Defiance County
Defiance County was established in 1845 and named after Fort Defiance, an Army defense situated within the county. The county covers a land area of 411.4 square miles, which is home to over 38,000 residents. Its county seat and largest city is Defiance.
The Defiance County court system consists of a Court of Common Pleas, a Municipal Court, and Mayor's Courts. The Court of Common Pleas is the county's highest trial court. The court is organized into the general, domestic relations, probate, and juvenile divisions. The general division handles a wide range of civil and criminal cases, including contractual disputes, real estate disputes, personal injury claims, and felonies. The domestic relations division specializes in domestic and family matters, such as divorce, child custody, child support, and custody. Meanwhile, juvenile matters like paternity and delinquency cases are handled by the juvenile division. The probate division adjudicates cases relating to wills, guardianships, and the administration of estates. Additionally, the Court of Common Pleas hears appeals of the decisions of administrative agencies.
Defiance County Municipal Court is a lower court with jurisdiction limited to civil claims of $15,000 or less, small claims not exceeding $6,000 in value, trusteeship cases, landlord-tenant matters, misdemeanors, traffic cases, and felony preliminary hearings. Mayor's Courts operate within some municipalities in Defiance County, such as Hicksville and Sherwood. These courts have authority over municipal ordinance violations and traffic matters.
Defiance County public court records are official archives of information generated from court proceedings in the county. Examples of details contained in these records include parties' names, case numbers, hearing dates, case indexes, docket information, and court orders. The Defiance County Clerk of Court, Clerk of Municipal Court, and Clerk of the Mayor's Courts are responsible for filing and preserving records of legal proceedings within their respective courts. For ease of access, court records are usually organized into several categories, including:
- Civil records
- Family law records
- Probate records
- Small claims records
- Criminal records
- Traffic records
Interested persons may access records of the Court of Common Pleas online through the CourtView portal, while records of the Municipal Court are available through the court's record search webpage. Requesters may obtain physical copies of court records by contacting the clerk's office at the courthouse where the case was heard.
