The Racine County Circuit Court
The Racine County Courthouse sits at 730 Wisconsin Avenue, Racine, WI 53403. Every state-court traffic case in Racine County is heard there, regardless of which local police department, sheriff, or state patrol unit made the stop. Court website: https://www.racinecounty.gov/departments/clerk-of-circuit-court/info-resources/court-information.
Civil traffic citations from a local city or village police department go to that municipality’s Municipal Court instead. The cities below each link to a dedicated practice page with the local court address and patrol corridors.
How traffic enforcement works in Racine County
Racine County operates a two-track traffic-court system that catches a lot of drivers off guard. Civil traffic citations from a city or village police department (Racine PD, Mount Pleasant PD, Caledonia PD, Burlington PD, Sturtevant PD, Union Grove PD, Waterford PD) are heard in that municipality's local Municipal Court. Criminal traffic charges, OWI, operating after revocation under § 343.44, reckless driving under § 346.62, and any citation written on a state highway or interstate by the Wisconsin State Patrol or Racine County Sheriff, go to the Racine County Circuit Court at 730 Wisconsin Avenue.
The track matters because the consequences differ. A municipal-court forfeiture is non-criminal; the court costs and demerit points still apply, but there is no jail exposure and no criminal record. A Racine County Circuit Court traffic case can carry jail time, criminal-record consequences, and CDL disqualification under 49 CFR Part 383 even when the underlying citation looks like an ordinary speeding ticket. We tell you on the phone which court your ticket is headed to before any plea decision.
Wisconsin demerit points are tracked by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation under Admin Code Trans 101, and they post even if you pay the citation without contesting it. Points count toward suspension for 12 months from the violation date under Trans 101.04(1), and at 12 points in that window the license is suspended for two to twelve months under Trans 101.04(3). Wis. Stat. § 343.23(2)(b) limits the records the department may consider for a point suspension to the preceding 4 years. CDL holders face a parallel federal disqualification regime under 49 CFR § 383.51, and for a serious violation committed in a personal vehicle it bites only where the conviction results in the revocation, cancellation or suspension of the driver's license or non-commercial driving privileges.
Corridors with concentrated traffic enforcement
- Interstate 94. Racine County exits 326 (Highway 11), 333 (Highway 20), and 337 (Highway G/Seven Mile Road) see concentrated State Patrol enforcement, particularly weekday commute hours and weekend evenings.
- Highway 20 (Washington Avenue). The primary east-west arterial through Racine and Mount Pleasant. 35 to 45 mph zones with frequent marked-unit and unmarked-unit coverage.
- Highway 32 (Douglas Avenue / Green Bay Road). North-south corridor that runs the lakefront from Caledonia through downtown Racine. Speed-limit transitions from 55 to 35 mph at municipal lines drive a steady flow of citations.
- Highway 11. The Mount Pleasant / Sturtevant / Burlington corridor. The transition from rural 55 mph to village 35 mph zones (especially near the Foxconn/Microsoft development) is heavily enforced. Work-zone doubling under § 346.60(3m)(a)1 has applied during construction phases.
- Highway 38. Caledonia-to-Franksville feeder; residential and school-zone enforcement.
Law-enforcement agencies in Racine County
- Racine Police Department
- Mount Pleasant Police Department
- Caledonia Police Department
- Sturtevant Police Department
- Burlington Police Department
- Union Grove Police Department
- Waterford Police Department
- Racine County Sheriff
- Wisconsin State Patrol
Racine County cities we serve
We defend traffic tickets in every Racine County municipality. Each city below has a dedicated practice page with local court details, common citation corridors, and city-specific procedural notes.
- Racine, WI Population 77,000 · Racine County
- Mount Pleasant, WI Population 27,000 · Racine County
- Caledonia, WI Population 25,000 · Racine County
- Sturtevant, WI Population 6,900 · Racine County
- Burlington, WI Population 11,000 · Racine County
- Union Grove, WI Population 5,000 · Racine County
- Waterford, WI Population 5,400 · Racine County
Racine County traffic-ticket frequently asked questions
- What do Racine traffic violation lawyers actually do for a citation?
- Most of the value is in what happens before a hearing. Racine traffic violation lawyers read the citation to work out which court it lands in, because a City of Racine PD ticket goes to Racine Municipal Court at 730 Center Street while a State Patrol or sheriff citation goes to Racine County Circuit Court at 730 Wisconsin Avenue, and those negotiate differently. Then the goal is to keep the conviction off your record in the form it was written: a reduction to a lower-point violation, or to a non-moving violation that carries no demerit points at all under Wis. Admin. Code Trans 101. In most civil cases we appear for you, so you do not take a day off work. What we cannot undo is a paid ticket, because under Wis. Stat. § 345.26(1)(b)1 paying the deposit is deemed a plea of no contest and a submission to the forfeiture, so the conviction and its points post automatically. Free consultation at (262) 632-5000.
- Who is the best traffic ticket lawyer in Racine, Wisconsin?
- No attorney can ethically claim that, so use a test that actually predicts results: does the lawyer appear regularly in the specific court printed on your citation? Racine County runs two tracks, and they negotiate differently. A City of Racine PD citation goes to Racine Municipal Court at 730 Center Street, while a State Patrol, sheriff or criminal traffic charge goes to Racine County Circuit Court at 730 Wisconsin Avenue. A lawyer fluent in one is not automatically fluent in the other. Also ask whether they can appear on your behalf, since in most civil traffic cases you should not have to take a day off work. Wisconsin Ticket Specialists, the traffic practice of Cafferty, Scheidegger & Johnson, S.C., has appeared in every municipal and circuit court in Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties since 1994, and holds 4.9 stars across 651 Google reviews. Free consultation at (262) 632-5000.
- I got a ticket in Racine, Wisconsin. Is there a local lawyer who can help?
- Yes. Wisconsin Ticket Specialists is the traffic-defense practice of Cafferty, Scheidegger & Johnson, S.C., a Racine firm since 1994, at 840 Lake Avenue in Racine with a second office at 7001 30th Avenue in Kenosha. We handle speeding, reckless driving, CDL violations, operating after suspension or revocation, unsafe lane change, open container and minor in possession, and in most civil traffic cases we appear for you so you do not miss work. Typical fees run $200 to $500, which is usually less than the three-year insurance cost of a single moving conviction. The one thing to do right now is not pay the ticket: under Wis. Stat. § 345.26(1)(b)1 paying the deposit is deemed a plea of no contest and a submission to the forfeiture, so the conviction and its demerit points post automatically and your options close. Free consultation at (262) 632-5000.
- How do I know whether my Racine County ticket goes to municipal court or circuit court?
- Look at the court name printed on the front of your citation. Tickets from a city or village police department generally go to that municipality's Municipal Court. Tickets from the Wisconsin State Patrol, the Racine County Sheriff, or any criminal traffic charge (reckless driving, OWI, operating after revocation) go to the Racine County Circuit Court at 730 Wisconsin Avenue, Racine. If you cannot tell which court applies, send us a photo of your citation and we will tell you.
- I paid my Racine County ticket online. Will the demerit points still apply?
- Yes. Under Wis. Stat. § 345.26(1)(b)1 a person who makes the deposit is "deemed to have tendered a plea of no contest and submitted to a forfeiture," so the case closes as a conviction and the demerit points under Wis. Admin. Code Trans 101 are assessed automatically by the Wisconsin DOT. Those points count toward the 12-point suspension threshold for 12 months from the violation date under Trans 101.04(1). For most Racine County tickets, contesting or amending the citation is materially cheaper over a three-to-five-year window than paying it because of the insurance impact.
- Does a Racine County speeding ticket affect my CDL?
- It can, but not automatically. Table 2 to 49 CFR § 383.51 lists the serious traffic violations (15 mph or more over the limit, reckless driving, improper or erratic lane changes, following too closely, and others) and disqualifies a CDL holder for 60 days on a second conviction in a separate incident within 3 years, and 120 days on a third. For a violation committed in a personal vehicle rather than a commercial one, that column applies only if the conviction results in the revocation, cancellation or suspension of the holder's license or non-commercial driving privileges. In Wisconsin the usual route to that is a demerit-point suspension under Wis. Admin. Code Trans 101.04(1). CDL holders should not pay any moving-violation citation without a CDL-specific review.
- What is the work-zone doubling on Highway 11 in Mount Pleasant?
- Wis. Stat. § 346.60(3m)(a)1 doubles the minimum and maximum speeding forfeiture where persons engaged in work in a highway maintenance or construction area, railroad maintenance or construction area, utility work area, or emergency or roadside response area are at risk from traffic. The ordinary $30 to $300 range under § 346.60(2)(a) becomes $60 to $600, plus court costs. If the work-zone violation causes bodily harm, § 346.60(3m)(a)2 raises the exposure to a fine of up to $10,000 or up to 9 months, or both. Work-zone status has applied during phases of the Foxconn/Microsoft development on Highway 11. The citation should specify "work zone" if the doubling applies; if it does not, the doubled forfeiture may be challengeable.
- Can you appear in Racine County Circuit Court for me so I do not have to take time off work?
- In most municipal-court traffic cases, yes. We file an attorney appearance and handle the matter without you. For Racine County Circuit Court criminal traffic charges, you generally have to appear personally for the initial appearance and any plea hearing, but we are with you at the courthouse and we minimize the number of trips required.
Do not pay the ticket until you know the point, insurance, and license impact.
Use the contact form to send a photo of your citation. We will tell you which court your case is headed to, whether points or CDL rules are a risk, what reduction target makes sense, and what the flat fee would be before you commit to anything.
Wisconsin Ticket Specialists is a service of Cafferty, Scheidegger & Johnson, S.C., defending Racine County drivers since 1994.