Public Court Records Search: Find Cases, Dockets, Clerk Records, PACER Files & Certified Copies
Public court records are not stored in one national public database. Use this guide to identify the correct court, official portal, record custodian, docket route, copy procedure, access limits, appellate path, federal PACER route and archive option before relying on a record.
Public-Court-Records.us is independent. This website is not a court, clerk’s office, PACER, the U.S. Courts, a state judiciary, a county government, a municipal court, a sheriff, a law firm, a background-check company or a Consumer Reporting Agency. It is an educational guide for finding official court-record routes.
Responsible-use warning: a matching name does not prove identity. An arrest, charge, citation, complaint, petition, indictment or lawsuit does not prove guilt or liability. Do not use this page for employment, housing, credit, insurance, tenant screening or any other FCRA-regulated decision.
Public court records start with the court that handled the case
The most important question is not “Is it public?” The first question is which court handled the case? A case may belong to a local municipal court, county court, district court, superior court, circuit court, family court, probate court, state appellate court, federal district court, bankruptcy court or U.S. court of appeals. Each route can have different search fields, fees, copy rules, privacy limits and archive procedures.
State court access is not centralized into one national court-record portal.
PACER covers federal appellate, district and bankruptcy courts.
Current fee as of this review; a temporary $0.12 rate starts January 1, 2027.
Many federal cases created before 1999 are paper-only or archive-related.
Public court record route finder
Select the record type you need. This privacy-safe helper does not collect personal information and does not run a real case search.
State cases are local to the state and often to the county or court division. Identify the state, county, court type and case category before using a name search or paying for a copy.
Which official source should you use?
Do not start with a name alone. Start by matching the record type to the court or custodian that actually maintains the case.
| Need | Correct official route | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| State civil lawsuit, small claims, eviction, family, probate or criminal case | State judiciary, county court, court clerk or clerk of court | Identify the state, county, court type and case category. Search by case number when available; use name search only if supported by the official system. |
| County or municipal traffic case | Municipal court, city court, county court, justice court, district court or traffic division | Use the citation number, ticket number or case number on the official court or payment portal. Do not submit driver or vehicle details to unofficial websites. |
| Divorce decree, custody order or support case | Family court, domestic relations court, circuit court, superior court, district court or county clerk depending on state | Expect privacy limits. Case indexes may be public while documents, child details and financial information may be restricted. |
| Probate, estate, will, guardianship or conservatorship record | Probate court, surrogate court, chancery court, circuit court or county clerk depending on state | Search the probate case index, then request certified letters, orders, wills or inventories from the responsible clerk if needed. |
| Federal civil or criminal case | PACER and the U.S. District Court where the case was filed | Use the specific federal court if known. If unknown, use the PACER Case Locator to find the court and case number. |
| Federal bankruptcy case | PACER and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court where the case was filed | Use PACER for docket and document access, or the Voice Case Information System for basic bankruptcy information when available. |
| State appeal | State court of appeals, supreme court or appellate clerk | Search the appellate docket separately. The trial court portal may not include complete appellate activity. |
| U.S. Supreme Court case | Supreme Court of the United States docket search | Use the Supreme Court docket for high-court case activity, orders and filings where available. |
| Older federal case file | Federal court clerk, Federal Records Center or National Archives | Contact the federal court for file location data; older paper files may require FRC or NARA ordering. |
| Current custody, jail booking or inmate location | Sheriff, jail, state department of corrections or Bureau of Prisons | Use law-enforcement or custody systems for jail status. Use court records for case filings, hearings and dispositions. |
How to search public court records without using the wrong database
A good court-record search follows a workflow. It avoids unsupported assumptions, avoids commercial lookalikes and protects privacy.
Decide whether the record is civil, criminal, traffic, family, probate, small claims, eviction, appellate, federal district, bankruptcy or historical.
Find the state, county, city, district, appellate circuit or bankruptcy district. A county-level case may not appear in a statewide portal.
Look for state judiciary, county clerk, clerk of court, municipal court, superior court, district court, circuit court, PACER or NARA routes.
Use case number first when available. If using name search, try spelling variants and verify the result with more than one detail.
Some systems cover only recent records, only docket summaries, only certain case types or only public non-confidential documents.
Compare complaint, petition, charge, motion, order, judgment, sentence, dismissal, appeal and later docket entries before deciding the case outcome.
When you need a certified copy, sealed-file question, correction, older record or legal proof, contact the official clerk that maintains the file.
What public court records may include
A chronological case activity list that may show filings, hearings, orders, judgments, notices and case status. It is often the first record to review.
A searchable listing by case number, party name, filing date, court, case type or attorney, depending on the official portal.
The starting document for many civil or family matters. It contains allegations or requests, not final proof.
Charging papers, indictments, informations or citations may appear in a court file. They are not convictions by themselves.
Orders and judgments show court decisions, but later modification, satisfaction, appeal, dismissal or vacation may change the practical effect.
A clerk-issued copy with certification is used when an agency, court, employer, school or foreign authority requires official proof.
PACER, federal court records and current fee notes
Federal appellate, district and bankruptcy case information is searched through PACER or through the clerk’s office of the federal court where the case was filed. PACER Case Locator is useful when you do not know which federal court has the case; searching a specific federal court is better when you already know the court.
| Need | Official route | Important note |
|---|---|---|
| Find which federal court has a case | PACER Case Locator | The national index is updated daily, typically nightly, and can identify court, case number, filing date and closing date details. |
| Open federal docket or documents immediately | Specific federal court PACER/CM-ECF system | Search the exact district, bankruptcy or appellate court when known for more direct access. |
| Current PACER document fee | PACER Pricing | As of this review, access costs $0.10 per page, with a $3.00 cap for many case-specific documents and reports. |
| Quarterly waiver | PACER Billing | As of this review, fees are waived for users who accrue $30 or less in a quarter. |
| Temporary PACER fee increase | PACER announcement dated June 26, 2026 | On January 1, 2027, the temporary fee increases to $0.12 per page and the quarterly exemption increases to $40 for a five-year period. |
| Older federal paper case | Federal court clerk, Federal Records Center or NARA | Many cases created before 1999 are maintained only in paper format and may require archive or record-center routing. |
| Bankruptcy phone information | Voice Case Information System | Bankruptcy courts provide automated case information by phone through the bankruptcy voice system. |
PACER cost estimator
This estimates current and announced PACER page charges only. It does not replace the official PACER receipt, quarterly billing rule, court copy fees, transcript fees, FRC fees or certification fees.
Official public court-record links and what to do after opening each one
These links are starting points. They do not replace the state, county, city or specific court that maintains a record.
Use this as the federal judiciary’s overview for federal court records.
- Open the federal court records page.
- Choose Find a Case for PACER access.
- Use Access to Court Proceedings for courtroom-access guidance.
- Use Court Record Schedules for federal retention questions.
Use this for federal appellate, district and bankruptcy records.
- Use the specific court search if you know the federal court.
- Use PACER Case Locator if you do not know the court.
- Review fee and no-match billing rules before broad name searches.
- Contact the federal clerk if the case is missing or more information is needed.
Use this before opening federal documents or running broad searches.
- Review the current per-page rate.
- Check whether the $3.00 cap applies.
- Check the quarterly waiver threshold.
- Review the January 1, 2027 temporary fee increase announcement.
Use this to understand federal, state, territory, county and municipal court levels.
- Review the difference between federal, state and local courts.
- Use state or territory court websites for state-court case routes.
- Use county or municipal court websites for local offenses and traffic cases.
- Do not search state portals for federal bankruptcy or federal district cases.
Use this as a directory-style starting point for official court resources by state.
- Select the state or federal resource section.
- Open the state judiciary or official court site.
- Look for case search, clerk, records, docket, calendar or e-filing pages.
- Verify that any vendor portal is linked by the official court or clerk.
Use this for older federal judicial records and archival research.
- Identify the federal court, state and approximate date.
- Search the National Archives Catalog where appropriate.
- Determine which NARA facility or record group may hold the file.
- Use NARA order or research options if the file is not online.
Use this for closed federal case files stored through Federal Records Center routes.
- Choose bankruptcy, civil, criminal or court of appeals form route.
- Get case location information from the court if needed.
- Order online or by the listed mail, fax or email method.
- Confirm current reproduction fees before ordering.
Use this only for cases at the U.S. Supreme Court level.
- Search by docket number when available.
- Use party or date options if available and relevant.
- Confirm whether the case is at the Supreme Court or a lower court.
- Use lower-court PACER or state portals for lower-court records.
How to get certified copies of public court records
A screenshot, printed docket page or commercial report is not the same as a certified court record. Certified copies must come from the clerk that maintains the official case file.
| Record needed | Likely custodian | Information to provide |
|---|---|---|
| State civil judgment, order or docket document | State trial court clerk, county clerk or clerk of court | Court name, county, case number, party names, filing year, document title and copy type. |
| Criminal disposition or sentencing record | Criminal court clerk, district clerk, circuit clerk, superior court clerk or municipal court clerk | Defendant name, case number, charge or case type, court, county, disposition date and certification request. |
| Divorce decree or custody order | Family court, domestic relations clerk, circuit clerk, superior court clerk or county clerk depending on state | Party names, case number, year, exact decree/order needed and proof of authority when required. |
| Probate order, letters, will or guardianship document | Probate court, surrogate court, chancery court, circuit court or county clerk | Decedent or ward name, estate or case number, document name, year and certification type. |
| Federal district or bankruptcy document | Federal district or bankruptcy clerk, PACER, FRC or NARA depending on age and storage | Federal court, case number, document number if known, title, filing date and whether certification or exemplification is needed. |
| Appellate order, opinion, mandate or record | State appellate clerk, state supreme court clerk, U.S. court of appeals clerk or Supreme Court clerk | Appellate docket number, lower-court case number, party names, document name and copy type. |
Save the case number, court, filing year, party names and document title.
The record custodian is usually the clerk for the court where the case was filed, not a general public-record website.
Plain copy, certified copy, exemplified copy, apostille-related document, transcript and docket sheet are different requests.
Copy, certification, search, retrieval, postage, payment method and processing time vary by court.
Older, archived and historical public court records
Older court records may not appear in modern search portals. Federal records may be in PACER, paper files, a Federal Records Center or the National Archives. State and local historical files may be with a county clerk, local court, state archives, state law library, microfilm collection or off-site storage center.
- Many federal cases created before 1999 are paper-only.
- Some files remain with the court; others may be stored at a Federal Records Center.
- Permanently valuable federal case files may transfer to NARA.
- Use the federal court to obtain file-location data when needed.
- Older county records may be in books, microfilm, index cards or legacy systems.
- Some courts have online index dates that start decades after the earliest files.
- County archives and state archives may hold older dockets or case papers.
- Clerk staff may need approximate year, party names and case type to search.
FOIA is usually not the right way to request court records
Federal FOIA applies to executive-branch agencies, not the federal courts. State and local court records are also governed by court-access rules and state law, not federal FOIA. For a court record, use the court’s record-access process, the official clerk, PACER, the state judiciary, county clerk, municipal court, FRC or NARA route.
| Need | Usually correct route | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Federal court case file | PACER, federal court clerk, FRC or NARA | Federal court records are judiciary records, not executive-branch FOIA records. |
| State trial court file | State court portal, county clerk or local court clerk | State court access is governed by state court rules and state law. |
| Police report, agency email or agency file | Public-records request to the executive agency | Agency records and court records are different custodians and different processes. |
| Court transcript | Court reporter, transcript office or clerk route | Transcript ordering usually has separate procedures and fees. |
How to read public court records responsibly
Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, appellant, appellee, debtor, creditor, guardian, ward and personal representative mean different things. A listed party is not automatically accused of wrongdoing.
Open, pending, active, closed, disposed, dismissed, stayed, reopened or inactive labels vary by system. Do not over-interpret a status without checking later docket entries.
Complaint, petition, summons, motion, notice, hearing, order, judgment, dismissal, plea, sentence and continuance entries must be read in order and in context.
Arrest, charge, indictment, plea, conviction, acquittal, dismissal and sentence are different stages. Jail records and court records are not the same system.
A docket may show a judgment but not whether it was paid, satisfied, appealed, vacated, modified or settled later.
Several people may share the same name. Verify court, case number, filing date, party role, case type and lawful identifying details before relying on a result.
What to do if a public court records search fails
- Confirm the case is in the right state, county, city or federal district.
- Try the case number instead of a name search.
- Try spelling variants, maiden names, initials or business-name variations.
- Check whether the case type is in a lower municipal or justice court.
- Check whether the case predates the online system.
- Contact the clerk if the case may be sealed, archived or restricted.
- Narrow by court, county, filing year or case type.
- Use a full case number when available.
- Compare party role, attorney, filing date and docket activity.
- Do not rely on a common-name match alone.
- Avoid opening unnecessary billable PACER reports.
- Ask the clerk what details are needed for a record search.
Use public court records carefully
- A filing does not prove the allegation is true.
- A charge does not prove guilt.
- A calendar entry may change.
- A portal entry may be incomplete or delayed.
- A printed screen is not a certified court record.
- Do not harass, threaten, shame or retaliate.
- Do not publish unnecessary personal details.
- Do not bypass sealed, expunged, juvenile, adoption or confidential restrictions.
- Do not use this page as a background-check product.
- Do not treat this guide as legal advice.
Frequently asked questions about public court records
What are public court records?
Public court records are case-related records that a court makes available under federal, state or local court-access rules. They may include docket sheets, case indexes, filings, motions, orders, judgments, opinions, calendars and some documents, but access depends on the court, case type, privacy rules and whether the file is online, at the courthouse, archived, sealed or restricted.
Is there one public court records search for the whole United States?
No. Federal appellate, district and bankruptcy records are searched through PACER or federal clerk offices. State, county and municipal court records are handled by each state judiciary, county clerk, court clerk or local court system. A nationwide commercial website is not a substitute for the official court or clerk that maintains the record.
How do I search public court records by name?
First identify the court and jurisdiction. If the official portal supports name search, use the party name carefully and compare the court, case number, filing date, case type, party role and docket events before relying on a match. A common-name match alone does not prove identity.
What is PACER?
PACER is the federal judiciary’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records service. It provides electronic access to federal appellate, district and bankruptcy court case information. If you know the specific federal court, search that court directly; if you do not, use the PACER Case Locator.
How much does PACER cost?
As of this review, PACER access costs $0.10 per page, with a $3.00 cap for many case-specific documents and reports, and fees are waived when a user accrues $30 or less in a quarter. PACER announced that on January 1, 2027, the temporary fee will increase to $0.12 per page and the quarterly exemption will increase to $40.
Can I use FOIA to get court records?
Usually no. FOIA applies to executive-branch records, not federal court records, and state and local court records are governed by court-access rules and state law rather than federal FOIA. Use PACER, the court clerk, the state judiciary, the county clerk or the local court’s record process instead.
Why can’t I find a court case online?
The case may be in a different court, filed under a different spelling, too new, too old, outside the online system’s coverage, stored in paper form, held by a lower municipal court, sealed, expunged, confidential, juvenile-related, archived or available only at the courthouse.
Are arrest records the same as court records?
No. Arrest, booking and jail custody records are usually maintained by law-enforcement or jail agencies. Court records are maintained by courts and clerks and show filings, charges, hearings, docket events, orders, judgments and dispositions. An arrest or charge is not the same as a conviction.
How do I get a certified copy of a court record?
Request the certified copy from the clerk that maintains the original case file. Provide the court, case number, party names, filing year, document name and whether you need a plain copy, certified copy, exemplified copy, apostille-related document or archived-file retrieval.
Can I use this page for employment, housing, credit or tenant screening?
No. Public-Court-Records.us is not a Consumer Reporting Agency and this page is not an FCRA-regulated screening product. Do not use it to decide employment, housing, credit, insurance or tenant-screening eligibility.
Official-source review checklist
Information reviewed for this guide included U.S. Courts Court Records, PACER Find a Case, PACER Pricing, PACER Find a Case FAQs, the June 26, 2026 PACER temporary fee increase announcement, U.S. Courts Access to Court Proceedings, USA.gov courts guidance, Department of Justice state and federal court resources, National Archives judicial records, NARA Federal Records Center court record copy ordering, National Archives FOIA resources and the Supreme Court docket search. Review date: September 1, 2026.