Benton County
Benton County, created in 1847 from Polk County, is the 4th smallest county in Oregon State. It covers 675.2 square miles of land in the Willamette Valley, central part of the state, and has over 95,184 residents. Having Corvallis as the seat of government, Benton County's judicial system operates only one court, the Circuit Court.
In Benton County, the Circuit Court has general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases. Benton County Circuit Court operates six specialized units, namely the Criminal, Civil, Family Law, and Drug Treatment Courts. All criminal cases, such as felonies and misdemeanors, filed at the court are handled by the Criminal Unit. This unit has a subdivision, the Violations Bureau, that hears traffic cases like driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII).
The Civil Unit of the Benton County Circuit Court presides over cases involving property transfer, breach of contract, and landlord-tenant matters. Small claims up to $10,000 are handled through the informal process of the Civil Unit. Similarly, civil cases with claims over $10,000 and up to $50,000 are assigned to Mandatory Arbitration. This subunit sits on non-jury cases only, and the proceedings are semi-formal. While drug abuse cases are handled by the Drug Treatment Court, domestic relations cases, such as adoption, child custody, divorce, and filiation, are heard by the Family Law Unit of Benton County Circuit Court. Also, the Probate Unit of the court hears guardianship and conservatorship cases. Cases related to minors in the county are heard by the Juvenile Dependency and Delinquency Court.
Court records are a crucial part of Benton County's justice system. They are information and materials generated during case filings and court proceedings, and they include affidavits, warrants, motions, judgments, exhibits, and court orders. The Circuit Court's clerk commonly maintains and provides copies of these records whenever the need arises.
The following are common court records in Benton County:
- Criminal Records
- Civil Records
- Family Law Records
- Probate Records
Some Benton County court records are accessible to the public. However, a few of them, like expunged records, juvenile records, and sealed records, are limited from public disclosure. Interested individuals may search public case records through the OJD Online Smart Records Search portal. Similarly, a detailed case search may be performed through the OJCIN Online Service at a monthly fee. To view dockets of upcoming cases, interested persons may use the Oregon eCourt Circuit Calendar platform. Records not available online may be accessed directly at the local court where the case was heard.
