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.
Elkhorn traffic court facts that affect the defense strategy
The first question is not just what you were cited for. It is who wrote the ticket, which court is printed on the citation, which prosecutor path applies, and whether the stop happened on a corridor where points, CDL reporting, or insurance exposure can get expensive quickly.
City of Elkhorn Municipal Court
City of Elkhorn ordinance matters, which in practice means citations written by the Elkhorn Police Department. A Walworth County Sheriff or State Patrol citation, wherever in the county it was written, and every criminal traffic charge go instead to the Walworth County Circuit Court at 1800 County Road NN, a different building on the other side of town.
- Address
- 100 W. Walworth Street (P.O. Box 920), Elkhorn, WI 53121
- Phone
- (262) 723-2340
Hon. Lori Domino
Municipal court handles forfeiture-level local ordinance citations. A municipal conviction can still create DOT points, insurance consequences, and license issues.
Municipal prosecutor path
Criminal traffic, sheriff citations, and State Patrol citations move through Zeke Wiedenfeld, Walworth County District Attorney.
Do not let default judgment decide it
This court sits monthly, not weekly. The published 2026 calendar puts traffic and ordinance initial appearances at 1:00 pm on one Wednesday a month, juvenile matters at 3:00 pm the same day, and lists no September session at all. Miss your date and the next one is about a month out. The clerk’s office is open only Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, though payments can be dropped at the Municipal Court and Police Department lobby, which is open around the clock.
A not-guilty plea has to be in writing before the court date, by email to elkmunicourt@cityofelkhorn.gov or by mail to P.O. Box 920, and it is what buys a pretrial conference by phone with the City Prosecutor. That conference is where an amendment gets discussed, because the court’s own page warns that with minimal exceptions the judge cannot amend a citation at the initial appearance. Paying before the court date is recorded as a no-contest plea and a finding of guilt.
Enforcement concentrates on the Highway 11 and Highway 12 bypass around the city, Highway 67 through the center with its residential and school-zone limits, and the US-12 through-route past the Walworth County Fairgrounds.
- 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.
Official sources: City of Elkhorn Municipal Court
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 Road 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 staff 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.