Polk County
Polk County is inhabited by more than 15% of Iowa's population. In 2023, the county's total population reached 505,255, reflecting a 2.6% increase from its population size in the 2020 decennial census. Des Moines, the county seat, is also the state's capital.
The Polk County District Court is the only court serving Polk County residents. It is the trial court where most legal matters are initiated. Also, the District Court is made up of several divisions, including the Criminal, Civil, Probate, Juvenile, Domestic Relations, and Small Claims Divisions. The specific division in which a case is heard is determined by the nature of the case.
Cases pertaining to child support, child custody, divorce, and other family law issues are managed by the Domestic Relations Division. The Juvenile Division, on the other hand, deals with matters involving minors, such as dependency and delinquency cases. The Small Division is tasked with hearing legal issues that involve small sums of money, while the Criminal Division is responsible for resolving felony and misdemeanor cases.
Polk County public court records are the contents of the court file, which include transcripts, exhibits, and dockets generated to document the activity in a case. The Iowa Open Records Law governs public access to these records, allowing them to be requested by the public except in cases where statutory exceptions exist. In Polk County, the District Court Clerk is responsible for the filing, indexing, and maintenance of these records. Access to criminal, civil, probate, small claims, and family law court records is made available to the public in the Clerk's Office.
Furthermore, interested parties can conduct court case searches by utilizing the public access terminals provided by the Polk County Courthouse. For complex requests, a written request is required to be submitted directly to the Clerk's Office. Alternatively, the Iowa Courts Online Electronic Docket Records Search permits the general public to look up court case records by entering the name of the party involved, citation number, or case ID. If you are a party to a case, you may access documents and records in your case by visiting the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) website.
