McDonald County
McDonald County was organized in 1849 and was named after Alexander McDonald, a Revolutionary War soldier. The county spans a land area of approximately 539 square miles, making it Missouri's 71st largest county by total area. Almost 24,000 people live in McDonald County.
McDonald County is located within Missouri's 40th Judicial Circuit. The county's Circuit Court operates several divisions, including the Criminal, Probate, Family, Civil, and Juvenile Divisions. The Criminal Division of the county's Circuit Court handles criminal cases involving misdemeanors, felonies, and infractions, especially traffic violations. On the other hand, the Civil Division hears all law actions involving the enforcement of private rights and money between two or more parties. It also handles small claims suits in which the amount in dispute does not exceed $3,000.
The Family Division of the McDonald County Circuit Court handles cases relating to domestic relations matters, including adoptions, child custody, domestic violence cases, dissolutions, child support, and visitation. The Juvenile Division hears juvenile cases (cases of children under 18) pertaining to child abuse and neglect. In addition, it handles cases involving minors who commit a crime. In McDonald County, cases involving deceased persons and their property (estate, wills, and trust) and how to distribute them, particularly to their minor children who need guardianships, are handled by the Probate Division. The county also has at least six Municipal Courts where cases involving municipal ordinance violations are handled.
McDonald County Circuit Clerk's Office files, processes, records, and stores documents and information gathered during legal proceedings in the county. Such information and documents, as well as judgments, are called court records, and they are typically public records unless in certain instances where they are sealed or considered confidential. Interested persons can contact the Circuit Clerk's Office or visit the office location to obtain public court records in McDonald County. Records of the following types of cases are usually available and accessible to the public:
- Civil cases
- Family law cases
- Traffic violations cases
- Criminal cases
- Probate cases
Missouri's Judicial Branch provides an Automated Case Management System that allows the public to find public court records in McDonald County. The system offers users the luxury of searching with various parameters.
