Cuyahoga County Court Records

Cuyahoga County Court Records

Cuyahoga County court records are official case information that is generated through court proceedings and maintained by the courts in the County. Court records may include case records, dockets, indexes, and documents (such as orders, opinions, judgments, and decrees) that are stored on a fixed medium (such as paper, computer, film, videos, and voicemail). Court records are maintained for proper case administration by the courts and serve as reference information both for the courts and the public. There are two types of court records in Cuyahoga County, Ohio:

• Civil records
• Criminal records

Civil court records are documented case information about marriage matters, child support/ custody, small claims, probate, juvenile-related cases, administrative cases, torts, liens cases, and general civil cases. On the other hand, criminal records are documented case information of offenders prosecuted by the state (government prosecutor) or law enforcement agency for misdemeanors and felonies.

Under the Ohio Public Records Act, court records are part of Cuyahoga County Public Records. The clerks of the courts in the county are the legal custodians of Cuyahoga court records.

Are Court Records Public in Cuyahoga County?

Yes, court records are public in Cuyahoga County. According to the Ohio Supreme Court Rule 45, court records are presumed open to public access except for those case information and documents that are restricted by law or sealed by a court order. Cuyahoga County public court records include case documents and case administrative records. Interested individuals can request to inspect and/ or obtain copies of court records per the court’s local rule. The law permits the courts and clerks of court in Cuyahoga County to grant access to court records both in person and online, except for confidential case information and documents. Confidential court records exempted from public access in Cuyahoga County include

• Sealed court case records can only be accessed by obtaining a court order
• Personal identifiers and personal identifier form
• Notes, drafts, recommendations, advice, and research of judicial officers and court staff.
• Certain domestic relations and juvenile matters in a Court of Common Pleas
• Financial source documents
• Pre-trial statements and trial preparation records
• Marriage-related agreements such as marital settlements, pre-nuptial, and property settlements
• Juvenile case records
• Adoption records
• Confidential and personally-identifying records
• Trade secret and financial records of case parties
• Record of an ongoing investigation by law enforcement
• Records about probation and parole proceedings
• Proprietor information and Intellectually property related court records
• Medical records of case parties
• Information regarding the execution of convicts, such as the person involved in the execution

What Do Cuyahoga County Court Records Contain?

Cuyahoga County court records comprise case documents and administrative records maintained by Municipal Courts and the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Typically, Cuyahoga County court records may include

• Case information
  • Case parties name
  • The city, state, and ZIP code of a party’s address
  • Counsel of record’s name and address
  • Case type
  • Case number
  • Case filing date
  • Case status
  • Case category
• Court order and opinion
• Judge's / Magistrate's name
• Court information
• Docket information
  • Docket Number
  • Docket opening date
  • Docket entries
    • Oral argument
    • Hearing information
    • Briefs
    • Documents and exhibits
    • Case disposition details (date, description, disposition type, and publication status)

Where to Conduct a Cuyahoga County Case Lookup

Cuyahoga County court records are documented information generated through judicial actions or court proceedings in any of the courts in the County. It comprises case records, dockets, documents, and case administrative records. The Ohio Supreme Court Rules permit courts in Cuyahoga County to grant public access to court records both at the county facility and on the court’s website. Cuyahoga County case lookup may be conducted on the court’s website and at the clerk’s offices of the following courts in the county.

• Bedford Municipal Court
• Berea Municipal Court
• Cleveland Heights Municipal Court
• Cleveland Municipal Court
• Cleveland Municipal Housing Court
• East Cleveland Municipal Court
• Euclid Municipal Court
• Garfield Municipal Court
• Lakewood Municipal Court
• Lyndhurst Municipal Court
• Parma Municipal Court
• Rocky Municipal Court
• Shaker Heights Municipal Court
• South Euclid Municipal Court
• Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
• Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division
• Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division

How to Conduct Cuyahoga County Court Case Search

Cuyahoga County case search can be done in person at court facilities, online at the websites of the respective court where the case was filed, on phone, and by mail. Requestors need to provide specific information about the case record being sought. Case information like the case number, case party name/ business name, court of filing, and case type are basic case details that can enhance Cuyahoga County case search.

An in-person case record search requires that the requestor visits the office of the court clerk where the case was filed. Visits to court facilities are guided by rules and regulations that may change at times, hence the need for record seekers to know the court’s rules before a visit. Information about the court location may be obtained from the website of the court. Generally, all court visits are done during the hours of operation of the courts excluding holidays.

Cuyahoga County case search may also be conducted remotely using the case search tool, docket search tool, or case information tool on the websites of the courts. Requestors may need to register a user account before they are granted access to the portal to conduct a case search. Online case search can be done by case number or by case party’s name, which may be combined with other search criteria.

Access to Cuyahoga County case records is free. However, requestors may have to pay a fee to obtain copies of court records. For instance, to obtain copies of Hearing Transcripts at Cleveland Municipal Housing Court, the requestor is required to pay a processing fee as charged by “eScriber”. Once a request is received, the requested recording is uploaded to the “eScriber” platform for transcription. Upon receipt of payment, an electronic copy will be sent by mail and an original bound paper copy is mailed directly from “eScrber” to the requestor.

Cuyahoga County Civil Court Case Records

Civil court case records in Cuyahoga County are documented case information and documents generated through judicial actions and court proceedings on civil and family matters and maintained by courts in the County. Civil court cases are disputes involving individuals or private entities (businesses/ organizations) that are filed at a court in the County. The Municipal Courts and the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas are the court with jurisdiction to hear civil cases which may include

• Landlord/tenant cases at the Cleveland Municipal Housing Court
• Family law cases such as marriage dissolution, child support, child custody, adoption, protection orders against domestic violence, name changes, and guardianship
• Small Claims cases. These are cases filed by individuals or entities over disputes or monetary claims that involve $10,000 and below
• Probate cases. These are cases that involve liens, property titles, wills, estate management, etc.
• Juvenile cases. These are cases involving individuals who are regarded as minors by law because they are less than 18 years of age.
• General civil cases such as injury disputes, breach of contract claims, property damage, emotional harm claims, and class action cases.

The records of the above-listed cases may be obtained from the clerks of the courts that have jurisdiction over any of the civil cases. However, court records relating to Juvenile cases are not part of public court records in Cuyahoga County.

Cuyahoga County Criminal Court Case Records

Cuyahoga County criminal court case records are official information and documents that are generated in lawsuits brought by the County (or government agencies) against individuals or private entities who have broken any of the criminal laws. Criminal court cases in Cuyahoga County are heard by the Municipal Courts and the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. Cuyahoga County criminal cases may include various degrees of misdemeanor and felony offenses. Traffic infractions are also heard by the municipal criminal courts.

Misdemeanors: these refer to offenses that are so classified by Ohio Revised Code and are punishable by not more than a one-year jail term and/ or a fine.

Felonies: these are serious violations of the law (local, state, or federal) and the rights of other members of the public. Examples of criminal offenses are murder, rape, kidnapping, terrorism, etc. and they are punishable by more than a one-year jail term.

Traffic infractions are cases involving a vehicle and driving-related offenses. A traffic case usually begins with an individual being ticketed for breaking traffic laws in Cuyahoga. Traffic offenses in the County include Driving Under the Influence (DUI), driving without a seat belt, driving with an invalid vehicle registration, parking in a handicapped zone without authorization, etc.

The records of the above-listed cases may be obtained from the clerks of the courts that have jurisdiction over any of the civil cases. Usually, these cases are heard by the Traffic/ Criminal Division of the Municipal Courts and The Court of Common Pleas in Cuyahoga County.

How to Get Court Records Online for Free

To get court records online for free in Cuyahoga County, record seekers may have to choose a search tool from several available options. Requestors need to determine whether the case is a local, state, or federal case to determine where the case may have been filed. The type of case will determine the case search tool to be used.

Record seekers who are seeking how to find court records on a person online for free in Cuyahoga County can use either the courts' websites or private websites with record search tools. However, not all private websites with court record search tools offer the service for free. Interested individuals may use any of the following search tools to get Cuyahoga County court records online for free.

• Case Information tool for Bedford Municipal Court
• Case Search tool for Berea Municipal Court
• Record Search tool for Cleveland Heights Municipal Court
• Look Up My Case tool for Cleveland Municipal Court
• Case Information tool for Cleveland Municipal Housing Court
• Case Docket and Information tool for East Cleveland Municipal Court
• Record Search tool for Garfield Municipal Court
• Case Search tool for Lakewood Municipal Court
• Court Docket tool for Lyndhurst Municipal Court
• Case Information tool for Parma Municipal Court
• Public Access tool for Rocky River Municipal Court
• Docket Search tool for Shaker Heights Municipal Court
• Case Look Up tool for South Euclid Municipal Court
• Docket and index Search tool for Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division
• Court Docket Search tool for Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division

Considered open to citizens of the United States, court records are available through both traditional, government sources, and through third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for a specific record or multiple records. In order to gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:

• The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
• The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.

While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.

Courts in Cuyahoga County

There are several courts in Franklin County with different jurisdictions. Cuyahoga County's court system includes municipal courts, county courts, Ohio State courts, and U.S. Federal courts. Listed below are the names and addresses of courts in Cuyahoga County:

Bedford Municipal Court
165 Center Road
Bedford, OH 44146-2898
Phone: (440) 232-3420
Fax: (440) 232-2510

Berea Municipal Court
11 Berea Commons
Berea, OH 44017

Cleveland Heights Municipal Court
40 Severance Circle
Cleveland Height, OH 44118
Phone: (216) 291-4901
Fax: (216) 291-2459

Cleveland Municipal Court
1200 Ontario Street
Cleveland, OH 44113-1610

Cleveland Municipal Housing Court
1200 Ontario Street, 13B
Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: (216) 664-4295

East Cleveland Municipal Court
14340 East Avenue
East Cleveland, OH 44112

Euclid Municipal Court
Euclid City Hall
585 East 222nd St.
Euclid, OH 44123
Phone: (216) 289-2700
Fax: (216) 289-8254

Garfield Heights Municipal Court
5555 Turney Road
Garfield Height, OH 44125
Phone: (216) 475-1900
Fax: (216) 475-3087

Lakewood Municipal Court
Lakewood City Hall
12650 Detroit Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107
Phone: (216) 529-6700
Fax: (216) 529-7687

Lyndhurst Municipal Court
5301 Mayfield Road,
Lyndhurst, OH 44124
Phone: (440) 461-6500

Parma Municipal Court
Parma Justice Center
5555 Powers Blvd.
Parma, OH 44129
Phone: (440) 887-7400
Fax: (440) 887-7481

Rocky Municipal Court
21012 Hilliard Blvd.
Rocky River, OH 44116
Phone: (440) 333-0066
Fax: (440) 356-5613

Shaker Heights Municipal Court
3355 Lee Road
Shaker Heights, OH 44120
Phone: (216) 491-1300

South Euclid Municipal Court
1349 South Green Road
South Euclid, OH 44121
Phone: (216) 381-2880
Fax: (216) 381-1195

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, General Division
1200 Ontario Street
Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: (216) 443-8560

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile Division
Juvenile Justice Center
9300 Quincy Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106
Phone: (216) 443-8400

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations Division
1stt Floor & 3rdd Floor
Cuyahoga County Courthouse
Phone: (216) 443-8880

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division
1 Lakeside Avenue West
Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: (216) 443-8785, (216) 443-8895