Missouri Court Records
How Missouri's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
Missouri was an early leader in putting court records online. Its free Case.net system covers nearly every state court in Missouri, from the Supreme Court to municipal divisions, and lets the public search by name, case number or filing date.
Missouri law closes some records, including many criminal cases that ended without a conviction, so Case.net does not show everything.
How Missouri's courts are organized
Missouri has a three-tier system, and its trial courts are divided into divisions.
Supreme Court of Missouri
Seven judges hear cases involving the validity of laws, death penalty appeals and cases transferred from the Court of Appeals.
Missouri Court of Appeals
Hears most appeals in three districts based in St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield.
Circuit courts
The trial courts, organized into judicial circuits. Circuit judges hear felonies and larger civil cases; associate circuit judges hear misdemeanors, small claims, smaller civil cases, traffic and probate in many counties.
Municipal divisions
Part of the circuit court, municipal divisions hear city ordinance violations, including many traffic cases.
Searching Missouri court records online
Case.net is the starting point for Missouri court records.
- Case.netFree statewide search of Missouri state court cases, including docket entries, charges and judgments.
- Missouri CourtsOpinions, court directories, forms and self-help.
Getting records from the clerk's office
The circuit clerk in each county keeps the court's files. Many Missouri courts also allow the public to view documents at courthouse terminals. Clerks provide copies and certified copies for set fees.
Probate cases may be handled by a separate probate division clerk in larger counties. Deeds are kept by the county recorder of deeds.
- Missouri court directoryFind circuit clerks and courts in every county.
What is public, and what is not
Most Missouri court records are open, but Missouri's Sunshine Law and court rules close certain records, including juvenile, adoption and mental health records. Under section 610.105, records of criminal cases that were dismissed, nolle prossed or ended in acquittal are closed, and so are records of completed suspended imposition of sentence cases.
Missouri allows expungement of many offenses after a waiting period, and a 2022 constitutional amendment led to the expungement of many marijuana-related records.
- Missouri Courts: ExpungementForms and information about expungement in Missouri.
Older and archived records
Many Missouri counties keep historical circuit court records. The Missouri State Archives' Local Records program has microfilmed and preserved court records from across the state, and the Archives holds historical Supreme Court case files.
- Missouri State ArchivesHistorical state and local records, including court records.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol keeps the state's criminal history records. Open records can be requested by anyone through a name-based search.
- MACHS: Missouri criminal record checksThe Missouri Automated Criminal History Site, where anyone can request an open Missouri criminal record by name for a fee.
- Missouri sex offender registryPublic search of registered sex offenders.
- Missouri Department of Corrections offender searchFind people in Missouri state custody.
Federal court records in Missouri
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in Missouri's state courts. Missouri is divided into 2 federal judicial districts, and each has its own clerk's office:
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from Missouri's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- Case.net searches by name work best with a date of birth or a narrowed court and year.
- If a criminal case seems to be missing, it may have been closed under Missouri law.
- Missouri case numbers often include the year, a court code and a case type, such as CR for criminal.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- Missouri Supreme Court LibraryPublic law library in Jefferson City.
- Legal Services of MissouriFree legal information and links to legal aid programs.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.