Wood County
Formed on April 1, 1820, Wood County was named after Captain Eleazar D. Wood. It was created as a result of a treaty and land purchase from local Indian tribes. Wood County spans 620 square miles and the county seat is Bowling Green. Wood County has a population of over 130,000 residents.
The Courts of Common Pleas, Municipal Courts, and Mayor's Courts exist as the court system structure in Wood County. The Courts of Common Pleas has several divisions; the general and domestic relations division, juvenile, and probate division. The general division presides over the enforcement of child support, real estate disputes, workers', and unemployment compensation. The juvenile division prioritizes the care and protection of children in family environments, handles youth traffic cases, and adult criminal matters to an extent, and administers programs related to the cases it adjudicates. The Probate Division supervises the administration of estates, handles wrongful death cases, and filings and hearings for the admission of wills.
The Municipal Courts preside over misdemeanor cases attracting a maximum incarceration of 12 months, small claims, and file pleadings on existing cases. In addition, they hear civil lawsuits in which the amount of money involved in dispute is $15,000 or less. The Mayor's Courts resolve violations of local ordinances, and cases here are sometimes appealed to the Municipal Courts.
The Clerk of Courts keeps daily track of court records and oversees their maintenance. The Clerk of Courts who files and indexes these records is a gateway to obtain records of judicial actions. Court records are often managed by the clerk. By statute, the clerk is authorized to provide prompt inspection of records within a reasonable amount of time. The following court records are open:
- Criminal
- Domestic Relations
- Civil
- Traffic
Docket entries can be viewed online on the court case management system. However, records filed before 1990 may not be retrieved here but at the Office of the Clerk of Common Pleas Court. Case information is generally obtained from the computerized records preserved by the clerk.
