How to Find District of Columbia Court Records (2026)

In person. The Superior Court's Clerk's Office is at the Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 (main line (202) 879-1133; general court information (202) 879-1400). Bring the case number if you have it, or the party names and approximate filing date. Which counter you need depends on the division — Civil, Criminal, Family Court, Probate, or Tax — so check the case type first.

By mail or online request form. The court's Case Information – Copy Request Form can be submitted by mail or in person to request copies of case documents. Include the case number, the names of the parties, exactly which documents you need, whether you need plain or certified copies, and payment or a request for a fee quote.

Online. Most civil, small claims, landlord-tenant, tax, probate, and non-sealed criminal and domestic violence case information is viewable for free through the Superior Court Case Search (eAccess) without registration. Document images are available for many cases; certified copies still require a request to the Clerk's Office.

Federal cases. Records from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia are not part of the Superior Court system. They are accessed through PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov) using a PACER account, with the standard federal per-page charge.

A personal criminal-history check. If you need a police clearance letter about yourself rather than a specific court case, that comes from the Metropolitan Police Department's Arrest and Criminal History Section, not from either court's Clerk's Office.

DC court and arrest records are presumed open, but a growing set of categories are sealed or removed from public view under the Second Chance Amendment Act of 2022 (Law 24-284), codified with the sealing and expungement framework at D.C. Code Title 16, Chapter 8. The Act distinguishes expungement (treating the record as if the arrest never happened) from sealing (removing the record from public access while it remains visible to courts, law enforcement, and certain licensing bodies), and it expanded eligibility for both.

Automatic relief is not yet operating. As of this writing, the Superior Court has stated that the Act's automatic-sealing and automatic-expungement provisions are not yet in effect — no cases are currently being sealed or expunged automatically. Anyone who wants relief today must still file a request.

The motion process. A person eligible for sealing or expungement files a Motion to Seal (or to expunge) with the Criminal Division's Criminal Information Office, submitting the original motion and one copy following the court's published procedure. There is no court fee to file a motion to seal in DC.

Other records that are not public. Juvenile delinquency and neglect cases in Family Court, most adoption records, and mental-health and certain domestic-violence records are confidential or restricted by statute and court rule independent of the sealing process described above.

Because eligibility rules, waiting periods, and which offenses qualify are detailed and change with amendments to the Act, read the court's published sealing procedures and Title 16, Chapter 8 directly, or consult an attorney, before filing.