Name Change Procedure For An Adult In Dane County printable pdf download

Name Change Procedure for an Adult in Dane County

Introduction

Any resident of the State of Wisconsin, whether a minor or an adult, may upon petition to the circuit court of

the county where he or she resides and upon filing a copy of the notice, with proof of publication, if no

sufficient cause is shown to the contrary, have his or her name changed or established by order of the court.

Eligibility

You must be a resident of Wisconsin, Wis. Statute 786.36(1).

***If you hold a professional license (other than a license to teach in the public schools) and your name

change is for a reason other than marriage or divorce, you may need the approval of your licensing board

or commission to change your name to a name other than the name on your license. Contact the board that

issued the license to inquire about its requirements.

Documents

The packet includes these required four forms:

1. Petition for Change of Name Adult or Minor 14 or Older (CV-450)

2. Notice and Order for Name Change Hearing (CV-460)

3. Order for Name Change (CV-470)

4. Form HCF 5021 “Report of Legal Name Change” required for changing WI birth certificates and

other vital records.

**Note: If you have found this packet online, you will need to print each form individually.

Even if an entire family is requesting to change their last name, each person should complete a separate

set of the required forms. Each family member will be assigned a case number and charged a separate

filing fee, but each case file will be assigned to the same judge. The judge will need to sign separate

Orders for Name Change (CV-470) for each family member.

All forms must be typed or printed in BLACK INK. You (the Petitioner) must sign the Petition for

Change of Name in front of a Notary Public. Your bank or credit union will notarize documents for you.

Make one copy of the Notice and Order for Name Change Hearing. You should also make a copy for

yourself. Additional name change forms are available online for free at the Dane County Clerk of Court’s

website at For assistance finding the forms

online or to purchase them for a small fee, contact the Legal Resource Center at (608) 266-6316.

Filing

Take all forms to the Clerk of Courts Office, Rm 1000, Dane County Courthouse, 215 S Hamilton Street,

Madison. The filing fee is $164.50. The clerk will assign a case number and judge to the case and will

keep the original Petition for Change of Name and the Order for Name Change for the case file. Take

the remaining forms to the clerk in the office of the assigned judge.

The judge's clerk will assign a date and time for the hearing (not less than four weeks in the future so that

you will have time to publish the notice, see below) and obtain the judge's signature on the Notice and

Order for Name Change Hearing. The clerk will keep the original of the Notice and Order for Name

Change Hearing and return the remaining copies to you. Note: If the judge is busy, you may have to

wait or come back for the papers.

Last Updated: 8/5/11

Name Change Procedure For An Adult In Dane County