How-to guides
Cross-state guides for the things people actually need to do with court records.
- How to Check for a Warrant Safe ways to find out whether you or someone else has an outstanding arrest or bench warrant, which agencies to check, and what to do if there is one. Updated
- How to Expunge or Seal a Criminal Record Expungement vs. sealing, who typically qualifies, how the petition process works in most states, and how to confirm the record is really gone. Updated
- How to Get Certified Copies of Court Records What a certified copy is, when you need one, how to request it from any clerk in person or by mail, and how to get an apostille for use abroad. Updated
- How to Use PACER to Find Federal Court Records Step-by-step guide to registering for PACER, searching all federal courts at once, understanding the per-page fee, and getting the quarterly fee waiver. Updated
Records by type
- How to Find Bankruptcy Court Records How to look up a bankruptcy case in PACER, what is in the file, how long it stays public, and how to get a discharge order. Updated
- How to Find Civil Court Records How to look up lawsuits, judgments, small claims, and evictions, which court keeps each kind of civil case, and what is free online. Updated
- How to Find Criminal Court Records Where criminal case records are kept, the difference between a court record and a criminal history, and how to search felonies and misdemeanors. Updated
- How to Find Family Court Records Where divorce, custody, child support, adoption, and protective-order records are kept, what is public, and how to get a certified divorce decree. Updated
- How to Find Probate Court Records How to find a will, estate, guardianship, or conservatorship case, which clerk keeps probate files, and how to get letters testamentary. Updated
- How to Find Traffic Court Records Where traffic tickets and driving offenses are filed, why they are split across municipal, justice, and county courts, and how to look up a citation. Updated