Online Court Records Search: Find Cases, Dockets, Court Documents, Certified Copies & Federal PACER Records
Online court records are not stored in one universal public database. Federal cases usually use PACER, state and county trial cases use local court or clerk portals, municipal cases often have separate systems, and probate, juvenile, family, appellate, bankruptcy, traffic, and small-claims records may each follow different access rules.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This page is not PACER, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, a federal court, a state court, a county clerk, a municipal court, a law firm, a government agency, or a Consumer Reporting Agency.
Responsible-use warning: a name match, citation, complaint, criminal charge, petition, lawsuit, docket entry, judgment, warrant entry, or arrest-related event does not prove identity, guilt, liability, payment status, or final outcome. Do not use this guide for employment, housing, tenant, credit, insurance, lending, or other FCRA-regulated screening decisions.
Online court records are fragmented by court system, record type, access rule, and custodian
The biggest mistake in an online court records search is assuming that every case is in one national search box. Federal courts use federal systems. State trial courts may use statewide portals, county clerk portals, court-by-court portals, or courthouse terminals. Municipal courts can be separate from county courts. Probate, juvenile, family, traffic, and appellate records often follow their own rules.
A good search starts by identifying the court level, case location, case type, and record custodian. The online portal may show only a docket summary, calendar, index, register of actions, or selected documents. For official proof, most users still need the clerk, court, or court reporter.
There is no single website containing every state court record from every state.
PACER covers federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy records.
Current PACER page rate reviewed September 2, 2026.
A temporary federal increase is scheduled for January 1, 2027.
Online court-record route finder
Select the situation that best matches your search. This helper runs only in your browser and does not ask for a person’s name, birth date, address, case number, citation number, or other personal information.
If you know the federal court, search that court through PACER. If you do not know the court, use PACER Case Locator. For U.S. Supreme Court docket information, use the Supreme Court’s official docket search.
Which online court-record source should you use?
Use this table before searching. It separates federal, state, county, municipal, appellate, bankruptcy, probate, juvenile, document-copy, transcript, and background-check routes.
| Need | Correct source | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Federal civil, criminal, appellate, or bankruptcy docket | PACER and the specific federal court’s CM/ECF system | Federal court, case number, party name, docket sheet, document number, filing date, disposition, fee preview, and redaction limits. |
| U.S. Supreme Court docket | Supreme Court of the United States docket search | Docket number, case name, lower court, filings, orders, argument date, opinion status, and related proceedings. |
| State trial-court case | State judiciary, county clerk, circuit clerk, superior court, district court, or trial-court portal | State, county, court name, case type, case number, filing date, party role, docket events, document access, and copy procedure. |
| County or clerk-maintained case | County clerk, clerk of court, circuit clerk, superior court clerk, district clerk, or court administrator | Whether the clerk is the record custodian, whether the portal is official, whether documents are online, and how to order certified copies. |
| Municipal, city, mayor’s, justice, or traffic court case | Municipal court, traffic court, city court, justice court, or citation payment portal | Citation number, court date, court location, plea/payment eligibility, whether appearance is required, and whether the case appears in county or municipal records. |
| State appellate case | State appellate case information system or state supreme/appellate court website | Appellate court, appellate case number, trial court case number, party names, briefs, opinions, oral argument, mandate, and restricted documents. |
| Probate, estate, guardianship, or marriage-related case | Probate court, surrogate court, register of wills, county court, or clerk probate division depending on state | Decedent or ward name, case number, filing year, estate type, guardianship restrictions, adoption privacy, marriage-record route, and certified copy process. |
| Family, divorce, custody, adoption, juvenile, or protection order case | Family court, domestic relations court, juvenile court, circuit/superior court family division, or clerk office | Public access limits, child information, sealed documents, party-only access, certified decree need, and whether remote access is restricted. |
| Certified court record, exemplified copy, authenticated copy, or transcript | Court clerk, court reporter, transcript office, records department, or appellate clerk | Case number, document title, filing date, number of pages, certification type, seal/authentication need, transcript date, payment, and delivery method. |
| Background check or criminal-history report | State criminal-history repository, FBI channeling process, law-enforcement agency, or authorized screening provider | Court dockets are not the same as official criminal-history records and must not be used as an FCRA screening product from this page. |
How to search online court records by name, case number, docket number, or citation number
The most reliable online court-record search starts with an exact identifier. Name searches are common, but names create false matches, missed matches, alias issues, married-name issues, business-name issues, and jurisdiction mistakes.
Identify the state, county, city, federal district, appellate court, bankruptcy court, probate court, juvenile court, or traffic court that handled the case.
Look for official domains from courts, clerks, state judiciary websites, federal courts, PACER, or recognized government portals. Avoid unofficial people-search pages when accuracy matters.
Use the case number from a complaint, citation, summons, ticket, docket notice, e-filing receipt, order, judgment, attorney letter, bond paperwork, or prior search result.
Try full legal name, business name, maiden name, suffix, initials, or spelling variants only where the portal supports them. Never treat a name match alone as identity proof.
Filter by filing date, case type, court location, party role, citation number, charge, claim type, judge, or event date where available.
A docket entry can show that a filing happened, but the actual document may require login, payment, courthouse terminal access, staff review, or a copy request.
A charge, claim, warrant entry, judgment, or order can later be dismissed, vacated, amended, satisfied, sealed, appealed, expunged, or corrected.
For legal, licensing, immigration, school, agency, court, employment-authorized, or official use, ask the clerk for the required certified, exemplified, authenticated, or transcript copy.
Official online court-record links and what to do after opening each one
These official or court-adjacent resources show how online court records differ across systems. Use them as route examples, not as a claim that one portal has every record.
Use this as the official federal overview for court records.
- Confirm whether your case is federal or state.
- Use PACER for most federal case files and dockets.
- Visit the clerk’s office of the courthouse where the federal case was filed when needed.
- Use federal record disposition schedules only for federal judiciary records, not state court records.
Use this for federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy records.
- Register for a PACER account if you need document access.
- Use the specific federal court if known.
- Use PACER Case Locator if the court is unknown.
- Check fees before broad name searches or opening large reports.
Use this before searching federal records.
- Review the current per-page charge.
- Check which documents or case-specific reports are capped.
- Check the quarterly fee waiver threshold.
- Note scheduled fee changes before relying on older advice.
Use this to understand federal public-access limits and redactions.
- Review which federal case types and documents are accessible.
- Note that certain personal identifiers are redacted before records become public.
- Expect some records, including certain Social Security-related documents, to have special restrictions.
- Use the federal clerk for questions about sealed or missing materials.
Use this for U.S. Supreme Court docket information.
- Search by docket number, case name, party name, or words in the docket report.
- Compare lower-court information and filing dates.
- Use opinions and orders pages for final Supreme Court action.
- Do not search PACER as the only route for Supreme Court materials.
Use this when you know the location but not the federal court.
- Search by address, city, state, or court type.
- Identify district, bankruptcy, appellate, probation, or pretrial services office.
- Go to PACER for docket and document access.
- Use the court’s local site for clerk office instructions and certified-copy procedures.
Use this as an example of how state trial-court access depends on the local court.
- Use Find My Court to identify the county court.
- Check whether online lookup exists for that case type.
- Read what case information or documents are available remotely.
- Contact the court where the case was filed for copies.
Use this to understand why some records are courthouse-only or limited online.
- Review who can see electronic records remotely.
- Notice that sensitive case types may show only indexes, calendars, or registers online.
- Use courthouse access when the full electronic record is not available remotely.
- Use copy rules for court-file documents.
Use this as a model for requesting copies from the court where the case was filed.
- Find the court that has the case file.
- Identify the order, decree, judgment, or filing you need.
- Ask whether a certified copy is required.
- Check fees and delivery method with the clerk.
Use this as an example of a state with multiple online case tools.
- Choose WebCivil, WebCriminal, WebFamily, eTrack, or other listed tool.
- Use court and case-type filters carefully.
- Contact the specific court if displayed information appears wrong.
- Use NYSCEF guest search for eligible e-filed Supreme Court cases and documents.
Use this for official New York court-record and e-filed document routes.
- Confirm which New York court handled the case.
- Use the correct e-Courts or NYSCEF route.
- Search e-filed documents where guest access applies.
- Contact the court clerk for official copies or records not available online.
Use this as an example of a statewide public case search with access limits.
- Read the disclaimer and access restrictions.
- Search by party name, case number, or other available fields.
- Remember that some records are not available for public inspection.
- Use the clerk for official case-file copies.
Use this to understand court-record summaries versus official case files.
- Review how Case Search differs from the official file.
- Use court clerks for copies and official records.
- Use the correct state criminal-history process for background checks.
- Check what information is automatically private by law.
Use this as an example of role-based online access.
- Read what access rules apply to the portal.
- Check whether public or registered access is required.
- Do not assume every case or document is public.
- Use the clerk for restricted or certified records.
Use this for Florida appellate dockets and available appellate documents.
- Choose case search, party search, oral argument search, or document search.
- Confirm the appellate court and trial-court origin.
- Register or log in only if your role requires added access.
- Use trial-court clerks for local trial-court copies.
Use this as an example of a state electronic court-record repository with public and role-based access.
- Confirm whether the case type and court are covered.
- Check whether the record is public, party-only, attorney-only, or confidential.
- Use the local clerk when a record is missing or not integrated.
- Do not assume every Texas trial court record is visible in one search.
Use this for the broad rule that state online records are not centralized in one universal site.
- Read why state court record access differs by state and court.
- Use local court websites for actual records.
- Remember that online records are often not the official court record.
- Use official background-check systems for screening needs.
Use this as a court-adjacent research archive for some federal filings already obtained through PACER users.
- Search by case name, docket number, court, or party.
- Remember that RECAP is not PACER and may not contain every federal document.
- Use PACER or the federal clerk when the official federal record is needed.
- Check document dates and docket completeness before citing.
Use this for selected federal court opinions, not full trial-court dockets.
- Search opinions by court, citation, date, or keyword.
- Do not expect full case files or all docket documents.
- Use PACER for docket sheets and case filings.
- Use the issuing court for certified opinion copies if needed.
Online court-record fees: PACER, state portals, clerk copies, certification, and transcripts
Some online court-record searches are free, some charge per page, some charge for document downloads, some charge only for certified copies, and some records are available only at courthouse terminals. Fees are controlled by the specific court, clerk, statute, rule, or portal.
| Item | Typical source | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| Federal PACER electronic access | PACER pricing page | Reviewed September 2, 2026: PACER lists $0.10 per page, a $3 cap for many case-specific documents and reports, and quarterly billing only above $30. A temporary increase to $0.12 per page and $40 quarterly waiver threshold is scheduled for January 1, 2027. |
| PACER search results | PACER search or Case Locator | Search result pages may generate charges even if no match is found. Broad name searches can cost more than targeted case-number searches. |
| State or county portal lookup | State judiciary, county clerk, superior/circuit/district court, or vendor portal | Many portals show dockets for free but charge for documents, certified copies, or enhanced access. Some show only summaries. |
| Court document download | Court portal, e-filing portal, clerk site, or courthouse terminal | Documents may be free, paid, restricted, party-only, attorney-only, courthouse-only, or unavailable online depending on case type and jurisdiction. |
| Certified copy | Court clerk, county clerk, appellate clerk, probate court, municipal court, or federal clerk | Certification fees are separate from search fees and copy-page fees. Ask whether the receiving agency requires raised seal, digital certification, exemplification, or authentication. |
| Transcript | Court reporter, transcript office, audio recording office, or appellate record office | A transcript is not the same as a docket sheet or filed document. Transcript fees often follow separate per-page or per-minute rules. |
| Record search or clerk research | Local clerk or records department | Some offices charge search fees when case number, exact name, year, or document title is not provided. |
| Older or archived record | Court archive, clerk archive, state archive, county record center, National Archives for older federal records | Older records may require retrieval, microfilm review, manual index search, archive request, or in-person inspection. |
PACER cost planning estimator
This is only a planning aid. PACER and the federal courts control actual billing. It does not collect your search terms or case information.
Dockets, court documents, certified copies, exemplified copies, authenticated copies, and transcripts are not the same
Online searches often show a case summary before they show documents. A summary can be helpful for locating the case, but it may not be enough for court, agency, licensing, immigration, school, business, or legal use.
| Output | What it usually means | When to request more |
|---|---|---|
| Case index | A search result showing party name, case number, court, or case type. | When you need the docket, filings, current status, or official proof. |
| Docket sheet / register of actions | A chronological list of case events, filings, orders, hearings, and dispositions. | When the docket references a document you need to read or certify. |
| Court calendar / hearing list | A schedule of upcoming or same-day hearings. | When the date is urgent, recently changed, or you need courtroom/remote appearance instructions. |
| Complaint, petition, motion, brief, or filing | An actual document filed by a party. | When it is missing online, sealed, restricted, redacted, or needs certification. |
| Order, decree, disposition, judgment, or sentencing entry | Court action or final/partial ruling in the case. | When an agency needs certified proof or when later docket activity may have changed the result. |
| Certified copy | A clerk-certified copy of a court record. | When the receiving agency requires exemplification, authentication, raised seal, digital certification, or transcript certification. |
| Exemplified / authenticated copy | A higher-authentication court copy, often involving clerk and judicial certification. | When the record will be used across jurisdictions, internationally, or for agency processes that require extra authentication. |
| Transcript | A written record of what was said in a hearing or trial. | When you need the spoken proceedings, testimony, ruling from the bench, or appellate record support. |
Why online court records can be missing, incomplete, delayed, or restricted
Courts balance public access with privacy, safety, technology limits, local rules, and statutory confidentiality. A missing online result does not always mean no case exists.
- The case is in a different court, county, state, district, division, or municipality.
- The case is federal and belongs in PACER, not a state portal.
- The case is municipal, probate, juvenile, family, small claims, or traffic and uses a separate route.
- The name spelling, business name, alias, maiden name, suffix, or initials differ from the file.
- The case number format requires dashes, spaces, leading zeroes, year codes, or court codes.
- The record is older than the portal’s online coverage period.
- The event is recent and has not posted yet.
- The record is sealed, expunged, erased, shielded, impounded, suppressed, or confidential.
- The record involves juvenile, adoption, mental health, child custody, domestic violence, guardianship, or sensitive family information.
- The document contains protected personal identifiers or must be redacted.
- The document is available only at a courthouse terminal.
- The record is visible only to parties, attorneys, agencies, or registered users.
- The record is a transcript, exhibit, police report, jail record, or administrative record kept by another custodian.
State portal examples show why online court records vary so much
Different states organize online court records differently. These examples are not the only systems, but they show why a national search must start with the correct jurisdiction.
California court lookup depends heavily on the local superior court. Sensitive case types may have only indexes, calendars, or registers available remotely, while full electronic records may require courthouse access.
New York provides multiple e-Courts tools, including civil, criminal, family, tracking, and e-filed case routes. The correct tool depends on court and case type.
Maryland Case Search gives public access to summaries of many court cases, while official case files and confidential information are handled under court-record access rules.
Florida ACIS is a statewide appellate route for public appellate dockets and available appellate case documents, with registration/login used for role-based access.
re:SearchTX can provide electronic record access for eligible public and role-based records, but local clerk systems and coverage rules still matter.
PACER is the main electronic access route for federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy case records, while the U.S. Supreme Court has its own docket search.
How to read online case results responsibly
Online case information can be useful, but it can also be misunderstood. Read docket entries as procedural records, not as assumptions about guilt, liability, character, or final outcome.
Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, appellant, appellee, debtor, creditor, guardian, ward, and decedent are roles. A role alone does not prove wrongdoing.
A citation, arrest-related event, complaint, charge, indictment, warrant entry, or arraignment is not the same as a conviction or final sentence.
A civil judgment may later be satisfied, vacated, appealed, settled, released, amended, stayed, or discharged in bankruptcy.
A docket may show “motion filed” or “order entered” without displaying the content of that filing or order.
Court calendars can be updated, continued, cancelled, or moved to remote appearance. Verify urgent hearings with the court.
For agency, court, licensing, immigration, school, or legal use, request certified proof from the official custodian.
Online court records are not the same as background checks, police reports, jail records, land records, or vital records
Many users search “online court records” when they actually need a different public-record system. Use the right custodian so the request does not fail.
- Civil lawsuits and judgments.
- Criminal court dockets and dispositions.
- Traffic and municipal court cases.
- Family, probate, juvenile, or guardianship records when public access is allowed.
- Appellate dockets, briefs, opinions, and mandates.
- Certified copies of court orders, decrees, dispositions, or judgments.
- Police reports: arresting law-enforcement agency.
- Jail custody: sheriff, corrections, or detention agency.
- Criminal-history background checks: state repository, FBI, or authorized process.
- Land records: county recorder, register of deeds, or land records office.
- Birth, death, and marriage certificates: vital-records office or probate/county clerk depending on state.
- Transcripts: court reporter or transcript office.
Frequently asked questions about online court records
Is there one website for all online court records?
No. Federal records are searched through PACER and federal court websites, while state, county, municipal, probate, family, traffic, and appellate records are usually controlled by separate state courts, county clerks, municipal courts, or local court portals.
What is the best way to search online court records?
Start with the court level and location, then use the official court or clerk portal. Search by case number, docket number, citation number, or appellate number when possible. Name-only searches should be verified against court, case type, filing date, party role, and disposition.
Are online court records official court records?
Often no. Many online portals provide docket summaries, registers of actions, indexes, or public-access copies, while the official record is maintained by the clerk or court where the case was filed. For official proof, request a certified copy from the record custodian.
What is the difference between a docket and a court document?
A docket is a chronological list or index of filings and events in a case. A court document is the actual complaint, petition, order, judgment, motion, brief, transcript, exhibit, or other filing. Some portals show docket entries but not document images.
How do I search federal court records online?
Use PACER for federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy court records. If you do not know the specific federal court, use the PACER Case Locator. Supreme Court of the United States docket information is available through the Supreme Court’s official docket search.
How much does PACER cost?
As reviewed on September 2, 2026, PACER lists a $0.10 per-page fee, a $3 cap for many case-specific documents and reports, and quarterly billing only if charges exceed $30. PACER announced a temporary increase to $0.12 per page and a $40 quarterly waiver threshold effective January 1, 2027.
Why can’t I find a case online?
A case may be in another court, filed under a different name, too new to appear, too old for the portal, sealed, expunged, confidential, juvenile, adoption-related, courthouse-only, available only to parties, or maintained in a separate municipal, probate, appellate, bankruptcy, or federal system.
Can I use online court records for a background check?
Do not use this guide or ordinary online court-record searches as a Consumer Reporting Agency product or for employment, housing, tenant, credit, insurance, or other FCRA-regulated screening. Official criminal-history and background-check systems are separate from court docket searches.
How do I get a certified court record?
Request the record from the clerk or court that maintains the official case file. Provide the case number, party names, document title, filing date if known, copy type, delivery method, and payment. Ask whether you need a certified, exemplified, authenticated, or transcript copy.
What information should I verify before relying on an online court record?
Verify the court name, county, state, case number, filing date, case type, party role, charge or claim, disposition, judgment status, next hearing, document title, and whether later docket activity changed the result.
Official-source review checklist
This guide was reviewed against United States Courts court-record pages, PACER Find a Case, PACER pricing, PACER privacy and redaction FAQs, Supreme Court of the United States docket search, Federal Court Finder, California Courts online case lookup and electronic-record access guidance, New York Courts e-Courts and court-record guidance, Maryland Judiciary Case Search and access-to-court-records resources, Florida ACIS appellate case access, Texas re:SearchTX information, National Center for State Courts court-record access FAQ, CourtListener RECAP Archive, GovInfo federal court opinions, and court-copy guidance from official court systems. Review date: September 2, 2026.