License Enforcement

Required by Law

Federal law gives Wisconsin the authority to suspend, withhold, and restrict:

driver’s licenses,
professional and occupations licenses, and
recreational and sporting licenses;

when the person holding or applying for the license either:

is delinquent in making child support payments; or
fails to comply with an administrative subpoena for financial information or genetic testing.

State law and department administrative rules specify how and when license enforcement action occurs.

What Happens?

When the amount of unpaid support reaches $500, Wisconsin adds the name and other identifying information of the parent who owes support to the Child Support Lien Docket. When the parent's name is on the lien docket and he or she owes three times the monthly support amount, the child support agency may notify the parent of the intent to certify the payer to a licensing authority or agency.

Active/Pending Status

If one or more of the payer's licenses has been suspended, each license action will be listed in the "Administrative Enforcement Action Taken Against Payer" section of the Court Case Summary. If an enforcement type is listed as "Active," the license action is in effect.

If an enforcement type is listed as "pending," that means that the payer has not yet been certified to licensing agencies. Either the due-process period is still ongoing, or the certification process has not yet completed.

Restoring a License

To restore a license, the payer must enter into a payment plan or pay off the arrears See past-due support.. Contact the child support agency responsible for handling the case.

Authority: DCF 152, Wisconsin Administrative Code; s. 49.857, Wis. Stats.; 45 CFR 303.6