Wisconsin Franchise Disclosure Filings Scraper

Search Wisconsin franchise disclosure filings by franchisor name and export official Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) registration history as structured data.

The Actor returns filing numbers, legal and trade names, effective and expiration dates, filing status, official detail links, and public Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) provenance when the detail page exposes it.

What does this Actor do?

Wisconsin DFI's public search is useful for one lookup at a time. This Actor turns repeatable name searches into a typed Apify dataset.

It can:

• search by partial legal or trade name;
• process up to 20 franchisor names in one run;
• return current and historical filings;
• filter Registered, Expired, or Pending records;
• inspect current filing details for FDD availability;
• preserve the official source and detail URLs;
• cap the output row count with maxItems; only saved filings are billed.

It does not download or parse the contents of an FDD. The official filing detail page is reported as document provenance because Wisconsin's file download is a form action rather than a durable public PDF URL.

Who is it for?

• Franchise attorneys verify registration history and source documents before advising a client.
• Prospective franchisees check whether a brand has a current Wisconsin filing before deeper diligence.
• Brokers and analysts refresh registration dates and statuses across a portfolio of brands.
• Compliance teams export filing identifiers and official links into case-management or review systems.
• Data teams schedule recurring searches and compare datasets for changes.

The dataset is research input, not legal advice or a substitute for confirming a filing with Wisconsin DFI.

Why use it?

The Actor follows the official ASP.NET search workflow while preserving a coherent session. It produces one flat row per filing, deduplicates by filing number, and fails explicitly if the portal returns an unexpected page.

Unlike an active-registration list, the search route includes historical filing numbers, dates, statuses, and official detail links. The Actor avoids downloading large documents and page assets, keeping the workflow focused on filing metadata and provenance.

What data can I extract?

Field	Type	Meaning
filingNumber	string	Wisconsin DFI filing identifier.
legalName	string	Franchisor legal name shown by DFI.
tradeName	string or null	Trade/DBA name when present.
effectiveDate	string or null	Displayed filing effective date.
expirationDate	string or null	Displayed registration expiration date.
status	string	Displayed status such as Registered or Expired.
detailUrl	URL or null	Official detail page when DFI exposes one.
disclosureDocumentAvailable	boolean or null	Whether the inspected detail page shows an FDD download.
disclosureDocumentUploadedAt	string or null	DFI's displayed upload timestamp.
disclosureDocumentProvenance	URL or null	Official page that establishes document provenance.
searchTerm	string	Input name that produced the filing.
sourceUrl	URL	Official Wisconsin DFI search source.
scrapedAt	ISO timestamp	Time the result was collected.

How to get started

1. Open the Actor's Input tab.
2. Enter one or more real franchisor names under Franchisor names.
3. Choose all filing history or one filing status.
4. Leave detail inspection enabled if you need FDD provenance.
5. Set maxItems to the maximum number of rows you need.
6. Click Start.
7. Export the default dataset as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or RSS.

Start with a specific name and a small limit. Partial matching can return several related legal entities or years of history.

Input parameters

searchTerms

Required list of 1–20 legal or trade names. Wisconsin DFI applies its own name matching. Empty names are rejected.

status

Optional filter:

• ALL returns matching filing history;
• REGISTERED returns current registered filings;
• EXPIRED returns expired filings;
• PENDING returns pending filings.

The default is ALL.

includeDetails

When true, the Actor opens available official detail pages and reports FDD availability and upload provenance. Expired rows often have no detail link, so their document fields can remain null.

maxItems

Maximum number of unique filings saved and charged, from 1 to 5,000. The Actor stops saving once it reaches this limit.

Example input

{
  "searchTerms": ["McDonald's"],
  "status": "REGISTERED",
  "includeDetails": true,
  "maxItems": 10
}

Example output

This representative record was returned by the current implementation:

{
  "filingNumber": "640986",
  "legalName": "McDonald's USA, LLC",
  "tradeName": "McDonald's",
  "effectiveDate": "4/15/2026",
  "expirationDate": "4/15/2027",
  "status": "Registered",
  "detailUrl": "https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/FranchiseSearch/details.aspx?id=640986&hash=336288221&search=external&type=GENERAL",
  "disclosureDocumentAvailable": true,
  "disclosureDocumentUploadedAt": "07/01/2026 at 12:26:19",
  "disclosureDocumentProvenance": "https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/FranchiseSearch/details.aspx?id=640986&hash=336288221&search=external&type=GENERAL",
  "searchTerm": "McDonald's",
  "sourceUrl": "https://apps.dfi.wi.gov/apps/FranchiseSearch/MainSearch.aspx",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-16T20:41:49.718Z"
}

Dates and source-provided values can change on later runs.

How much does it cost to search Wisconsin franchise filings?

Pricing is pay per event:

• $0.005 once per run for the start event;
• $0.0078292 per saved filing on FREE;
• $0.006808 per saved filing on BRONZE;
• $0.0053102 per saved filing on SILVER;
• $0.0040848 per saved filing on GOLD, PLATINUM, and DIAMOND.

At BRONZE rates, 10 filings cost about $0.07308 including the start event, 25 cost about $0.1752, and 100 cost about $0.6858. Only unique rows written to the default dataset trigger the filing event. Detail inspection has no separate event charge.

These are Actor event charges. Applicable Apify plan terms, credits, refunds, fraud adjustments, taxes, disputes, corrections, or clawbacks can affect final billing.

Recurring due-diligence workflow

Create a saved Task containing the franchisor names your team reviews. Schedule it weekly or monthly. After each run, send a webhook to your database, spreadsheet, n8n, Make, or Zapier workflow. Compare by filingNumber, status, effectiveDate, and expirationDate to identify source changes.

The Actor does not maintain hidden cross-run state or claim that a difference is legally significant. Your downstream workflow controls retention, comparison, and alerts.

Tips and limitations

• Use a distinctive legal or trade name to reduce broad partial matches.
• Use REGISTERED when you need only current registrations.
• Disable includeDetails for a faster metadata-only history export.
• Current detail pages can expose document provenance; historical rows may not.
• The Actor does not download FDD binaries or extract their contents.
• Wisconsin DFI controls availability, data accuracy, status terminology, and retention.
• A portal outage or changed response shape causes a failed run rather than a misleading empty success.
• Requests use a coherent US residential session because the official service is not reliably reachable through cheaper routes from the execution environment.

Use the dataset in JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: process.env.APIFY_TOKEN });
const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/wisconsin-franchise-disclosure-filings').call({
  searchTerms: ["7-Eleven"],
  status: 'REGISTERED',
  includeDetails: true,
  maxItems: 10,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Run with Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient
import os

client = ApifyClient(os.environ['APIFY_TOKEN'])
run = client.actor('automation-lab/wisconsin-franchise-disclosure-filings').call(run_input={
    'searchTerms': ['Great Clips'],
    'status': 'ALL',
    'includeDetails': True,
    'maxItems': 25,
})
items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(items)

API usage with cURL

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~wisconsin-franchise-disclosure-filings/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"searchTerms":["McDonald'\''s"],"status":"REGISTERED","includeDetails":true,"maxItems":10}'

Use the returned dataset ID to retrieve items from Apify's dataset API. Never commit your Apify token to source control.

Use with MCP and AI agents

Add this Actor to Claude Code through the hosted Apify MCP server:

claude mcp add --transport http apify \
  "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/wisconsin-franchise-disclosure-filings"

Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code setup

Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code clients that support remote MCP servers can use:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/wisconsin-franchise-disclosure-filings"
    }
  }
}

Example prompts:

• "Find current Wisconsin DFI filings for 7-Eleven and cite the official detail URL."
• "Export McDonald's Wisconsin registration history and summarize expiration dates."
• "Refresh these three brands and show which current filings expose FDD provenance."

An agent should treat the output as public-source research and preserve official links in any answer.

Responsible use and legality

This Actor accesses public Wisconsin DFI pages without logging in. Use the data for lawful research, compliance, due diligence, and internal analysis. Respect applicable laws, Apify policies, Wisconsin DFI terms, and data-retention obligations. Do not present the dataset as an official certificate, legal opinion, or guarantee that a franchise may lawfully be offered. Confirm consequential decisions against the official source and consult qualified counsel where appropriate.

This Actor is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Wisconsin DFI. Run datasets and logs remain in Apify storage under the retention settings of the user's account; the Actor creates no external database or cache.

FAQ and troubleshooting

Why did my search return no rows?

Check spelling and try a distinctive fragment of the legal or trade name. The search is controlled by Wisconsin DFI, and an entity may use a name different from the consumer-facing brand. Also try ALL if a filing is no longer Registered.

Why are disclosure-document fields null?

Wisconsin DFI does not expose a detail link on every historical row. Keep includeDetails enabled and inspect a current Registered filing. A null value means provenance was not inspectable from that row; it does not prove that no document ever existed.

Why did the run fail instead of returning an empty dataset?

The Actor validates the official page shape. If DFI is unavailable, blocks the request, or changes the form/table contract, failing is safer than reporting a false zero-result answer. Retry later after checking the run log and official portal.

Does it search all US states?

No. This Actor is deliberately scoped to the official Wisconsin DFI franchise registry.

Can it parse fees, investments, or Item 19 from an FDD?

No. It reports filing metadata and public FDD provenance, not document contents.

Related automation-lab Actors

For broader public-company and adviser diligence, see other automation-lab regulatory search Actors in the Apify Store. This Actor remains standalone for Wisconsin franchise registrations because no current automation-lab Actor exposes the same state dataset.

Support

When reporting a reproducible problem, include the Actor run ID, a redacted input, the expected public filing, and the official source URL. Do not include tokens, cookies, private documents, or confidential client information.