Search Martin County Court Records Online
Online access starts with Indiana Courts Case Search, or MyCase. MyCase is operated by the Indiana Office of Judicial Administration Court Technology Group and serves as the central public portal for trial court case information. For Martin County, it is the first online channel for public Circuit Court case records. It can show a case number, court, case type, filing date, status, parties, attorneys, hearings, docket events, charges, judgments, and disposition details when those fields are public.
The search should not stop with the screen result. The official MyCase terms state that displayed information is public-service information and not the official court record. A certified or official Martin County court record comes from the Clerk, not from a MyCase screenshot. That distinction matters for employment, licensing, probate, title, immigration, court filing, appeal, and other uses where a certified copy may be required.
- Go to MyCase and choose the search tab that fits the information available.
- Search by case number when possible, because that is the most precise path.
- For a name search, enter the legal surname and use first name, middle name, date range, or case type to narrow results.
- Filter to Martin County or Martin County Circuit Court when the portal presents court or county filters.
- Open the matching result and review the public fields, then contact the Clerk for official copies or certification.
The source image for the MyCase terms shows the official access limits that apply to Martin County court records.
Those terms support the key rule for record users: use MyCase for lookup, then use the Clerk for the official Martin County court record.
Martin County Court Records Search Fields
The MyCase search form is statewide, so it can return results from more than one Indiana county if the search is broad. Martin County searches are cleaner when the user has a cause number, citation number, exact party name, or attorney information. If a county or court filter appears, choose Martin County or Martin County Circuit Court. If the filter is not shown in the current search path, use more case detail to reduce statewide matches.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search type / tab | tab or radio | Unspecified | Search by case, party/name, attorney, or citation/cross reference when available. |
| Case Number | text | Optional unless using case search | Enter the exact Indiana cause number when known. |
| Citation Number | text | Optional | Useful for traffic and infraction matters. |
| Last Name / Business Name | text | Often needed for name search | Use the legal surname or business name. Spelling matters. |
| First Name | text | Optional | Narrows person searches. |
| Date of Birth | date | Optional | Used where public access permits DOB filtering or display. |
| Court / County | dropdown | Optional but important | Select Martin County or Circuit Court where available. |
| Case Type | dropdown | Optional | Civil, criminal, infraction, probate, family, small claims, and similar categories. |
| Filing Date Range | date range | Optional | Useful for common names or older cases. |
Types of Martin County Court Records
Martin County court records come from the Circuit Court and the Clerk's official file system. Civil court records can include private lawsuits, debt collection, contract disputes, property disputes, small claims, evictions, proceedings supplemental, name changes, lost title, and hardship-license filings. Criminal court records are State of Indiana prosecutions filed by the Prosecutor and tracked through the court. Family and divorce records are filed with the Clerk, with additional privacy limits for child-related or financial material.
Probate and guardianship records are also part of the Circuit Court system. The Clerk fee list names estates and guardianships, and the Clerk forms list includes a Small Estate Affidavit. Traffic and infraction records may be searched by citation, case number, or defendant name when public. Juvenile records must be handled with care because Indiana law treats them differently than adult public case records.
- Civil files can show complaint, summons, service return, motions, orders, judgment, and payment entries.
- Criminal files can show charges, plea, bond, hearings, motions, disposition, sentence, probation, fines, and costs.
- Family files can include divorce packets, paternity, fee waivers, and protection-order materials.
- Probate files can include estate petitions, guardianship orders, inventories, accountings, creditor notices, and closing papers.
- Traffic files can show citation details, court events, deferral, dismissal, judgment, fines, and failure-to-appear activity.
The Indiana public courts portal is also linked by the Clerk for ticket payments and public access services.
That statewide access point is relevant when a Martin County record search also involves payment or citation lookup.
What Martin County Court Records Show
A public Martin County court record is best read field by field. The case number identifies the file. The court field should show the local court when the case is in Martin County Circuit Court. The filing date tells when the case or charge was opened. Party names show who filed or answered the case, but public display may limit personal identifiers. The docket then tracks filings, orders, hearings, continuances, service, judgment, sentence, or payment activity.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case number | Indiana cause number used for MyCase searches and Clerk copy requests. |
| Court name | The Martin County Circuit Court or another listed court if the matter is outside the local trial court. |
| Case type | Civil, criminal, infraction, probate, guardianship, divorce, paternity, small claims, or protection order. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, State of Indiana, estate, ward, or protected person. |
| Docket entries | Filings, motions, notices, hearings, orders, service returns, judgments, and sentence or probation events. |
| Criminal charge detail | Charge description, statute, offense level, plea, judgment, disposition, sentence, fines, and costs when public. |
| Financial section | Court costs, fines, fees, restitution, judgment payments, or other money entries where available. |
| Restrictions | Redactions or omitted data for sealed, juvenile, mental-health, adoption, protected address, or identifier material. |
Official Martin County Court Copies
Official copies are requested from the Martin County Clerk because the Clerk maintains the court file. The Clerk office is at 129 Main Street, PO Box 120, Shoals, IN 47581. Phone is (812) 247-3651, fax is (812) 247-2791, and hours are Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm. When making a request, provide the cause number if known, the party name, case type, approximate filing year, the document needed, and whether the copy must be certified.
The Clerk fee list gives copies at $1 per page and certification at $3 each. Civil and small-claims judgments may be paid in person, by mail, or online through the Bridge Payment link on the Clerk page. Tickets may be paid in person, by mail, or online through public.courts.in.gov, while pre-trial deferral questions go to the Martin County Prosecutor.
Martin County Clerk
129 Main Street
PO Box 120
Shoals, IN 47581
(812) 247-3651
Monday-Friday 8am-4pm
Public Access for Martin County Court Records
Indiana public access has two layers for Martin County court records. The Access to Public Records Act, IC 5-14-3, controls public records generally. Indiana court records are also governed by Indiana Administrative Rule 9, which treats court records as generally public while defining confidential court-record information and exclusion procedures. These rules explain why one case may show a broad docket while another shows only limited public information.
Copy access follows the custodian. Court records go through the Clerk. Sheriff booking, jail, incident, and warrant-related records go through the Sheriff's Office. Prosecutor records may be limited by criminal-investigation, work-product, child-support, or confidentiality rules. If MyCase does not show a case that should exist, the next step is to contact the Clerk with enough identifiers to confirm whether the record is restricted, older, sealed, not indexed, or filed under a different name.
Note: MyCase is a public lookup tool, but certified Martin County court records come from the Clerk.
The Indiana Courts e-filing help page gives statewide context for electronic filing in trial court matters.
E-filing context helps explain why docket entries may appear online even when the public cannot download every filed document.
Restricted Martin County Court Records
Restricted records include more than sealed criminal cases. Juvenile records are controlled by Indiana juvenile confidentiality law and may not appear in public search results. Adoption files are not ordinary public court records. Mental-health proceedings can be confidential. Protection-order cases may include sensitive addresses or safety information. Court filings should redact Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, protected addresses, minor-identifying data, and other information excluded from public access.
Sealed and expunged criminal records are handled under IC 35-38-9. A public search may no longer show an eligible record once access is sealed or limited by court order. That does not mean the record is destroyed for every law-enforcement, court, or statutory use. A person seeking access to a sealed file usually needs party status, attorney status, agency authority, or a court order.
Martin County Court Records Technology
Indiana court technology is centralized, so Martin County does not need a separate county-built case search database for ordinary public trial court lookup. MyCase, e-filing resources, payment portals, and court technology administration are state-level systems that support local courts. This structure is useful for a small county because a Martin County search uses the same public portal framework as many other Indiana counties.
The Indiana Office of Judicial Administration technology page gives the statewide system context behind MyCase and related court tools.
That statewide technology role is why Martin County public case lookup is routed through Indiana court systems rather than a county-only search page.