Ohio Court Records Search

Ohio Court Records & Case Lookup

An average of 2.4 million incoming cases are handled by the Ohio judicial system annually. These include over 560,000 criminal cases, 63,000 civil cases, at least 1 million traffic violation matters, 74,000 juvenile cases, and about 168,000 domestic relations matters. The state disposes of an average of 160,000 cases yearly.

Records of legal proceedings in Ohio are considered public records. They are available for inspection and copying under the state's Public Records Act. While most Ohio court records are public, some are not and are exempt from public disclosure under the state's Public Records Act. For instance, records of cases involving minors are typically not disclosed to the public. Similarly, if a court clerk determines that a particular information in a court record is exempt from public disclosure, such information will be redacted from the record before making it available to the public.

There is no statewide repository for all court records in Ohio. However, several court types maintain online databases that allow Ohio court case search by name or record number for cases under their jurisdiction. Similarly, some county courts manage county-level repositories where interested persons may look up court records heard in those courts.

State of Ohio Court System

The court structure operated in Ohio comprises two appellate courts and five trial courts. The Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals constitute the state's appellate courts. Generally, the Supreme Court is the court of last resort whose appellate jurisdiction is in most cases from the District Court of Appeals. On the other hand, the Court of Appeals is an intermediate-level appellate court whose primary duty is to hear appeals from the state's trial courts. Ohio's Court of Appeals is divided into 12 appellate districts.

The Ohio trial courts include the Court of Common Pleas, County Courts, Municipal Courts, Court of Claims, and Mayor's Courts. The state has 88 Courts of Common Pleas (one in each county), 35 county courts, and 130 Municipal Courts. Where one of the parties to a case is not satisfied with a judge's decision in a trial court, they may appeal the case to a higher court or directly to the Court of Appeals, depending on the court's jurisdiction.

Ohio Trial Courts

The trial courts in Ohio run a two-tiered court structure. While the Municipal Courts, County Courts, and Mayor's Courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, the Court of Claims and Court of Common Pleas are general jurisdiction courts.

Courts of Common Pleas in Ohio

These are the only trial courts in Ohio created by the state's Constitution (Article IV, Section 1). They are trial courts of general jurisdiction and are divided into the following divisions:

• Domestic Relations Division - This division of Ohio Courts of Common Pleas has jurisdiction over matters involving spousal support, divorce (dissolution of marriage), legal separation, parental rights, and annulment.
• General Division - The General Division has original jurisdiction in all civil proceedings where the amount in dispute is over $15,000, all criminal felony matters, and all cases relating to title to real estate, except eviction matters. This division has appellate jurisdiction over some city and state administrative agencies' decisions.
• Probate Division - This division of the Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over matters involving decedents' estates, adoptions, and mental illness. It also has jurisdiction over marriage license issuance.
• Juvenile Division - This division typically handles cases involving unruly, neglected, and dependent children. It also hears matters involving juvenile delinquency and has jurisdiction in adult cases involving child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of minors, paternity, failure to send a child to school, and non-payment of child support.

Court of Claims in Ohio

In Ohio, the Court of Claims is a court of general jurisdiction created with the enactment of the Court of Claims Act by the state's General Assembly. It has original jurisdiction to hear all suits against the state and agencies for property damage, contract disputes, personal injury, wrongful death, wrongful imprisonment, and compensation for crime victims.

Municipal Courts in Ohio

These are courts of limited jurisdiction created by the Ohio General Assembly as provided in Section 1901 of the state's Revised Code (ORC). They hear cases involving traffic and non-traffic misdemeanors. They also have jurisdiction over civil matters in which the amount in contention is not more than $15,000. In Ohio, where a Municipal Court has countywide jurisdiction, no County Court is needed in that location.

County Courts in Ohio

In Ohio, a County Court operates in areas of a county not covered by a Municipal Court. Like the Municipal Courts, County Courts also have jurisdiction over traffic and non-traffic misdemeanors and civil actions in which the amount in dispute does not exceed $15,000. These courts are established by the state's General Assembly under Section 1907 of the Ohio Revised Code.

Mayor's Courts in Ohio

These courts are not courts of record or considered a part of the Ohio judicial branch. However, they handle cases involving violations of state traffic laws and local ordinances in municipalities with over 200 residents and with no Municipal Court. Cases heard in Mayor's Courts may be reheard in County or Municipal Courts.

What are the Specialty Courts in Ohio?

Specialty Courts in Ohio offer a therapeutic judicial approach in providing court supervision and appropriate treatment to certain persons. The primary goal of these courts is to rehabilitate participants through thorough supervision and expedited service delivery, which reduces recidivism.

Common specialty courts in Ohio include the following:

• Drug Courts
• Mental Health Courts
• Veterans Courts
• Family Dependency Treatment Courts
• Drug - Re-entry Courts
• Drug - Domestic Violence Courts
• OVI/DUI Courts

Ohio State Court Records vs. Federal Court Records

Ohio State court records are generally created and maintained by the various court types within the state. Each trial court in the state, including the Courts of Common Pleas, County Courts, Courts of Claims, and Municipal Courts, keeps its own records of legal proceedings within its jurisdiction and makes them available to the public upon request. On the other hand, the following federal courts operating in Ohio are the primary source of federal court records within the state:

• The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
• The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

Federal court records maintained in Ohio are largely records of cases involving bankruptcy, the constitutionality of a United States law, admiralty law, and Habeas corpus matters. Records of matters involving public ministers and ambassadors in the state also constitute federal court records. In contrast, Ohio court records are created from legal proceedings within the state's court system, including most civil, criminal, family law, traffic, and probate cases.

Anyone interested in looking up federal court records in Ohio may use the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). PACER allows registered users to find federal case records by specific courts. State court records are largely available at the clerks of courts' offices in the courts where such cases are heard. Some courts maintain online repositories that enable the public to access records of court cases.

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

In Ohio, public court records are court records or documents that may be accessed by the general public. In other words, anyone may access them. In contrast, non-public Ohio court records are only accessible to certain individuals or entities, not to the general public. Such records are typically restricted from public disclosure for privacy concerns or because they are marked confidential by either state law or court orders.

How To Seal or Expunge Ohio Court Records

In Ohio, sealing a court record makes it unavailable to the public, but such a record is not erased or deleted and may still be accessed by authorized persons. On the other hand, an expunged court record is permanently deleted. The state permits both the sealing and expungement of certain criminal records, and the statutes authorizing both are Sections 2953.31 to 2953.39 of the Ohio Revised Statutes.

Eligibility For Criminal Court Records Expungement in Ohio

In Ohio, a person may be eligible for criminal court record expungement under the following conditions:

• If convicted of a misdemeanor, at the expiration of one year after the final discharge
• If convicted of a minor misdemeanor, at the expiration of six months after final discharge
• If the offense is a fourth or fifth-degree felony, at the expiration of 11 years after final discharge
• If convicted of a third-degree felony, at the expiration of 13 years after final discharge

Eligibility For Criminal Court Records Sealing in Ohio

Any conviction that falls into one of the following convictions is eligible for sealing in Ohio:

• At the expiration of six months after final discharge for a minor misdemeanor conviction, provided none of the felony offenses is a violent offense
• At the expiration of three years after final discharge, if convicted of one or two felonies of the third-degree
• At the expiration of one year after final discharge for a misdemeanor or lower-level felony conviction. In Ohio, a lower-level felony offense may be a felony of the fourth or fifth-degree
• At the expiration of five years after a person's registration requirements in the sex offender registry have ended if the underlying conviction is of an eligible offense
• If convicted of soliciting improper compensation, at the expiration of seven years after final discharge

What Criminal Court Records are not Eligible for Sealing or Expungement in Ohio?

The following convictions in a court record may not be sealed or expunged under Ohio law:

• Convictions of first or second-degree felonies
• Convictions of protection order violations
• Convictions of a third-degree felony if the following applies:
  • The offender has more than one other felony conviction
  • The offender has exactly two convictions of felony of the third-degree
  • The applicant has more convictions in total than two third-degree felony convictions and two misdemeanor convictions
• Convictions of domestic violence
• Convictions of any offense whose victim was less than 13 years old
• Convictions of a sexually oriented offense while the offender is subject to registration requirements of the sex offender registry
• Convictions of a non-sexual violent felony offense

The Process of Sealing and Expunging Criminal Court Records in Ohio

To apply for a criminal court record to be sealed or expunged in Ohio, an eligible person must fill out an application form. The completed form should be filed at the clerk of court's office in the court where they were convicted. They will be required to pay a $50 non-refundable application fee or submit an affidavit of indigency.

Once the application is submitted, the clerk of court will schedule a hearing and notify the applicant of the hearing date. The prosecutor for the case will also be sent a notice. The hearing date is usually within 45 to 90 days of applying with the clerk of court.

During the hearing, the court will determine whether the conviction in the court record the applicant is requesting to seal or expunge is eligible under state law and if the application was made at the appropriate time. After several other considerations, including weighing the interest of the applicant in having such records sealed or expunged and written or oral statements of any victim, the judge will either decide to grant or deny the application.

If the judge considers the merits of a sealing or expungement application and grants it, they will issue a signed order of expungement or sealing. Afterward, the order will be sent to government agencies in the custody of the applicant's criminal court records, mandating them to seal or expunge such records.

How Do You Access State of Ohio Court Records?

Ohio court records may be accessed in several ways. Generally, depending on the court and county, publicly available court records in the state may be accessed online, in person, or by mail. When looking to obtain a State of Ohio court record, it is best to contact the clerk of court in the custody of that record to determine their preference.

Online Access to Ohio Court Records

The clerks of courts in most counties in Ohio maintain online databases for court records in their custody, through which members of the public may look up records of cases filed and heard in those counties. For instance, the Franklin County Clerk of Courts provides a Case Information Online System (CIO) to access public information regarding civil and criminal cases filed in the Court of Common Pleas.

At the state level, the Ohio Court of Claims manages the Odyssey Portal. This portal allows court records searches by name and record number through the Smart Search tab for cases adjudicated in the Court of Claims.

In-Person Access to State of Ohio Court Records

To access an Ohio court record in person, you must visit the office of the clerk in the court where the case was filed or heard. While some clerks may accept written requests containing detailed information on the record being sought, others require such requests to be submitted in approved application forms.

How To Request Judicial Administrative Records

Anyone may request judicial administrative records in Ohio by submitting a written request to the relevant court or agency/division in the custody of the sought records. The written request should sufficiently describe the information/record of interest to help facilitate the search. It should also contain the requester's name, address, and a daytime phone number should the custodian have any questions. It is recommended to address the request to the employee responsible for judicial administrative records when submitting such a request in Ohio.

How To Access Older and Archived Court Records in Ohio

Generally, most older and archived court records in Ohio are not available online. They are largely maintained in physical copies, including microfilm, by the clerks of the courts in which the cases were filed and/or heard.

Anyone who wishes to access older and archived court records may have to visit the clerks of the courts where they are kept. However, they must provide as much information as possible about the case, details of parties involved, and case numbers, to facilitate the search. Requesters may be asked to pay certain fees to obtain copies of such court records.