Indiana Court Records: Public Access, Privacy, and How to Search

Indiana court records span criminal case filings, civil judgments, family law proceedings, and probate matters — all subject to a distinct public access framework established under state statute and administrative rule. This page describes the categories of court records maintained across Indiana's 92-county trial court system, the legal standards governing access and restricted disclosure, the procedural steps for conducting a records search, and the boundaries between publicly available and sealed or confidential materials. Professionals, researchers, and service seekers navigating the Indiana legal services landscape will find this reference structured around operational realities rather than general legal principles.

Definition and scope

Indiana court records are official documents generated by state courts in the course of judicial proceedings. They encompass case filings, docket entries, judgments, orders, transcripts, and exhibits held by Circuit Courts, Superior Courts, Small Claims Courts, Probate Courts, and the appellate courts — the Indiana Court of Appeals and the Indiana Supreme Court.

The primary legal authority governing public access is Indiana Administrative Rule 9, adopted by the Indiana Supreme Court and effective since 2005. Administrative Rule 9 establishes a default presumption of public access to court records while enumerating specific categories subject to exclusion or restriction. The rule governs both paper-based records held in county clerk offices and electronic records maintained through the Indiana Courts' case management systems.

The Indiana Office of Judicial Administration (IOJA) oversees statewide implementation, including the public-access portal known as mycase.in.gov, which indexes case information from courts that have migrated to the Odyssey case management platform. Not all 92 counties are fully integrated; as of the most recent IOJA implementation tracking, a subset of courts still maintain locally administered systems with records accessible only in person.

Scope limitation: This page addresses records held in Indiana state courts under Indiana Supreme Court administrative authority and relevant provisions of the Indiana Code. It does not address federal court records held by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana or the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, which are governed by federal rules and accessed through the federal PACER system (pacer.uscourts.gov), at a per-page fee of $0.10 (PACER fee schedule, uscourts.gov). Records from other states, military tribunals, and federal administrative agencies fall outside this page's coverage. For the broader regulatory framework governing Indiana's judicial system, see Regulatory Context for the Indiana Legal System.

How it works

Public access to Indiana court records operates through 3 primary channels:

1. mycase.in.gov (Indiana Courts public portal) — Provides free, online access to case information for courts on the Odyssey platform. Searchable by party name, case number, or attorney. Returns docket entries, hearing dates, and case status. Does not display all document images; certain filings require in-person retrieval.

2. County clerk offices — Each of Indiana's 92 counties maintains its own clerk's office, which holds physical and digital records for that county's Circuit and Superior Courts. In-person access is available during business hours. Fees for copies are set by Indiana Code § 33-37-5-1, which authorizes per-page copy fees.

3. Appellate court records — Opinions, briefs, and orders of the Indiana Court of Appeals and Indiana Supreme Court are accessible at in.gov/courts and through the appellate case management portal.

Administrative Rule 9 exclusions define the categories of records that are not publicly accessible by default. These include:

• Records in juvenile proceedings (governed separately by Indiana Code Title 31)
• Mental health commitment records
• Adoption records
• Records sealed by court order following expungement under Indiana Code § 35-38-9 — Indiana's expungement statute, which allows qualifying individuals to petition for sealing of criminal history records
• Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and certain medical information redacted under Rule 9(G)

The rule assigns responsibility for redaction to the filing party, not the court clerk, placing compliance obligations on attorneys and self-represented litigants alike.

Common scenarios

Criminal background research: Employers, landlords, and licensing boards frequently search mycase.in.gov for criminal case histories. Publicly visible records include charges filed, case dispositions, and sentencing entries. Records that have been expunged under Indiana Code § 35-38-9 are removed from public view following a valid court order but may remain accessible to certain law enforcement agencies.

Civil judgment searches: Creditors and title examiners search civil court records to identify outstanding judgments that may attach to real property. A judgment entered in Indiana under Indiana Code Title 34 becomes a lien on real property in the county where it is entered.

Probate and estate matters: Heirs, creditors, and interested parties access probate court records to review estate inventories, will filings, and court orders. Probate records are generally public under Administrative Rule 9 unless the court issues a specific restriction order.

Family law proceedings: Dissolution of marriage records are generally public, but financial disclosure forms (such as the Indiana Child Support Bureau's income worksheets) may be restricted. Adoption records are sealed by statute under Indiana Code § 31-19-19-2.

Decision boundaries

Understanding which records are accessible versus restricted requires applying Administrative Rule 9's classification framework:

A key contrast exists between case index information (party names, case numbers, court dates — generally public) and document images (pleadings, exhibits, financial affidavits — subject to Rule 9 exclusions and redaction requirements). A researcher may confirm that a case exists and view its docket while being unable to retrieve the underlying motion documents if they contain restricted personal data.

Courts retain discretion to restrict access to specific records upon a showing of good cause under Administrative Rule 9(H). A party seeking restriction must file a motion; the court balances privacy interests against the presumption of public access. This balancing standard differs from sealed records in federal proceedings, where restrictions follow distinct criteria under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(c) and local district rules — a framework outside Indiana state court jurisdiction.

For matters intersecting with Indiana expungement law or Indiana criminal court processes, the applicable procedural rules and eligibility standards operate independently of the public access framework described here.

References

• Indiana Administrative Rule 9 — Public Access to Court Records (Indiana Supreme Court)
• Indiana Office of Judicial Administration (IOJA)
• mycase.in.gov — Indiana Courts Public Access Portal
• Indiana Code Title 31 — Family and Juvenile Law (Indiana General Assembly)
• Indiana Code Title 34 — Civil Law and Procedure (Indiana General Assembly)
• Indiana Code § 35-38-9 — Expungement (Indiana General Assembly)
• PACER — Public Access to Court Electronic Records (U.S. Courts)
• Indiana Supreme Court — Opinions and Orders