Wisconsin OWI First Court Date

Question: How will I know my first court date after an OWI arrest in Wisconsin?

Answer: In the majority of cases, the officer who does the arrest is going to give notice of the first court date. Generally speaking in the average case, that court date is going to be on the ticket that is given to you for OWI. There’s generally a ticket written out on the spot, and that ticket will have the first court date and appearance. In some circumstances, there are cases where that first date is not given at that time; however, your information will be obtained by the officer: name, address, contact information, and then they will notify you in writing of your next court appearance. There are times as well you should be aware that you may get notice of that first court appearance on the ticket. Officers sometimes make mistakes or there are other reasons why the court appearance would be changed. So it is important that you have the correct address and contact information given because there are changes that can be made that can affect that first appearance.