Lucas County
Lucas County was created in June 1835 by an Act passed by the Ohio General Assembly and was named after Robert Lucas, the state's 12th governor. The county is located in northwestern Ohio, spanning approximately 596 square miles of total area ( land is 341 square miles), and has an estimated population of 425,000.
Several courts make up the Luca County court system. These include the Common Pleas Court, Juvenile Court, Domestic Relations Court, Probate Court, and the District Court of Appeals. The Lucas County Common Pleas Court is a trial court with general jurisdiction over felony law actions and civil disputes in which the disputed amount is at least $500. It also has exclusive jurisdiction in civil matters exceeding $15,000. The county's Juvenile Court handles lawsuits involving individuals under 18 years and cases pertaining to abused, neglected, dependent, and unruly children. In addition, the court has jurisdiction over adult cases relating to child abuse, custody, paternity, visitation, contributing to a minor's delinquency, and nonsupport of dependents.
The Luca County Domestic Relations Court handles only civil matters of families involved in the dissolution of marriage, divorce, legal separation, property division, child support, annulment, visitation, and spousal support. Cases relating to adoptions, wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, and mental health are exclusively handled by the county's Probate Court. The Ohio District Court of Appeals in Lucas County hears appeals from suits arising in the Courts of Common Pleas, excluding cases where the death penalty was imposed for offenses committed after January 1, 1996.
Public court records in Lucas County contain information and documents generated during legal proceedings filed/heard in the county. These records are maintained and kept by the Clerk of Courts and are publicly accessible. The clerk's office generally makes records of the following case types available for interested individuals who wish to obtain them in person or via mail:
- Civil cases
- Criminal cases
- Probate cases
- Family law (domestic relations) cases
Lucas County Probate Court provides the public with court records request forms for cases handled by the court. Publicly available probate case records in the county can also be accessed on the court's Online Case Management System. Similarly, court records generated from the Common Pleas Court and others can be accessed online at the Clerk of Courts Dockets Online System.
