| Statewide case search | MyCase (Indiana Courts Case Search) |
|---|---|
| Criminal history check | Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History Search |
| Appellate opinions | Appellate Docket Search Tool (Clerk of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court) |
| Federal cases | PACER (2 districts) |
| Plain copy fee | $1.00 per page (IC 33-37-5-1) |
| Certified copy fee | $1.00 per page plus a $3.00 certification fee per document (IC 33-37-5-1 and IC 33-37-5-3) |
| Who keeps trial records | Clerk of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court; Clerk of the Circuit Court |
Indiana's trial-court records stay with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the case was filed. Most counties also have one or more Superior Courts hearing the same general range of civil and criminal cases, but a single Clerk of the Circuit Court (sometimes styled "Clerk of the Circuit and Superior Courts") keeps the paper and electronic file for both, so there is normally one clerk's office per county rather than separate offices for each court.
Indiana is unusual among large states in having one statewide case-search portal that actually works across nearly every county. MyCase, run by the Indiana Office of Judicial Administration, pulls case information from courts on the state's Odyssey case management system — which is most trial and appellate courts in Indiana. Searching is free and requires no account for public information. It does not, however, include protection-order cases, confidential or sealed cases, expunged cases, or every scanned document from before a court went electronic.
The most common mistake searchers make is assuming MyCase is complete. A case can be real and still not appear online if the court hasn't finished converting older files, if it's a case type excluded from public view (juvenile, protection order, sealed), or if the record was expunged under Indiana's Second Chance Law. When MyCase comes up empty, the next step is the county clerk's office directly, not a paid third-party "record finder" site.
How Indiana courts are organized
Which court heard a case decides who keeps the file. Use this table to pick the right clerk before you search, and see the guides to criminal, civil, family, and probate records for what each court's file contains.
| Court | Handles | Who holds the records |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court of Indiana |
| Clerk of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court The Clerk's office is a single office serving all three appellate courts; dockets are searchable through the Appellate Docket Search Tool. |
| Indiana Court of Appeals |
| Clerk of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court Cases are heard in three-judge panels with statewide jurisdiction; opinions are published on the Judicial Branch's appellate decisions page. |
| Indiana Tax Court |
| Clerk of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court A single statewide court that hears only tax cases. |
| Circuit Courts |
| Clerk of the Circuit Court Every county has one Circuit Court. In many counties it shares general civil and criminal jurisdiction with the Superior Courts, and the same clerk keeps both. |
| Superior Courts |
| Clerk of the Circuit Court (the same office keeps Superior Court files in most counties) Most, but not all, counties have one or more Superior Courts; large counties divide them by caseload (criminal, civil, family). |
| City and Town Courts |
| Clerk of the city or town court (a separate office from the county clerk) Not covered by the county clerk or, in most cases, by MyCase; contact the city or town directly. |
Search Indiana court records online
Statewide case search
MyCase (Indiana Courts Case Search)
- Cost
- Free to search; free registration for party/attorney features
- Coverage
- Case information and many documents from courts on the state's Odyssey case management system, which covers nearly all trial and appellate courts in Indiana
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, Traffic
Also reachable at mycase.in.gov. Excludes protection-order cases, confidential/sealed cases, expunged cases, and pre-2014 juvenile paternity cases. Coverage of older, non-electronic case files varies by county.
Criminal history (convictions)
Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History Search
- Cost
- Paid per search (fee charged whether or not a record is found); mail-in requests use a money order
- Coverage
- Felony and Class A misdemeanor arrests within Indiana only, searched by name, date of birth, race, and gender
- Records
- Criminal
A "Limited Criminal History" does not include other states' records, non-felony/non-Class-A-misdemeanor arrests, or a fingerprint-based national result. Results are returned as "On File," "Inconclusive," or "No Records Found."
Appellate courts
Appellate Docket Search Tool (Clerk of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court)
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Docket and case information for the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court
- Records
- Appeals
Published opinions are searchable separately on the Indiana Judicial Branch's appellate decisions page.
Federal court records in Indiana
Federal cases (bankruptcy, federal crimes, lawsuits under federal law) are not in state portals. They live in PACER, organized by district. Indiana has 2 federal judicial districts.
| District | Main courthouse | Court website |
|---|---|---|
| Northern District of Indiana | Hammond / Fort Wayne / South Bend / Lafayette (divisional offices) | www.innd.uscourts.gov |
| Southern District of Indiana | Indianapolis | www.insd.uscourts.gov |
Read our PACER guide for registration, the per-page fee, and the quarterly fee waiver.
Indiana county court records
Trial-court records are kept by the clerk in the county where the case was filed. These are the largest counties in Indiana; each guide covers the clerk of the circuit court and other court offices, their addresses, and what is searchable online.
- Marion County court records County seat: Indianapolis Online search Free
- Lake County court records County seat: Crown Point Online search Free
- Allen County court records County seat: Fort Wayne Online search Free
- Hamilton County court records County seat: Noblesville Online search Free
- St. Joseph County court records County seat: South Bend Online search Free
- Elkhart County court records County seat: Goshen Online search Free
- Hendricks County court records County seat: Danville Online search Free
- Tippecanoe County court records County seat: Lafayette Online search Free
- Vanderburgh County court records County seat: Evansville Online search Free
- Porter County court records County seat: Valparaiso Online search Free
Request records in person or by mail
In person. Go to the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the case was filed. Bring the case number if you have it, or the party names and an approximate filing year. Most clerks' offices have a public terminal or counter staff who can search the index at no charge; copies are paid at the counter.
By mail. Write to the clerk with the case number (or party names and year), exactly which documents you need, whether you want plain or certified copies, and a check or money order for the fee. Call the clerk's office first to confirm the current per-page rate, since some counties adopt their own fee schedule by ordinance within the cap set by state law.
Online. MyCase lets you search case information and, for many courts, view or download documents that have been filed electronically, free of charge. It does not replace certified copies, which must still come from the clerk, and it will not show confidential, sealed, protection-order, or expunged cases.
Records older than the electronic index. Coverage on MyCase generally starts when a county's courts converted to the state's Odyssey case management system, which happened at different times around the state. Older paper files are held by the clerk's office or county archives, and locating them can take longer and may carry a search fee.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | $1.00 per page (IC 33-37-5-1) |
| Certified copy | $1.00 per page plus a $3.00 certification fee per document (IC 33-37-5-1 and IC 33-37-5-3) |
These are the statewide caps set by Title 33, Article 37 of the Indiana Code. A county's legislative body may adopt its own document-fee ordinance, but it cannot exceed the statutory per-page rate. Confirm the current fee with the specific clerk's office before sending payment, since local ordinances and add-on fees (such as record-perpetuation fees) vary. Amounts confirmed against the current Indiana Code text of IC 33-37-5-1 ($1 per legal- or letter-size page, including partially covered pages) and IC 33-37-5-3 ($3 for each certificate under seal). Both sections exempt records copied through electronic "enhanced access" and documents sent by fax or electronically.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed, expunged, and restricted records
Indiana's Rules on Access to Court Records (which replaced Administrative Rule 9 on January 1, 2020) presume court records are public unless a rule or statute excludes them. Categories that will not appear in MyCase or a public in-person search include:
- Expunged and sealed conviction records. Under IC 35-38-9 (Indiana's "Second Chance Law"), a person can petition to expunge arrest records that did not lead to conviction, or to seal or expunge certain conviction records after a waiting period that depends on the offense level. Serious violent and sexual offenses are not eligible. A person may file only one lifetime petition to expunge conviction records (arrest-only petitions are separate).
- Protection order cases. Petitions and orders for protection are confidential to protect the safety of the petitioner and are excluded from MyCase entirely.
- Juvenile cases. Juvenile delinquency and most juvenile records are confidential, with narrow statutory exceptions.
- Adoption records. Adoption case files are sealed by statute.
- Certain personal identifiers. Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and minors' names are excluded from public documents under the Rules on Access to Court Records even in an otherwise public case.
Someone seeking to seal or expunge a record files a petition in the court that handled the case; the clerk of that court, the prosecuting attorney, and the Indiana State Police must be able to comply with the resulting order, so all three typically stop showing the record once it is granted.
To remove your own record from public view, read how to expunge or seal a criminal record.
Frequently asked questions
Are Indiana court records public?
Yes. Indiana's Rules on Access to Court Records presume court records are open to the public unless a specific rule or statute closes them. The main exceptions are protection-order cases, juvenile cases, adoptions, and records sealed or expunged under the Second Chance Law.
Is there a free statewide search for Indiana court records?
MyCase (public.courts.in.gov/mycase, also at mycase.in.gov) is free and covers nearly every Indiana trial and appellate court on the state's Odyssey case management system. It excludes confidential case types and may not show older, non-electronic records.
How do I check someone's criminal history in Indiana?
The Indiana State Police Limited Criminal History search covers felony and Class A misdemeanor arrests within Indiana for a per-search fee. For a specific case, MyCase can show court-level criminal case information for free, county by county.
Which office keeps divorce records in Indiana?
The Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the divorce was filed, since divorces are heard in circuit or superior court and one clerk's office keeps both. Ask for the decree of dissolution, and request a certified copy if you need it for a name change or remarriage.
How do I get a certified copy of an Indiana court record?
Request it from the clerk of the court that heard the case, in person or by mail. Certified copies cost more than plain copies under the statewide fee schedule in IC 33-37-5. MyCase can show many documents online, but certification still has to come from the clerk.
What is Indiana's Second Chance Law?
It's the common name for IC 35-38-9, which lets people petition to expunge arrest records without a conviction, or to seal or expunge certain convictions after a waiting period. Serious violent and sexual offenses are not eligible, and most petitioners get only one lifetime petition for conviction records.
Sources
- Indiana Judicial Branch — About the Courts — https://www.in.gov/courts/about/
- MyCase (Indiana Courts Case Search) — https://public.courts.in.gov/mycase/
- Indiana Judicial Branch — Searching MyCase (Help) — https://www.in.gov/courts/help/mycase/
- Indiana State Police — Get a Limited Criminal History — https://www.in.gov/isp/criminal-history-services/get-limited-criminal-history/
- Appellate Docket Search Tool — https://publicaccess.courts.in.gov/docket
- Indiana Judicial Branch — Appellate Decisions — https://www.in.gov/courts/public-records/appellate-decisions
- Indiana Code 35-38-9 — Sealing and Expunging Conviction Records — https://iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_35/Article_38/Chapter_9.pdf
- Indiana Code Title 33, Article 37 — Court Fees — https://iga.in.gov/laws/2025/ic/titles/33/articles/37
- Indiana Code 33-37-5 — Collection of Additional Fees (document fee $1/page; certificate under seal $3) — https://iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_33/Article_37/Chapter_5.pdf
- Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records, Rule 5 (Records Excluded from Public Access) — https://rules.incourts.gov/Content/records/rule5/current.htm
- PACER — Federal court records — https://pacer.uscourts.gov/