Court Records by State
Most court records in America are public, but there is no single place to search them. Each state runs its own courts, and inside each state the records sit with the clerk of the court that heard the case. Pick a state to see how its courts are organized, which online searches exist, and how to request files, older records and criminal history.
- ALAlabama
- AKAlaska
- AZArizona
- ARArkansas
- CACalifornia
- COColorado
- CTConnecticut
- DEDelaware
- FLFlorida
- GAGeorgia
- HIHawaii
- IDIdaho
- ILIllinois
- INIndiana
- IAIowa
- KSKansas
- KYKentucky
- LALouisiana
- MEMaine
- MDMaryland
- MAMassachusetts
- MIMichigan
- MNMinnesota
- MSMississippi
- MOMissouri
- MTMontana
- NENebraska
- NVNevada
- NHNew Hampshire
- NJNew Jersey
- NMNew Mexico
- NYNew York
- NCNorth Carolina
- NDNorth Dakota
- OHOhio
- OKOklahoma
- OROregon
- PAPennsylvania
- RIRhode Island
- SCSouth Carolina
- SDSouth Dakota
- TNTennessee
- TXTexas
- UTUtah
- VTVermont
- VAVirginia
- WAWashington
- WVWest Virginia
- WIWisconsin
- WYWyoming
How court records work
A court record is everything filed in a case: the complaint or charging document, motions, exhibits, orders, the judgment and the docket (the running list of what happened and when). The clerk of the court that heard the case keeps the official file. When a case is appealed, the appeals court starts its own file with its own case number.
State courts handle the great majority of cases: traffic tickets, divorces, custody, small claims, evictions, probate, most crimes and most lawsuits. Federal courts hear federal crimes, bankruptcies and cases about federal law. A search usually starts by working out which court, and which county, heard the case.
What you can and cannot see
The public generally has a right to see court records, a principle rooted in common law and the First Amendment. Court records are usually governed by court rules rather than a state's public records act, and the federal Freedom of Information Act does not apply to courts at all. Some records are closed by law or by court order, most often juvenile cases, adoptions, mental health proceedings, and sealed or expunged criminal cases. Personal details such as Social Security and account numbers are routinely redacted. Read more about public records and privacy.
Federal court records
Every federal district, bankruptcy and appeals court files cases electronically, and those records can be searched nationwide through PACER. Searches cost a small fee per page, with fees waived when a user's charges stay low in a quarter, and free terminals are available in every federal courthouse. The free CourtListener site holds millions of opinions and PACER documents. Learn how local and federal public records differ.