Indiana Court Records Search

Indiana Court Records & Case Lookup

One of the major ways in which the State of Indiana ensures the operation of its justice system is impartial and open to all is by making the records of its courts available to the public. Indiana under its court rules generally makes court records accessible and provides online access for case information lookup.

Making court records accessible is key for many people. Individuals may use it for personal purposes such as conducting genealogy research and background checks on themselves and others. While researchers may use it to analyze court decisions in search of identifiable patterns, attorneys and government agencies may also request court records for legal purposes, such as to understand legal precedents and monitor compliance with court orders.

Note that the Indiana judiciary aims to balance the rights of privacy and confidentiality of individuals with its goal of transparency in its operations and decisions. Hence, portions or entire records may be sealed and not accessible to the public. The state requires stringent measures before redacted records may be accessed by anyone.

State of Indiana Court System

The Indiana Constitution provides that the state's judicial power be vested in two primary levels of courts: trial courts and appellate courts. The first court in the state comprised three judges appointed by the Governor in 1800. In recent times, the court system in the state has evolved into a more sophisticated and complex justice system consisting of different levels of courts and serving different roles. There are more than 575 judicial officers in the Indiana judicial branch of the state, hearing over 1.8 million cases annually.

Indiana's appellate courts review the decisions of the state's trial court decisions to ensure fairness, legal accuracy, and consistency across the judicial system. They do not retry cases; instead, they examine whether legal errors occurred in lower court rulings, focusing on questions of law rather than fact.

The Indiana tax court is presided over by a single judge with exclusive authority over original tax appeals. The cases heard in the tax court involve disputes under Indiana's tax laws and include initial appeals challenging final determinations by the Department of State Revenue or the State Board of Tax Commissioners. Appeals of the decisions of the tax court go directly to the Indiana Supreme Court.

Indiana Trial Courts

Indiana's trial courts are the backbone of the state's judicial system as they address a wide range of cases, including civil, criminal, family, and probate matters. These courts are spread across various counties and communities in the state and are where most residents encounter the judicial process.

Circuit Courts in Indiana

This court has original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases. It handles felonies, misdemeanors, and ordinance violations. Civil cases heard by the Indiana circuit courts include civil claims beyond the jurisdiction of other courts. However, in Marion County, the circuit court does not handle small claims cases. Most domestic relation cases, including paternity, domestic violence protection orders, child custody, child support, and divorce are handled in the circuit court. Most juvenile matters are also heard in this court.

Superior Courts in Indiana

Indiana superior courts have general jurisdiction over most criminal and civil, but specific jurisdiction varies by county. The criminal cases heard by superior courts include felonies and misdemeanors, while the civil cases include general civil claims. These courts also handle small claims cases, except in Marion County, where a small claims court exists. Indiana superior courts share jurisdiction with circuit courts over mental health, probate, and juvenile cases.

The Marion County Small Claims Court

Marion County has a small claims court with nine judges and limited jurisdiction over certain civil cases in which damages do not exceed $8,000.

The Saint Joseph County Probate Court

Saint Joseph County has a separate probate court in addition to circuit and superior courts, with exclusive jurisdiction over adoptions, child protection, juvenile delinquency, and paternity cases.

City Courts in Indiana

Indiana city courts are courts of limited jurisdiction with 38 judges. These courts hear matters related to city ordinance violations, misdemeanors, and infractions.

Town Courts in Indiana

Indiana town courts are courts of limited jurisdiction with 16 judges. These courts handle town ordinance violations, misdemeanors, and infractions.

What are the Specialty Courts in Indiana?

Specialty courts in Indiana are also called problem-solving courts. Indiana problem-solving courts started in the 1990s and were established to address specific problems and needs of justice-involved persons that could not be sufficiently addressed in traditional courts. The outcomes sought by these courts aim to benefit not only persons seeking justice but the society and victims as well. While there are various problem-solving courts in Indiana, these courts share similar elements such as early identification of potential candidates, non-traditional proceedings, screening and assessment of potential candidates, taking a more hands-on approach to address problems, promoting reforms in governmental response to mental illness and drug addiction, reducing recidivism, and creating safer communities.

Examples of problem-solving courts in Indiana include:

• Adult drug court
• Veterans court
• Operating vehicle while intoxicated court
• Family recovery court
• Mental health court
• Truancy court
• Domestic violence court
• Juvenile problem-solving court
• Reentry court

Indiana State Court Records vs. Federal Court Records

Court records are documents and briefs submitted and generated by the court in the cases heard by the court. These documents include complaints or indictments, pleadings, motions, orders, trial transcripts, jury verdicts, and other related materials. When these materials are submitted or general by the state-operated courts in Indiana, they are referred to as state court records. However, when they are generated or submitted in the federal courts in the state, they are called federal court records.

There are a few federal courts in Indiana. These federal courts include the Northern District of Indiana, the Southern District of Indiana, the U.S. Probation Office (which is a part of the United States District Court), and the U.S. Court of Appeals (the seventh circuit, covering the whole of Indiana).

The United States District Courts in the state are where cases relating to federal violations are tried, witnesses testify, and juries serve. Each of the District Courts has a separate bankruptcy court with subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases.

Indiana state court records are accessible via the MYCASE.IN.GOV Case Search portal, while records of the federal courts in the state are available via the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER).

What Are Public and Non-Public Court Records in Indiana?

In Indiana, court records are generally classified as public or non-public. Public records are available for viewing by anyone and include most civil and criminal case documents. However, non-public records are sealed by law or court order and may involve specific types of cases or sensitive information.

How To Seal or Expunge Indiana Court Records

Indiana allows persons with arrest records or conviction records to obtain record relief via expungement in certain eligible circumstances. Whether you will be eligible for expungement depends on if you were convicted or not as well as which crime you've been convicted of. It's important to account for when the crime occurred and how much time has passed since the last criminal conviction.

Note that expungement in Indiana does not mean that criminal records will be destroyed. Expunged records may be attained in certain instances, such as when you apply to be an attorney, or if you are charged with a different crime. An expungement in the state of Indiana doesn't result in case information being removed from electronic storage or require the repositories of the national criminal history to expunge records. Also, your firearms rights will not be restored if convictions for either battery or domestic violence exist.

Certain crimes can never be expunged in Indiana. These include:

• Sex crimes
• Death
• Perjury
• Official misconduct
• Human trafficking
• Two offenses or more that involve a deadly weapon
• Conviction for crimes listed in Section 35-38-9-5(b) of the Indiana Code

Typically, Indiana permits the expungement of non-convictions or arrests not leading to a conviction, and convictions for:

• Misdemeanors
• Class A, B, or C felonies without serious bodily injury
• Class D felonies with bodily injury
• Class D/Level 6 felonies without bodily injury
• Some felonies with serious bodily injury

Note that non-conviction refers to cases with not-guilty verdicts or those dismissed. Other options that may qualify include completing a pretrial diversion that eventually becomes a dismissal. Any cases that don't have filed charges but do have case numbers within a court also apply.

Indiana allows persons who do not meet the waiting or timeline requirements as outlined in its expungement statutes and guidelines to request expungement if their prosecutor agrees. The state's bar provides a resource for asking the prosecutor to allow for an early expungement filing. Typical statutes of limitations include:

• Arrests without conviction: one year
• Misdemeanor (including Class D felonies and felonies of level 6 converted to misdemeanors) under Section 35-38-9-2 of the Indiana Code: Five years from the date of conviction
• Class D felonies or felonies of level 6 – No Bodily Injury under Section 35-38-9-3 of the Indiana Code: Eight years after the date of the conviction
• Felonies that lack significant bodily injury or death of another person under Section 35-38-9-4 of the Indiana Code: Eight years after the date of the conviction or three years from the completion of the person's sentence
• Remaining eligible felonies without death of another person under Section 35-38-9-5 of the Indiana Code: Ten years after the date of conviction or five years from the completion of the person's sentence

Individuals may ask for expungement for a non-conviction record as often as required, but expungements relating to convictions may only occur once in a lifetime. A petition for expungement must be filed in the county where one or more criminal incidents on your record exist to obtain an expungement for multiple criminal incidents. Hence, one must file an expungement petition in several counties in some instances, but the filings must be completed all at once.

How To Expunge Court Records in Indiana

To apply for an expungement, visit the court where your case was heard and file an expungement petition. The form for this petition may be obtained from the office of the clerk of the court. In the application, list all eligible offenses.

After, complete and submit the petition along with any supporting documentation at the office of the clerk in the county where you were charged. Before submitting the documentation, make copies of all documentation for yourself. Also, you may be asked to pay an application fee of $156 before submitting your application.

If you are unable to pay the expungement application fee, you may file a petition as an indigent by submitting a fee waiver form along with your application. The judge will decide on your eligibility for a fee waiver.

If the prosecuting attorney files an objection to your expungement application, the court will schedule a hearing and notify you of such proceedings. Otherwise, court staff will notify you when a final decision is made by the judge on the matter.

How Do You Access State of Indiana Court Records?

Indiana provides a central online database to access records of courts in the state via its MYCASE.IN.GOV Case Search resource. Actual copies of court records may be obtained by contacting the clerk of the court in the jurisdiction where the case was filed.

Online Access to Indiana Court Records

Indiana courts provide online access to court records via the state's only authorized portal – MYCASE.IN.GOV. This portal includes basic criminal and civil case information from courts using the Indiana Odyssey Case Management System. Local Indiana courts are responsible for updating the case information in the Odyssey case management system. Once the case information is updated, new information becomes immediately available online on the MYCASE.IN.GOV portal.

In-Person Access to State of Indiana Court Records

You may obtain an Indiana court record in person by following these steps:

• Identify the Correct Courthouse: Indiana court records are typically stored at the courthouse where the case was originally filed. Hence, the first step to getting a court record is to determine the specific court maintaining the record. This court is typically the court where the case was filed or heard.
• Visit the Clerk's Office: Court records are maintained by the clerk of the court. Visit the clerk's office at the courthouse, where you may request records. The clerk's office may have a public access computer or terminal where you may search for case information and view available records.
• Provide the Relevant Case Information: To be successful in your search, you must provide the correct information relevant to your search, such as case number, party names, or date of the case.
• Complete Request Forms and Pay Fees: If you need physical copies of court records, you may be required to complete an application and pay a nominal fee. The clerk is required by Indiana Law to collect copy fees of $1.00 per page, plus $3.00 per document if certification is required following Sections 33-37-5-1 and 33-37-5-3 of the Indiana Code.

How To Request Judicial Administrative Records

Court administrative records in Indiana refer to any document, information, data, or other item created, collected, received, or maintained by a court, court agency, or clerk of court about the administration of the judicial branch of government and not associated with any particular case.

You may access administrative records in Indiana by contacting the clerk of the court or the Office of Judicial Administration at:

Note that some court administrative records are excluded from public access following Rule 5 (D) of the Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records.

How To Access Older and Archived Court Records in Indiana

You may find older court records in Indiana at the court where the case was filed or at the Indiana State Archives. Although the Indiana State Archives does not maintain a complete collection of all county court records, it houses older civil order books for numerous counties, along with historical probate and guardianship records from select areas.

These volumes provide dates and document the legal actions taken in cases, though they generally do not include testimony transcripts or submitted evidence. For certain counties, like Posey and Marion, the Archives also hold case files with more detailed case information, offering additional context beyond the basic legal actions recorded. Note that case filings for all counties back to the 1970s may be located using the Indiana MyCase database.