| Circuit Clerk | Jefferson County Circuit Clerk (23rd Judicial Circuit) |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Jefferson County Courthouse, 300 Main Street, Hillsboro, MO 63050 (mail: P.O. Box 100, Hillsboro, MO 63050) |
| Phone | (636) 797-5443 |
| Hours | Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding state holidays |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | Set by local court rule in each circuit (COR 21.01(a)(22)); $1.00 per copied page in probate proceedings statewide. Circuits publish $0.25–$1.00 per page (e.g., St. Charles $0.25; Jasper $1.00; Boone $1.00 first page, $0.10 each additional) |
| Certified copy fee | $1.50 per seal on a certified or authenticated copy in probate proceedings statewide (COR 21.01(a)(18)); for other case types, set locally — commonly $1.00–$1.50 per certification on top of the copy fee |
Jefferson County, the fast-growing county south of St. Louis, is the 23rd Judicial Circuit by itself, and its Circuit Clerk keeps the record for every division of the court from a single office in the Jefferson County Courthouse at 300 Main Street in Hillsboro. The circuit runs six circuit-judge divisions and six associate-circuit divisions; felonies and larger civil suits sit with the circuit judges, while misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, and lower-value civil cases are heard in the associate divisions — but all of it is filed with the same clerk.
The county's website is the clerk's main public-facing page. It lists the office's hours, phone, fax, and a shared court email address, links to the statewide court forms and the circuit's local rules, and sends every case lookup to Missouri Case.net rather than running a county-specific search. The county also maintains a separate Circuit Court page for the judges and divisions, which is where the current judge assignments are posted.
One point of confusion is municipal tickets. Several Jefferson County cities — Arnold, Byrnes Mill, and Pevely among them — operate municipal divisions with their own clerks, and an ordinance violation written by a city officer is in that city's file, not the circuit clerk's. Municipal fines for those cities are paid through a separate online payment vendor linked from the county's online-services page, not through Case.net.
Search Jefferson County court records online
Circuit Clerk
Jefferson County Circuit Clerk (23rd Judicial Circuit)
- Cost
- Free case search on Case.net; copy fees are not published online — ask the clerk
- Coverage
- All circuit and associate divisions of the 23rd Judicial Circuit — felony and misdemeanor criminal, civil, family and domestic, probate, and traffic cases — for Jefferson County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, Traffic
The office accepts questions by email at 23circuit@courts.mo.gov and by fax at (636) 797-5073; mailing address is P.O. Box 100, Hillsboro, MO 63050. Closed on state holidays.
Other courts
23rd Judicial Circuit Court of Jefferson County — Circuit Court and Divisions
- Coverage
- Judge and division assignments for the six circuit-judge and six associate-circuit divisions, jury information, and links to municipal divisions
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family
Arnold, Byrnes Mill, and Pevely operate municipal divisions with separate clerk offices; ordinance tickets from those cities are not in the circuit clerk's files.
What is available online
Jefferson County circuit and associate cases are searchable statewide on Case.net; the county's Circuit Clerk and Circuit Court pages both link there and do not host a separate search. Case.net shows docket entries, parties, and charges rather than scanned documents. Municipal-division cases for Arnold, Byrnes Mill, Pevely, and other cities are kept by those cities' municipal clerks, and their fines are paid through a separate vendor rather than Case.net.
Which clerk has your record
In Missouri, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Missouri page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Courts (46 judicial circuits) | Felony and misdemeanor criminal cases; Divorce, custody, and other family cases; Civil suits of any amount | Circuit Clerk of the circuit (called the Circuit Clerk in every Missouri circuit) |
| Municipal Courts (Municipal Divisions) | City and county ordinance violations; Minor traffic tickets issued within city limits | Municipal court clerk for that city, or the circuit clerk where the municipal division is part of the circuit court |
Request records in person or by mail
Jefferson County clerk offices
Jefferson County Courthouse, 300 Main Street, Hillsboro, MO 63050 (mail: P.O. Box 100, Hillsboro, MO 63050)
Phone: (636) 797-5443
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding state holidays
Case search. Use Case.net to search Jefferson County cases by name or case number; narrow to the 23rd Judicial Circuit if a name is common across the state.
In person. The Circuit Clerk's office is in the Jefferson County Courthouse, 300 Main Street, Hillsboro, open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday except state holidays. Bring the case number or the party names and approximate filing year, and say whether you need plain or certified copies. The clerk does not publish a per-page copy fee online, so ask for a quote before paying.
By mail, fax, or email. Write to the Circuit Clerk at P.O. Box 100, Hillsboro, MO 63050, fax (636) 797-5073, or email 23circuit@courts.mo.gov. Include the case number, the specific documents you need, whether certification is required, and a phone number or email so the office can tell you the fee before it fills the request.
Municipal tickets. Ordinance violations and city traffic tickets from Arnold, Byrnes Mill, Pevely, and other Jefferson County cities with municipal divisions belong to that city's municipal court clerk, not the circuit clerk. The county's Online Service Center links to the payment vendor those municipal courts use.
Older cases. The county does not publish how far back its Case.net coverage runs; if a case from before the electronic index does not appear online, ask the clerk's office to check its paper or microfilm indexes.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Missouri |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | Set by local court rule in each circuit (COR 21.01(a)(22)); $1.00 per copied page in probate proceedings statewide. Circuits publish $0.25–$1.00 per page (e.g., St. Charles $0.25; Jasper $1.00; Boone $1.00 first page, $0.10 each additional) |
| Certified copy | $1.50 per seal on a certified or authenticated copy in probate proceedings statewide (COR 21.01(a)(18)); for other case types, set locally — commonly $1.00–$1.50 per certification on top of the copy fee |
Missouri court costs are set by the Supreme Court of Missouri under RSMo 488.012 through Court Operating Rule 21.01. That rule fixes copy fees only for probate proceedings ($1 per copied page and $1.50 per seal for a certified or authenticated copy) and otherwise leaves "reasonable fees for postage and per copied page as provided by local court rule," so plain and certified copy fees for civil, criminal, and family cases differ by circuit. Published examples: St. Charles County $0.25 per page plus $1.50 per certification; Jasper County $1.00 per page plus $1.50 for certification and seal; Boone County $1.00 for the first page and $0.10 each additional page plus $1.00 for a certified copy. Confirm the current fee with the circuit clerk before sending payment.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Missouri court records are presumed open, but several categories are closed to the public by statute or court rule:
The Missouri guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
How do I search Jefferson County, Missouri court records?
On Case.net, the statewide system. The Jefferson County Circuit Clerk's page on jeffcomo.gov links to Case.net and does not run its own county search.
Where is the Jefferson County Circuit Clerk and when is it open?
At the Jefferson County Courthouse, 300 Main Street, Hillsboro, open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday except state holidays; phone (636) 797-5443.
Can I request Jefferson County court copies by email?
Yes. The clerk lists 23circuit@courts.mo.gov and fax (636) 797-5073 as contact points; include the case number and the documents you need and ask for the fee, which is not published online.
Are Arnold or Pevely traffic tickets in the Jefferson County circuit clerk's records?
No. Arnold, Byrnes Mill, and Pevely have municipal divisions with their own clerks; city ordinance tickets are in those offices, and fines are paid through a separate payment site rather than Case.net.
Sources
- Jefferson County, MO — Circuit Clerk — https://www.jeffcomo.gov/694/Circuit-Clerk
- Jefferson County, MO — Circuit Court (23rd Judicial Circuit) — https://www.jeffcomo.gov/670/Circuit-Court
- Jefferson County, MO — Circuit Court Divisions — https://www.jeffcomo.gov/673/Divisions
- Jefferson County, MO — Online Service Center — https://www.jeffcomo.gov/464/Online-Service-Center
- Missouri Courts — Case.net — https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/welcome.do
- Missouri Courts — Circuit Court overview — https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=321
- Missouri Courts — Appellate Court Opinions/Decisions — https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1944
- MACHS Name Search Portal (Missouri State Highway Patrol) — https://www.machs.mo.gov/MocchWebInterface/
- RSMo 488.012 — Court costs; fee schedule authority — https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=488.012
- Missouri Court Operating Rule 21 — Court Costs, Fees, Miscellaneous Charges, and Surcharges — https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=200636&up=1040
- RSMo 610.140 — Expungement of criminal records — https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=610.140
- RSMo 610.105 — Closing of arrest records when charges not filed or dismissed — https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=610.105
- RSMo 211.321 — Juvenile court records, confidentiality — https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=211.321
- United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri — https://www.moed.uscourts.gov/
- United States District Court, Western District of Missouri — https://www.mow.uscourts.gov/
See also: all Missouri counties.