Yamhill County
Named after the Yamela group of the Kalapuya Tribe, Yamhill County was formed in 1843 and has a land area of 716 square miles. Its population as of the 2020 US census was 107,722. McMinnville is its county seat and largest city.
The legal needs of the people of Yamhill County are served by Circuit and Municipal Courts. The Yamhill County Circuit Court handles cases beyond the jurisdiction of the county's municipal courts. It hears major criminal cases and civil cases without financial limits. It also hears domestic relations and probate matters such as divorce, separation, adoption, annulment, truancy, emancipation, commitment of minors to mental institutions, juvenile delinquency, appointment of guardianship, administration of estates, and admission of wills. In addition, the Circuit Court hears traffic and municipal ordinance violations in municipalities without municipal courts.
Municipal Courts in Yamhill County handle municipal ordinance violations and traffic infractions within their jurisdictions. There are 10 municipal courts in the county located in Yamhill, Williamina, Sheridan, Newberg, McMinnville, Lafayette, Dundee, Dayton, Carlton, and Amity.
In Yamhill County, court filings, writs, transcripts, court rulings, motions, and other case information are documented as public court records, provided they are not made confidential by law or court orders. The Yamhill County Circuit Court Clerk maintains these records and keeps them up to date. The Clerk's Office arranges, indexes, sorts, and stores them in compliance with county and state rules.
The following types of court records are available to the public in Yamhill County unless they are sealed by court orders:
- Criminal Case Records
- Traffic Case Records
- Probate Case Records
- Civil Case Records
- Family Law Case Records
Record seekers can request public court records from the Yamhill County Circuit Court via mail or in person at:
Yamhill County Circuit Court
Yamhill County Courthouse
535 NE 5th Street
McMinnville, OR 97128
They can also search for public court records from the Yamhill County Circuit Court online by using the Oregon Judicial Department - Online Records Search portal. They must select Yamhill County from the list of counties under the "Filter by Location" tab to limit the search to only public court records from the county.
