under s. 48.65, that is certified under s. 48.651, that holds a probationary license under s. 48.69, or that is established or contracted for under s. 120.13 (14).

301.46(4)(a)3. 3. A child welfare agency licensed under s. 48.60.

301.46(4)(a)4. 4. A group home licensed under s. 48.625.

301.46(4)(a)5. 5. A shelter care facility licensed under s. 938.22.

301.46(4)(a)6. 6. A foster home licensed under s. 48.62.

301.46(4)(a)7. 7. A county department under s. 46.21, 46.215, 46.22, 46.23, 51.42 or 51.437.

301.46(4)(a)8. 8. An agency providing child welfare services under s. 48.48 (17) (b) or 48.57 (2).

301.46(4)(a)8m. 8m. The department of justice.

301.46(4)(a)9. 9. The department of public instruction.

301.46(4)(a)10. 10. The department of health services.

301.46(4)(a)10m. 10m. The department of children and families.

301.46(4)(a)11. 11. A neighborhood watch program authorized under s. 60.23 (17m) or by the law enforcement agency of a city or village.

301.46(4)(a)12. 12. An organized unit of the Boy Scouts of America, the Boys’ Clubs of America, the Girl Scouts of America or Camp Fire Girls.

301.46(4)(a)13. 13. The personnel office of a sheltered workshop, as defined in s. 104.01 (6).

301.46(4)(a)14. 14. Any other community-based public or private, nonprofit organization that the department determines should have access to information under this subsection in the interest of protecting the public.

301.46(4)(ag) (ag) The department may not provide any of the following in response to a request under par. (a):

301.46(4)(ag)1. 1. Any information concerning a child who is required to register under s. 301.45.

301.46(4)(ag)2. 2. If the person required to register under s. 301.45 is an adult, any information concerning a juvenile proceeding in which the person was involved.

301.46(4)(am) (am) Subject to par. (ag), an entity may make a request under par. (a) for information concerning a specific person registered under s. 301.45.

301.46(4)(ar) (ar) Subject to par. (ag), an entity specified in par. (a) 11. may request the names of and information concerning all persons registered under s. 301.45 who reside, are employed or attend school in the entity’s community, district, jurisdiction or other applicable geographical area of activity.

301.46(4)(b) (b) In response to a request under par. (a), the department shall, subject to par. (ag), provide all of the following information:

301.46(4)(b)1. 1. The name of the person who has registered under s. 301.45, including any aliases the person has used.

301.46(4)(b)2. 2. The date of the person’s conviction or commitment, and the county or, if the state is not this state, the state in which the person was convicted or committed.

301.46(4)(b)4. 4. The most recent date on which the information under s. 301.45 was updated.

301.46(4)(c) (c) On the request of a police chief or a sheriff, the department shall provide the police chief or sheriff with a list of entities in the police chief’s community or the sheriff’s county that have requested information under par. (a) for use by the police chief or sheriff under sub. (2) (e) or (2m) (c).

301.46(4)(d) (d) The department shall coordinate with the department of health services the sharing of address information of persons regarding whom notification bulletins are issued under sub. (2m) (a) or (am).

301.46(5) (5) Access to information for general public.

301.46(5)(a) (a) The department or a police chief or sheriff may provide the information specified in par. (b) concerning a specific person required to register under s. 301.45 to a person who is not provided notice or access under subs. (2) to (4) if, in the opinion of the department or the police chief or sheriff, providing the information is necessary to protect the public and if the person requesting the information does all of the following:

301.46(5)(a)1. 1. Submits a request for information in a form and manner prescribed by the department or the police chief or sheriff. The department or a police chief or sheriff may require that a person state, in his or her request under this subdivision, his or her purpose for requesting the information.

301.46(5)(a)2. 2. Specifies by name the person about whom he or she is requesting the information.

301.46(5)(a)4. 4. Provides any other information the police chief or sheriff considers necessary to determine accurately whether the person specified in subd. 2. is registered under s. 301.45.

301.46(5)(b) (b) If the department or a police chief or sheriff provides information under par. (a), the department, subject to par. (c), or the police chief or sheriff shall provide all of the following concerning the person specified in the request under par. (a) 2.:

301.46(5)(b)1. 1. The date of the person’s conviction or commitment, and the county or, if the state is not this state, the state in which the person was convicted or committed.

301.46(5)(b)3. 3. The most recent date on which the information under s. 301.45 was updated.

301.46(5)(b)4. 4. Any other information concerning the person that the department or the police chief or sheriff determines is appropriate.

301.46(5)(bm) (bm) The department shall provide on the Internet site required under sub. (5n) the following information concerning persons registered under s. 301.45:

301.46(5)(bm)1. 1. If the person is a sexually violent person, as defined in s. 980.01 (7), a notice, written in red letters, of that status.

301.46(5)(bm)2. 2. A current color photograph of the person, if available, and a physical description including sex, race, height, weight, eye color, and hair color.

301.46(5)(bm)3. 3. The person’s name and any aliases the person uses, indicating for each name and each alias all addresses at which the person is residing.

301.46(5)(bm)4. 4. Whether the person has responded to the last contact letter from the department.

301.46(5)(bm)5. 5. The crime committed for which the person must register.

301.46(5)(bm)5m. 5m.

301.46(5)(bm)5m.a. a. Any sex offense that was dismissed as part of a plea agreement if the sentencing court ordered that the offender be subject to the registration requirements of s. 301.45.

301.46(5)(bm)5m.b. b. Any sex offense that was dismissed as part of a plea agreement if the adjudicating court ordered that the juvenile be subject to the registration requirements of s. 301.45.

301.46(5)(bm)6. 6. Any conditions of the person’s supervised release, except for any condition that may reveal the identity of the victim of the crime that the person committed for which he or she must register.

301.46(5)(bm)7. 7. The date, time, and place of any scheduled hearings for supervised release or discharge under ch. 980.

301.46(5)(bm)8. 8. The name and court of the judge who authorized supervised release or discharge for the person.

301.46(5)(bm)9. 9. The most recent date on which the information was updated.

301.46(5)(c) (c) The department may not provide any of the following under par. (a) or (bm):

301.46(5)(c)1. 1. Any information concerning a child who is required to register under s. 301.45.

301.46(5)(c)2. 2. If the person required to register under s. 301.45 is an adult, any information concerning a juvenile proceeding in which the person was involved.

301.46(5n) (5n) Internet access.

301.46(5n)(a) (a) No later than June 1, 2001, the department shall provide access to information concerning persons registered under s. 301.45 by creating and maintaining an Internet site and by any other means that the department determines is appropriate. The information provided through the Internet site shall be organized in a manner that allows a person using the Internet site to obtain the information that the department is required to provide the person under sub. (2), (2m), (3), (4) or (5) and other information that the department determines is necessary to protect the public. The department shall keep the information provided on the Internet site and in other means used to allow access to the information secure against unauthorized alteration.

301.46(5n)(b) (b) For Internet access provided to law enforcement agencies under this subsection, the department shall provide the means for a law enforcement agency to easily identify changes that have occurred in the residence, employment, or place of school attendance of a person registered under s. 301.45.

301.46(6) (6) Period of notification of and access to information.

301.46(6)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), the department or an agency with jurisdiction may provide notice of or access to information under subs. (2) to (5) concerning a person registered under s. 301.45 only during the period under s. 301.45 (5) or (5m) for which the person is required to comply with s. 301.45.

301.46(6)(b) (b) The department or an agency with jurisdiction may provide access to any information collected under s. 301.45, regardless of whether the person is still required to be registered, to a law enforcement agency for law enforcement purposes.

301.46(7) (7) Immunity. A person acting under this section is immune from civil liability for any good faith act or omission regarding the release of information authorized under this section. The immunity under this subsection does not extend to a person whose act or omission constitutes gross negligence or involves reckless, wanton or intentional misconduct.

301.46(8) (8) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules necessary to carry out its duties under this section.

301.46(9) (9) Effect on open records requests. This section does not prohibit the department from providing to a person, in response to that person’s request under s. 19.35 to inspect or copy records of the department, information that is contained in the sex offender registry under s. 301.45 concerning a person who is in the custody or under the supervision of the department if that information is also contained in records of the department, other than the sex offender registry, that are subject to inspection or copying under s. 19.35.

301.46 History History: 1995 a. 440; 1997 a. 6, 27, 130, 181, 237, 283; 1999 a. 89; 2001 a. 16; 2003 a. 188; 2005 a. 5, 431; 2007 a. 20 ss. 3132r, 3133, 9121 (6) (a); 2009 a. 28, 180, 185, 302; 2013 a. 283, 343; 2023 a. 254.

301.46 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also s. DOC 332.01, Wis. adm. code.

301.46 Annotation This section and s. 301.45 do not occupy the field in regulating the dissemination of sex offender registration information and do not prohibit a probation agent from requiring a probationer to inform the probationer’s immediate neighbors of the probationer’s status as a convicted sex offender, which was not unreasonable. State ex rel. Kaminski v. Schwarz, 2001 WI 94, 245 Wis. 2d 310, 630 N.W.2d 164, 99-3040.

301.47 301.47 Sex offender name changes prohibited.

301.47(1) (1) In this section, “sex offender” means a person who is subject to s. 301.45 (1g) but does not include a person who, as a result of a proceeding under s. 301.45 (1m), is not required to comply with the reporting requirements of s. 301.45.

301.47(2) (2) A sex offender may not do any of the following before he or she is released, under s. 301.45 (5) or (5m), from the reporting requirements of s. 301.45:

301.47(2)(a) (a) Change his or her name.

301.47(2)(b) (b) Identify himself or herself by a name unless the name is one by which the person is identified with the department.

301.47(3) (3) Whoever intentionally violates sub. (2) is subject to the following penalties:

301.47(3)(a) (a) Except as provided in par. (b), the person is guilty of a Class H felony.

301.47(3)(b) (b) The person may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than 9 months or both if all of the following apply:

301.47(3)(b)1. 1. The person was ordered under s. 51.20 (13) (ct) 1m., 938.34 (15m) (am), 938.345 (3), 971.17 (1m) (b) 1m., or 973.048 (1m) to comply with the reporting requirements under s. 301.45 based on a finding that he or she committed or solicited, conspired, or attempted to commit a misdemeanor.

301.47(3)(b)2. 2. The person was not convicted of another offense under this section before committing the present violation.

301.47(4) (4) The department shall make a reasonable attempt to notify each person required to comply with the reporting requirements under s. 301.45 of the prohibition in sub. (2), but neither the department’s failure to make such an attempt nor the department’s failure to notify a person of that prohibition is a defense to a prosecution under this section.

301.47 History History: 2003 a. 52, 320.

301.47 Annotation The name change prohibition in sub. (2) (a) does not implicate the right to free speech by infringing expressive conduct. The 1st amendment right to free speech does not encompass the power to compel the state to facilitate a change of a legal name. Producing one’s legal name is properly understood as conduct subject to government regulation, not speech. State v. C.G., 2022 WI 60, 403 Wis. 2d 229, 976 N.W.2d 318, 18-2205.

301.47 Annotation The common law right to use an alias is distinguishable from the common law rule that continuous and consistent use of an alias effectuates a legal name change. The plain text of sub. (2) abrogates the latter rule but not the former right. In other words, a registered sex offender can use an alias, but, even if the use of that alias would otherwise be sufficiently continuous and consistent to effectuate a legal name change if the offender was not a registered sex offender, by operation of law, the offender’s legal name would remain unchanged. State v. C.G., 2022 WI 60, 403 Wis. 2d 229, 976 N.W.2d 318, 18-2205.

301.475 301.475 Sex offenders to notify schools.

301.475(1) (1) A person who is required to comply with the reporting requirements under s. 301.45 (1g) may not be on any school premises, as defined in s. 948.61 (1) (c), unless the school district administrator or his or her designee, if the premises are affiliated with a public school, or the governing body of the school, if the premises are affiliated with a private school or charter school, has been notified of the specific date, time, and place of the visit and of the person’s status as a registered sex offender.

301.475(2) (2)