WISCONSIN GUIDE 16
Wisconsin Government Vehicle Crashes & § 893.80 Notice Requirements
Wisconsin claims against governmental bodies, subdivisions, agencies and their officers or employees can be subject to special notice and claim-presentment requirements under Wis. Stat. § 893.80.
- Written notice of the circumstances of the claim generally must be served within 120 days after the event, subject to the statute’s actual-notice and lack-of-prejudice provision.
- A separate claim containing the claimant’s address and an itemized statement of the relief sought must be presented to the appropriate governmental clerk or equivalent and disallowed before suit.
- Failure to disallow the claim within 120 days after presentation is treated as a disallowance.
- After service of notice of disallowance, the statute provides a six-month period for filing the action.
- Preserve government vehicle, dispatch, video, maintenance and notice-service records immediately.
Primary Wisconsin Source
Wis. Stat. § 893.80 — Claims Against Governmental Bodies
Current-law review: September 16, 2026. Government claims are deadline-sensitive and require immediate entity-specific review.
VictimsGuide 