Summit County Court Records in Ohio

Created in 1840 and located in the northeastern part of Ohio, Summit County is the state's fourth most populous county. Its 412 square miles of land area is home to over 535,000 people. The county is so named due to the presence of the highest elevation on the Ohio and Erie Canal in the county.

The court system in Summit County is made up of the mayor's court, municipal courts, and the court of common pleas. These courts have jurisdiction in several areas and aim to uphold justice for all residents.

The mayor's courts have jurisdiction over violations of municipal ordinances, certain criminal traffic cases, and parking offenses. The county courts handle preliminary hearings for felony offense, actions for the receiver of money or property, replevin, interpleader, forcible entry and detainer cases, and cases involving title or boundaries of real property.

The county court also hears civil cases for the recovery of up to $3,000 in its small claims division. Original jurisdiction in cases in which no party seeks more than $15,000 belongs to the county courts.

The court of common pleas is a court of general jurisdiction, handling civil and criminal cases. The courts have original jurisdiction over felony matters and civil cases where the amount in controversy is higher than $15,000. The general division of the court handles civil cases, criminal cases, and the appeals from administrative agencies.

The Summit County court of common pleas has a domestic relations court division. This division has sole jurisdiction over civil cases involving dissolution, divorce, or annulment. The domestic relations court division also handles all matters involving custody, visitation, and support of children under 18, unless they are wards of another court. Cases involving juvenile court dependency, child abuse or child neglect are usually heard at the juvenile court division.

The Summit County clerk of courts keeps records of court actions in the county. Therefore, if you need to obtain copies of public court records in Sumner County, you can visit the clerk of courts' office at:

Also, the Summit County clerk of courts provides online access to view case information for domestic, civil, and criminal cases online. In addition, the court of common pleas allows the public to search case information of proceedings in the court by case name or case number.