Franklin County, Ohio Court Records

Franklin County Court Records

Franklin County court records are official documents and files that contain information about court cases, court proceedings, and court judgments or opinions. These records are generated as people or business entities file cases at the various courts in Franklin County, Ohio. There are court records relating to civil cases known as civil court records, and those relating to criminal cases known as criminal court records. Court records may be allowed public access or restricted/ sealed. Public court records are court records that do not contain confidential and personally-identifying information. They are categorized alongside other Franklin County Public Records and are subject to public disclosure unless otherwise specified by law or judicial order, Sealed court records, on the other hand, are court case information/documents that are sealed by the court or restricted by law because they contain confidential and personally-identifying information.

Civil court cases relate to Family law cases, Small Claims, probate cases, Juvenile cases, and civil harassment. Records generated from these cases may be regarded as civil records. While criminal records are those related to misdemeanors and felony court cases.

Are Court Records Public in Franklin County?

Yes, Ohio Public Records Act allows members of the public to access court records maintained by local and state government agencies. Interested individuals may request to inspect or obtain copies of court records available to the clerk of courts in Franklin County. However, some court records in Franklin County are exempted from public access by law. The exempted records include

Juvenile case records
Adoption records
Confidential and personally-identifying records
Record of an ongoing investigation by law enforcement
Confidential legal advice
Records about probation and parole proceedings
Trial preparation records
Intellectual property-related court records
Financial and medical records of case parties

What Do Franklin County Court Records Contain?

Franklin County court records may comprise the following information

Case information
- Case parties names
- Case type
- Case number
- Case filing date
- Case status
- Case category
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)
Court information
Attorneys' name and address
Judge's name

Where to Conduct a Franklin County Case Lookup

Court records are generated during judicial proceedings at the various courts in Franklin County. For court records of cases at the Franklin County Probate court, Domestic and Juvenile Division, Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, and the Ohio 10th District Court of Appeal, the Clerk of Courts may be contacted with requests for court records. Interested individuals may also contact the following court clerks for court records of the respective courts.

The Clerk of Franklin County Municipal Court
The Clerk of Canal Winchester Mayor’s Court
The Clerk of Worthington Mayor’s Court
The Clerk of Upper Arlington Mayor’s Court
The Clerk of Franklin County Small Claims Court
The Clerk of Franklin County City Magistrate’s Court
The Clerk of Obetz Mayor’s Court
The Clerk of Hilliard Mayor’s Court
The Clerk of Gahanna Mayor’s Court
The Clerk of Grove City Mayor’s Court

How to Conduct Franklin County Court Case Search

Franklin County case records search may be done in person at the clerk’s office of the courts in Franklin County or remotely using the online portals of the court clerks where available. The Clerk of Courts for Franklin County Common Pleas Court and the Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals provides remote access to court records through the Case Information Online portal. For court records at the Franklin County Municipal Courts and other Mayor’s Court in Franklin County, record seekers may visit the office of clerks at the courthouses or their websites. Here are some court records search tools for courts in Franklin County

In-person requests may be made at the Clerk of Courts’ office at the Franklin County courthouse. All records at the office of the Clerk of Courts are public records except for records or information exempted by law. Also, parties in a case and their attorneys can only obtain transcripts of court decisions, applicable statutes, and rules of procedure from the court reporter who transcribed them originally. Requestors may not be required to present an identification ID or to declare the intended use of the record before they can inspect or obtain copies of court records. The case information such as case party name, case number, the court of filing and filing may be required to help identify the specific records requested.

Requestors may ask that the requested copies of court records be mailed to them. However, there are applicable costs which may include

The actual cost of producing paper copies
The cost of producing copies in medium other than paper e.g. audio-visual
The actual cost of the postage and mailing supplies

Franklin County Civil Court Case Records

Franklin County civil court case records are information and documents generated from court proceedings on disputes involving private individuals or businesses/ organizations. Civil cases in Franklin County may include

Family law cases such as marriage dissolution, child support, child custody, adoption, protection orders against domestic violence, name changes, and guardianship
Landlord/tenant cases
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 Franklin County.

Franklin County Criminal Court Case Records

Franklin County criminal court case records are official records that are generated in criminal case proceedings and deposited with the clerk of the court. Criminal court cases are typically charges against offenders who are involved in conduct that is perceived to be harmful and endangering the property, safety, and moral well-being of any member of the public. Criminal cases are usually filed by state prosecutors against individual offenders or private entities. Criminal cases in Franklin County may be either misdemeanor or felony records.

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 rights of other members of the public, such as murder, rape, kidnapping, terrorism, etc. which are punishable by more than a one-year jail term.

Criminal offenses in Franklin County are classified into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th levels.

How to Get Franklin County Court Records Online for Free

To get court records online for free in Franklin County, requesters may need to be specific about what type of court records and the court that has the jurisdiction to hear such cases. Record seekers who are seeking how to find court records on a person online for free may be considered several options depending on the type of court records required. The Clerk of Courts for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas and the Ohio Courts of Appeals for the 10th District Court provides a Search Public Records tool on its official website. This may be used to get court records online without a fee. To use this tool, record seekers will need to have the first and last name of the subject of the record search, and the court where the case was filed.

Alternatively, requestors may use the Public Records Request Form to submit a request for Franklin County court records and ask that the record requested be sent by e-mail through the requestor’s email supplied on the form. This way, no fee will be required for records sent by email.

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 Franklin County, Ohio

There are several courts in Franklin County with different jurisdictions. They include City / municipal, county, Ohio State, and U.S. Federal courts. Listed below are the names and addresses of courts in Franklin County, Ohio:

Franklin County Common Pleas Court
345 South High Street
Columbus, OH, 43215
Phone: (614) 525-3453

Franklin County Small Claims Court
375 South High Street
Columbus, OH, 43215
Phone: (614) 645-7381

Franklin County Municipal Court
375 South High Street
Columbus, OH, 43215
Phone: (614) 645-8186

Franklin County City Magistrate’s Court
375 South High Street #10
Columbus, OH, 43215
Phone: (614) 645-6822

Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals
373 South High Street – 4th Floor
Columbus, OH, 43215
Phone: (614) 525-3580
Fax: (614) 525-7249

U.S. District Court of Appeals
85 Marconi Blvd #121
Columbus, OH, 43215
Phone: (614) 719-3000

Westerville Mayor’s Court
229 Huber Village Blvd
Westerville, OH, 43081
Phone: (614) 901-6419

Canal Winchester Mayor’s Court
45 E Waterloo Street
Canal Winchester, OH, 43110
Phone: (614) 837-7691
Fax: (614) 837-0145

Obetz Mayor’s Court
4175 Alum Creek Drive
Obetz, OH, 43207
Phone: (614) 491-3211
Fax: (614) 492-5171

Hilliard Mayor’s Court
5171 Northwest Parkway
Hilliard, OH, 43026
Phone: (614) 334-2361

Gahanna Mayor’s Court
200 South Hamilton Rd
Gahanna, OH, 43230
Phone: (614) 342-2400

Grove City Mayor’s Court
3360 Park Street
Grove City, OH, 43123
Phone: (614) 277-1715
Fax: (614) 277-1793

New Albany Mayor’s Court
200 South Hamilton Rd
Gahanna, OH, 43230
Phone: (614) 855-8577

Worthington Mayor’s Court
6550 N High Street
Worthington, OH, 43085
Phone: (614) 786-7351