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Act 235 ("Daniel’s law") raises records-handling issues for Ashland County offices
Summary
Committee members reviewed Act 235, a new law allowing judicial officers and family members to request shielding of records; staff warned it will affect multiple county systems and may require confidentiality agreements and software changes.
Ashland County officials discussed the incoming April 1 implementation of Act 235 (judicial-officer shielding, also called "Daniel's law") and the operational impacts across county offices including the register of deeds, treasurer, clerk, zoning and GIS.
Julie Gleason, Register of Deeds, outlined the law’s practical effects on land records and title information, saying judges and qualifying family members can request that grantor/grantee names, document numbers, and return-to addresses be shielded. "According to my office, the grantor grantee name, the document number, the volume and page, the tract of land, anything with that information on it where the document was returned to, will all be shielded," Gleason said.
Committee members raised concerns about who will receive and process shielding requests, the county’s potential liability if shielded information is disclosed in error, and the need for nondisclosure/confidentiality agreements with municipalities, title companies and software vendors. One member noted the law’s 10-day compliance timeframe and called for a mapped process to identify which office can do the most to implement shielding actions and close downstream gaps.
Why it matters: committee members said the law creates an unfunded local workload and technical requirements. The Wisconsin Counties Association and private counsel have issued analysis and may supply confidentiality‑agreement templates; county staff recommended court counsel and the WCA webinar as next steps.
Next steps: staff will coordinate with court counsel, contact software vendors about confidentiality flags and possible costs, and monitor WCA guidance and any confidentiality-agreement templates produced by counsel. The committee did not take formal action but requested further legal and technical guidance.
