Elkhorn is the Walworth County seat and home to the Walworth County Circuit Court on County Trunk Highway NN. Nearly every criminal traffic charge and state-highway citation written anywhere in Walworth County (including stops in Lake Geneva, Delavan, and Whitewater) ends up on the docket here. We appear regularly in both the Walworth County Circuit Court and the Elkhorn Municipal Court.
If the traffic stop also involved suspected impairment, pair this page with the Elkhorn OWI/DUI guide. For broader local criminal-defense context, see the Elkhorn criminal-defense page on racinelaw.com.
Where your Elkhorn ticket will be heard
City of Elkhorn Municipal Court hears civil traffic citations written by local Elkhorn police, including ordinary speeding, stop-sign and stoplight violations, equipment tickets, and seat-belt citations.
Walworth County Circuit Court (1800 County Trunk Highway NN, Elkhorn) hears all criminal traffic charges and civil citations written by the Walworth County Sheriff or Wisconsin State Patrol.
Check the upper-right corner of your citation for the court name before assuming which rules apply. Fines, plea options, and collateral consequences differ between the two.
Law enforcement that commonly cites in Elkhorn
- Elkhorn Police Department
- Walworth County Sheriff
- Wisconsin State Patrol
Common traffic stops in Elkhorn
- Highway 11 / Highway 12, Elkhorn bypass; heavy State Patrol and Sheriff presence.
- Highway 67, North-south route through Elkhorn center; residential and school-zone enforcement.
- US-12, Through-route for Chicago-to-Madison traffic; concentrated enforcement near the Walworth County Fairgrounds.
If you received a ticket anywhere in Walworth County from the Sheriff or State Patrol (whether in Lake Geneva, Delavan, Whitewater, Fontana, or Williams Bay) your court appearance will be at the Walworth County Circuit Court in Elkhorn. The Elkhorn Municipal Court handles Elkhorn PD citations only. The distinction matters because Circuit Court cases carry higher fines, stricter rules of procedure, and criminal traffic exposure that Municipal Court does not.
Elkhorn-area traffic enforcement by the numbers
Verified statistics from official state and county sources.
Elkhorn traffic cases: who hears them
Criminal traffic charges from Elkhorn are heard at the Walworth County Circuit Court and prosecuted by the Walworth County District Attorney's office.
Sitting Walworth County circuit court judges
- Hon. Estee E. Scholtz · Branch 1 County directory uses 'Scholtz' spelling; wicourts.gov has a typo.
- Hon. Daniel S. Johnson · Branch 2
- Hon. Kristine E. Drettwan · Branch 3
- Hon. Samuel T. Berg · Branch 4
Elkhorn traffic defense services
Every practice area below is flat-fee. If your citation lists an offense not shown here, call. We defend the full Wisconsin Vehicle Code.