Washington County Public Records /Washington County Court Records

Washington County Court Records

How To Find Court Records in Washington County in 2026

Members of the public seeking court records in Washington County, Indiana, may access publicly available case information through several official channels. WashingtonINRecords.us provides a directory of resources related to court records and related public information maintained by government agencies. Court records in Washington County may include documentation from civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic proceedings, though the completeness and availability of any particular record depends on case type, filing date, and applicable access restrictions under Indiana law.

Records that members of the public may encounter through official sources include:

Civil case filings and judgments
Criminal case dockets and disposition records
Family court orders, including divorce decrees and custody rulings
Probate filings and estate records
Traffic and infraction case records
Small claims court filings and outcomes

Court records in Washington County may be searched through five primary methods:

Clerk of Court or Court Records Office — The Office of the Clerk of Courts serves as the official custodian of circuit court records. Members of the public may submit in-person requests at the clerk's office, providing the full name of a party, case number, or approximate filing date to assist staff in locating a record.
Courthouse Public Access Terminals — Public terminals are available at the Washington County Courthouse for on-site case lookup. These terminals allow inspection of case index information and, in some instances, document images without charge.
Online Court Search — The Indiana Judicial Branch operates MyCase, a statewide public access portal through which members of the public may search case records by party name, case number, or attorney. As noted on the MyCase portal, "official records of court proceedings may only be obtained directly from the court maintaining a particular record."
State-Level Judicial Search Tools — The Washington County Courts page on the Indiana Judicial Branch website provides direct links to case search, e-filing, and court statistics for the county.
Written or Mail Requests — Members of the public who are unable to appear in person may submit written requests to the Clerk of Courts. Requests should include the case number or party name, the type of record sought, and a return mailing address. Fees for copies apply to written requests.

Are Court Records Public In Washington County

Court records in Washington County are subject to Indiana's public access framework, which presumes that judicial records are open to inspection by members of the public. The Indiana Supreme Court's Public Access Counselor and the Indiana Access to Public Records Act (Ind. Code § 5-14-3) together establish the general right of public access to government records, including court filings.

Records that are generally public include:

Case docket entries and hearing schedules
Party names and case numbers
Filed pleadings, motions, and responses
Court orders and final judgments
Sentencing entries and probation orders
Civil judgments and liens

Records that may be confidential, sealed, or restricted include:

Juvenile delinquency and child in need of services (CHINS) records
Adoption proceedings and related filings
Mental health commitment records
Records sealed by court order
Expunged criminal records under Ind. Code § 35-38-9
Protected personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and dates of birth

A distinction exists between courthouse inspection and online access. While the public terminal and clerk's office provide access to a broader range of case documents, the MyCase online portal may display only docket-level information for certain case types and does not provide images of all filed documents. Sealed or restricted filings do not appear in either format.

What Are Court Records in Washington County?

Court records are the official documents and data generated by the judicial system in connection with a legal proceeding. In Washington County, court records are created at the time a case is filed and are updated continuously as the matter progresses through the court system, from initial filing through disposition, post-judgment proceedings, and any appeal.

The distinction between a docket entry and a full case file is significant. A docket is a chronological index of all actions taken in a case, listing filing dates, hearing dates, motions filed, and orders entered. A full case file includes the actual documents associated with those docket entries, such as complaints, answers, motions, exhibits, and judgments.

Civil court records document disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, including contract claims, property disputes, and tort actions. Criminal court records document proceedings initiated by the state against an individual charged with a violation of Indiana law, from initial charging through sentencing or acquittal.

Filed pleadings are the formal documents submitted by parties to initiate or respond to a legal action. Final judgments are the court's official resolution of a matter. Public filings are accessible to members of the public under applicable law, while sealed or restricted filings are withheld from public inspection by court order or statute.

Trial court records are maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court at the county level. Appellate records are maintained by the Indiana Court of Appeals or the Indiana Supreme Court, depending on the level of appeal. The statewide MyCase system aggregates docket-level data from participating trial courts across Indiana.

Washington County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Two East Main Street
Salem, IN 47167
Phone: (812) 883-5748
Office of the Clerk of Courts

What's Included in a Washington County Court Record?

A court record in Washington County may contain a range of documents and data depending on the case type, the stage of proceedings, and applicable public access rules. The following categories of information may appear within a court record:

Case identification information: case number, court name and division, filing date, and case type
Party information: names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and attorneys of record
Case status: open, closed, pending appeal, or transferred
Docket entries: a chronological log of all filings, hearings, and court actions
Hearing information: scheduled and completed hearing dates, continuances, and minute entries
Filed documents: complaints, petitions, answers, motions, responses, notices, stipulations, and supporting exhibits where publicly accessible
Court orders and judgments: interlocutory orders, final judgments, decrees, sentencing entries, custody rulings, probate orders, and appellate decisions
Administrative and financial data: filing fees, assessed court costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where publicly displayed

Records that are excluded or restricted from public access include sealed filings, expunged matters, juvenile case files, adoption records, protected personal identifiers, and certain exhibits designated as confidential by court order. The presence of a docket entry does not guarantee that the underlying document is available for public inspection, as individual filings may be sealed while the docket entry itself remains visible.

Types of Courts in Washington County

Washington County is served by the Indiana circuit court system. As noted on the Circuit Court page for Washington County, "Washington County constitutes the 42nd Judicial Circuit. The circuit courts are vested with unlimited trial jurisdiction in all cases." This means the Washington County Circuit Court functions as the court of general jurisdiction for the county, hearing matters that would in other jurisdictions be divided among multiple specialized courts.

The Washington County Circuit Court hears the following categories of cases:

Criminal cases: felony and misdemeanor proceedings initiated by the State of Indiana
Civil cases: disputes involving money damages, property, contracts, and torts
Family law matters: divorce, legal separation, child custody, child support, and paternity
Probate matters: estate administration, guardianship, and trust proceedings
Juvenile matters: delinquency proceedings and child in need of services cases
Traffic and infraction cases: moving violations and related matters
Small claims: civil disputes involving limited monetary amounts

The Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains the official record for all cases filed in the Washington County Circuit Court. The Washington County Courts page on the Indiana Judicial Branch website provides current contact information, case search access, and court statistics.

Washington County Circuit Court
Two East Main Street
Salem, IN 47167
Phone: (812) 883-5748
Circuit Court – Washington County

How to Search Washington County Court Records for Free?

Several methods for searching Washington County court records are available at no cost to members of the public. The following table summarizes free and fee-based access options:

Access Method	Cost	Notes
In-person inspection at clerk's office	Free	View records without copying
Courthouse public access terminals	Free	On-site use only
MyCase online case search	Free	Docket-level data; no document images for all cases
Certified copies of records	Fee applies	Per-page fee set by statute
Standard paper copies	Fee applies	Per-page fee
Research by clerk staff	Fee may apply	Varies by request complexity

Members of the public may inspect court records in person at the Washington County Clerk of Courts office without charge. The courthouse public access terminals similarly allow free case lookup on-site. The MyCase Indiana Courts Case Search portal provides free online access to docket information for cases in participating courts statewide.

Fees for copies of court records are governed by Ind. Code § 33-37-5-1, which establishes the schedule of clerk fees applicable to certified and uncertified copies. Certified copies carry a higher per-page fee than standard copies. Members of the public requesting copies by mail must include payment with their written request.

How Long Does Washington County Keep Court Records?

The retention of court records in Washington County is governed by the Indiana Commission on Public Records and the judicial records retention schedules established under Indiana administrative rules. Retention periods vary by case type and record category.

Under Indiana's judicial records retention framework, the following retention periods apply to common record types:

Felony criminal case files: retained permanently or for an extended period following case closure
Misdemeanor and infraction case files: retained for a defined period following disposition, which may range from several years to decades depending on the offense
Civil case files: retention varies based on the nature of the judgment and whether post-judgment proceedings remain active
Probate records: estate files and guardianship records are retained for extended periods given their ongoing legal significance
Docket books and minute records: retained permanently as the official record of court proceedings
Judgment records: retained permanently in many jurisdictions as they may be enforced or renewed

Paper case files may be destroyed following imaging, microfilming, or transfer to archival storage, provided the record has been preserved in an approved format. Destruction of a paper file does not constitute expungement or sealing; the record remains accessible in its preserved format.

Expungement under Ind. Code § 35-38-9 is a separate legal process distinct from routine records destruction. An expunged record is restricted from public access by court order, while a destroyed paper file may still be accessible through microfilm, digital imaging, or archival records. Older records predating electronic filing may exist in paper files, microfilm, or county archives held at the courthouse or transferred to the Indiana State Archives.

How To Find a Court Docket in Washington County

A court docket is a chronological index of all actions taken in a specific case. It differs from a full case file in that it records what happened and when, rather than containing the actual documents filed. A docket entry may note that a motion was filed on a particular date without providing the text of the motion itself.

Members of the public may access Washington County court dockets through the following channels:

MyCase online portal: The Indiana Courts Case Search system allows members of the public to search for cases by party name, case number, or attorney and view docket entries for cases in participating courts. The portal is available at no charge and does not require registration for basic searches.
Clerk of Courts in-person access: Staff at the Washington County Clerk of Courts office can retrieve docket information for a specific case when provided with a case number or party name.
Courthouse public terminals: On-site terminals at the Washington County Courthouse provide access to case index and docket information.

To locate a docket through MyCase, members of the public may navigate to the portal, select the search type (party name or case number), enter the relevant information, and select Washington County from the jurisdiction filter. Results display case-level docket entries including filing dates, hearing dates, motions, orders, and case status.

A docket entry does not include full document images in all instances. Sealed entries, confidential attachments, and exhibits designated as restricted do not appear in the public docket view. Hearing calendars and daily court schedules may be separately available through the Washington County Courts page on the Indiana Judicial Branch website or by contacting the clerk's office directly. The Courts & Judicial Information page maintained by the Washington County Prosecutor's Office provides additional resources for residents seeking to navigate the local court system.