How to Search Marion County Court Records
The main tool for Marion County court records is Indiana MyCase. Marion County runs on the state Odyssey case system, and MyCase pulls from courts that use Odyssey, which is most of the state. The county court page links straight to it under "Search court cases." You can look up a case by number, by party name, by business name, or by attorney. There is no fee to search.
Get a few things ready first. A full name helps. A case number helps even more. You do not need hyphens or leading zeroes, and searching the case number checks the whole number history, so an old number can still find the file.
The Indiana Courts MyCase case-search portal is the front door for almost every Marion County lookup. The Indiana MyCase public case search opens to case, party, and attorney tabs. From that screen you pick a search mode and enter what you know about the case.
The case-search screen above is shared by all 92 Indiana counties, so Marion County cases sit alongside the rest of the state. Use the court filter to keep results local.
- Open MyCase from the Marion County courts page or go straight to public.courts.in.gov/mycase.
- Pick a search mode: Case, Party, or Attorney.
- For a known case, type the Indiana case number. The full number works best, but hyphens and zeroes are optional.
- To search a person, enter a last name plus a first name, middle name, or date of birth.
- Narrow broad results with the court, case type, status, and file-date filters.
- Open the case summary to read parties, charges, events, hearings, and documents.
- If a document has no link, it may still be public; request it from the Marion County Clerk.
The official search-tips page lays out how each field behaves. A review of the MyCase search-tips guidance shows the wildcard, sounds-like, and result-limit rules used across the system.
As the tips page notes, no search returns more than 1,000 results, so a tight name or date range matters in a large county like Marion.
| Field | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Text | One identifier | Hyphens and leading zeroes optional; uniform format under Administrative Rule 8. |
| Last Name | Text | Yes (party search) | Trailing asterisk works as a starts-with wildcard. |
| First Name | Text | Unless DOB or middle given | Helps narrow a common last name. |
| Date of Birth | Date | No | Narrows a search but is not shown on the public record. |
| Court | Dropdown | No | Limit to Marion Circuit or Superior courts. |
| Status / File Date | Dropdown / Date | No | Open, closed, or a filed-on date range. |
The Marion County Judicial System
Indiana puts its judicial power in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the Tax Court, and the trial courts. Trial courts are circuit courts, superior courts, and local city or town courts. Marion County sits in Judicial District 13. Its trial bench is the Marion Circuit Court plus Marion Superior Courts numbered 1 through 36, with Small Claims Courts under Superior Court rules.
The Indiana Judicial Branch explains why the names differ by county. A look at the Indiana Judicial Branch court-structure page shows that circuit and superior labels reflect local history more than a clean split in power. Most Marion appeals then move to the Court of Appeals of Indiana before any Supreme Court review.
Case flow: Marion Circuit / Superior Court › Court of Appeals of Indiana › Supreme Court of Indiana
| Court | Jurisdiction | Case Types |
|---|---|---|
| Marion Circuit Court | Original trial jurisdiction | Civil, family, and assigned dockets |
| Marion Superior Court (1-36) | Original trial jurisdiction | Criminal, civil, family, probate, juvenile, traffic |
| Small Claims Courts | Limited civil amount | Small money claims, evictions |
| Court of Appeals of Indiana | Appellate | Most appeals from Marion trial courts |
Marion's local rules even split criminal work by level. Major felony filings go to one set of courts, while misdemeanor and Level 6 felony filings go to another. You can pull the full courtroom directory from the official 2026 Marion court slate and contact list, which names the judge and phone for each room.
Marion County Courthouses
Court proceedings now run from the Marion County Community Justice Campus at 675 Justice Way. The Circuit and Superior Courts moved there in April 2022. The older City-County Building downtown still holds county and city government offices and some election work, but court hearings sit at the campus unless the court gives different notice.
City-County Building
200 East Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
County government offices
CJC Legal Resource Center
675 Justice Way, 4th Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46203
Self-help navigators
The campus replaced the downtown court footprint for day-to-day case work. It groups criminal, civil, family, probate, juvenile, and traffic dockets in one purpose-built site. The fourth-floor Legal Resource Center adds court navigators and public computer terminals for people without a lawyer.
Types of Court Records Available in Marion County
Marion County court records cover a wide span of case work. Civil cases, criminal cases, family matters, probate, traffic, and small claims all leave a record. Which court made the record depends on the case type and the local assignment rules.
Marion's own local rules shape how cases are filed and routed. The Marion County local court rules spell out criminal, civil, probate, family, mass tort, and small-claims handling. Those rules explain why a major felony and a small claim end up in very different rooms even inside the same county.
- Criminal records - charges, bond, hearings, pleas, and sentences in felony and misdemeanor cases.
- Civil records - contract disputes, collections, foreclosures, injunctions, and mass tort matters.
- Family records - divorce, custody, support, and paternity, with mixed public access.
- Probate records - estates, wills, guardianships, and trusts.
- Traffic records - citations, infractions, court dates, and payment status.
What Marion County Court Records Show
A public case summary in MyCase holds a lot of detail. You see the case number, the court, the case type, the file date, and the status. You also see the parties, the attorneys, a dated event list, and links to some documents. The site warns that online financial balances may not be current or official.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Uniform Indiana number that encodes county, court, date, type, and sequence. |
| Filing Date | The day the case was opened. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, or respondent; date of birth is hidden. |
| Charges / Cause | Offense description, statute, degree, and citation number in criminal files. |
| Disposition | The case outcome, such as dismissed, guilty, or judgment entered. |
| Sentence / Judgment | The terms ordered after a conviction or a civil ruling. |
Marion County case numbers often start with "49," the county code under Administrative Rule 8. Because Marion runs on the statewide Odyssey case system, its case events post to MyCase, though older paper documents may not appear online.
Public Access Laws for Marion County Court Records
Two frameworks control access. The Access to Public Records Act gives a baseline right to inspect and copy records. The Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records then decide what a court can post online and what stays confidential. Some records are public at the clerk counter but are not on the web, and party or attorney logins can show more than the anonymous public view.
Key Statutes:
Indiana Code § 5-14-3 - the Access to Public Records Act sets the right to inspect and copy public records.
Indiana Code § 35-38-9 - the expungement law can seal or remove eligible arrests, charges, and convictions.
Indiana Code § 33-37 - court costs and clerk fees come from this title and local fee schedules.
The MyCase help page sets out who can see what online. A read of the MyCase access help page explains the public, party, and attorney roles and why some documents stay off the public view.
That guidance is the reason a record can be fully public yet still not show a PDF link to an anonymous searcher.
Records That Are Restricted or Confidential
Not every case is open. Juvenile delinquency files, adoption records, sealed cases, and many mental-health filings are restricted. Protection-order cases do not show up in MyCase at all because protected-party details are kept off public access. Granted expungements can pull a case out of public view.
To view a sealed record, a person usually must file a motion and get a judge's order. The practical takeaway is simple. "Not found" in MyCase does not prove a case never existed, and a visible case is not proof that it can or cannot be expunged. The CJC Legal Resource Center and Indiana self-help pages can point self-represented people in the right direction.
Specialty Courts in Marion County
Marion County runs problem-solving dockets for eligible defendants. The local rules name a major felony drug court and a Level 6 felony drug court, where treatment, monitoring, and review hearings can replace the usual path. Accepted cases may transfer to the court that oversees that docket.
The Mental Health Alternative Court is a second key program. The rules say a misdemeanor or felony case involving a defendant who may have mental illness can be referred there to check eligibility. A linked PAIR program lets one co-defendant be moved to the Mental Health Court while the other case stays put.
Marion County Sheriff and Jail
The Marion County Sheriff's Office is the county law enforcement and jail agency, led by Sheriff Kerry J. Forestal. It runs the public inmate lookup and the adult detention operation at the justice campus. Booking, bond, and initial hearing events tie back into the court case and can show up in MyCase.
For custody status, use the county tool rather than third-party rosters. See Marion County inmate records for the full roster details and warrant records for how warrant events appear after an arrest.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
The Marion County Clerk issues marriage licenses and keeps divorce case files. Certified marriage and divorce copies come from the clerk, not from a website. Probate runs through the same circuit and superior court structure. See marriage and divorce records and probate records for the steps and fees.
- Testator
- A person who makes a will.
- Executor
- The person named to carry out a will and settle an estate.
- Conservator
- A person a court appoints to manage another adult's finances or care.
Marion County Court Records Fees
Court costs and clerk fees come from Indiana Code 33-37 and local schedules. The fees most readers ask about are vital-record fees set by statewide guidance. Marriage and certified-copy fees are listed below; verify any local add-on with the Marion County Clerk before you pay.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marriage license, Indiana resident couple | $25 |
| Marriage license, out-of-state couple | $65 |
| Certified marriage-license copy | $4 (statewide guidance) |
| IDOH certified marriage-record search | $8 per date |
Indiana publishes how to request records the clerk does not post online. The Indiana Judicial Branch guidance on requesting records covers marriage, divorce, criminal, lien, will, and transcript requests.
Use that page when a needed document is public but not available as an online PDF.
How to Interpret Marion County Court Records
Read the event list, not just the top of the file. A charge is not a conviction. The disposition line tells you the real outcome, such as dismissed, diverted, found guilty, or judgment entered. A sentence event then shows the terms.
Bond entries, warrant events, and continuances all post as dated lines in the chronological case summary. If a number changed during the case, the case-number search still finds it because MyCase checks the full number history.
Note: Treat MyCase as informational, and confirm any balance, disposition, or document with the Marion County Clerk before you rely on it.
History of Marion County Courts
Marion County is Indiana's largest county and holds Indianapolis, the state capital and county seat. For decades, court work centered downtown near the City-County Building. The big modern shift was the April 2022 move of the Circuit and Superior Courts to the Community Justice Campus, which added new courtroom technology and grouped justice services on one site. The campus Legal Resource Center marked another step by placing navigators and computers inside the courthouse for self-represented users.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I search Marion County court records online?
Use Indiana MyCase at public.courts.in.gov/mycase. The Marion County court page links to the same portal. Search by case number, citation number, party name, business name, or attorney. You can narrow results by court, case type, status, and file date. There is no fee to search.
Is MyCase the official court record?
No. MyCase is an official public access service, but its own notice says the online information is not the official record and may have errors or gaps. Certified copies and official balances come from the Marion County Clerk or the court that holds the case.
What is Marion County's main courthouse address?
Court proceedings are generally at the Community Justice Campus, 675 Justice Way, Indianapolis, IN 46203, unless the court gives other notice. The campus opened for the Circuit and Superior Courts in April 2022 and now holds most case work.
More on the Marion County Court Records FAQ page.