Legal Question in Criminal Law in Wisconsin

Re: crime vs. ordinance violation

An ordinance conviction is a minor civil violation of the law of a local municipality, while a crime is an offense charged by the state for violation of state law. One can be sentenced directly to jail for crimes, while ordinances carry civil sanctions, i.e., fines, only. Failure to pay such a fine can still result in a jail commitment. Generally, if one has been convicted only of an ordinance, he or she can still truthfully deny a history of conviction for crime. If your court date was in a municipal court rather than circuit court, you can be sure it was only an ordinance (at least in WI). The reverse is not always true, however, because circuit courts also sometimes hear ordinance cases.