Search Martin County Court Records
Most online Martin County court records are searched through Indiana Courts Case Search, known as MyCase. MyCase is the statewide public portal for Indiana trial court case information, including public Martin County Circuit Court cases when the case type and record status allow display. It is the best first stop for a name, case number, citation number, attorney, or case-type search. It is not the official court record. The official case file is maintained by the Martin County Clerk and the Circuit Court.
The MyCase terms of use matter for Martin County searches because they say the public display is a service record, not the certified file. Use the portal to identify the case, court, filing date, public events, and public disposition. Then call or visit the Clerk when a certified copy, plain copy, or exact file review is needed.
- Open MyCase and choose the search path that fits the information available, such as case, party name, attorney, or citation.
- Use Martin County or Martin County Circuit Court as a filter when the portal offers that choice.
- Enter the exact cause number when known, or narrow a name search with first name, middle name, date range, or case type.
- Open the matching result and review the public docket events, parties, hearing dates, charges, judgments, or disposition fields.
- For the official court record, contact the Martin County Clerk at the courthouse and request the specific document or certification.
The Indiana MyCase portal is shown in the source image below.
This statewide portal is useful for Martin County court record lookup, but it does not replace the Clerk's certified copy process.
Martin County Court System
Martin County uses a Circuit Court as its local trial court. The official judicial office structure lists the Martin County Circuit Court, Clerk, Prosecutor, Probation, and Community Corrections. No separate Martin County Superior Court, county court at law, justice-of-the-peace court, or stand-alone probate courthouse was located in the official county sources. Local cases generally begin in the Circuit Court unless the matter belongs in a federal court, an administrative agency, or a city or town court created by a municipality and named on the citation.
Judge Isha Wright-Ryan is listed for Martin County Circuit Court. The court publishes phone (812) 247-3652, fax (812) 247-3901, and Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm hours. The Prosecutor serves the 90th Judicial Circuit and files State of Indiana criminal charges. The Clerk is the local court-record custodian, filing office, money office, marriage-license office, and election office.
Case flow: Martin County Circuit Court filing > docket events and hearings > order, judgment, plea, dismissal, or sentence > Indiana Court of Appeals when a proper appeal is filed.
| Court or office | Role in Martin County | Record connection |
|---|---|---|
| Martin County Circuit Court | Primary trial court for county-level civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, and infraction matters | Hears cases and enters orders, judgments, hearings, and dispositions |
| Martin County Clerk | Officer of the court and official court-record custodian | Maintains filings, accepts copy requests, collects fees, and certifies records |
| Martin County Prosecutor | State criminal charging office and child-support enforcement office | Files criminal charges and handles pre-trial deferral questions noted by the Clerk |
| Probation and Community Corrections | Court-adjacent supervision and alternative sentencing services | May appear in criminal docket events, sentencing, or compliance records |
The official Circuit Court page is the source for the court staff, hours, phone, and fax details shown here.
Those court-office details help record seekers separate the judge's court from the Clerk office that supplies copies.
Martin County Clerk Records Office
The Martin County Clerk is Julie Fithian. The official Clerk page lists Becky Sellers, Amanda Williams, and Penny Waggoner as deputies. The office describes the Clerk as an elected officer of the court and manager of the court. For court records, that role is practical: the Clerk administers official court records of all court cases, collects and reconciles court money, processes filings, handles copy requests, and issues certifications.
Clerk contact details are direct and local. The office is at 129 Main Street, PO Box 120, Shoals, IN 47581. Phone is (812) 247-3651, fax is (812) 247-2791, and office hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. The Clerk email listed in the research is jfithian@martincounty.in.gov. If a MyCase entry is missing a document image, if a record needs a raised seal or certification, or if a person needs to confirm the total copy cost, the Clerk is the access point.
Martin County Clerk
129 Main Street
PO Box 120
Shoals, IN 47581
(812) 247-3651
Monday-Friday 8am-4pm
The Martin County Clerk page also lists court forms, filing fees, ticket payment methods, marriage-license rules, child-support payment options, and copy costs.
Because the Clerk is the record custodian, the page is a key source for Martin County court record fees and office contacts.
Martin County Court Record Types
Martin County court records cover more than one kind of case. Civil files can include complaints, summonses, service returns, motions, judgments, satisfaction entries, and proceedings supplemental. Criminal files can include charging information, probable-cause materials when public, initial hearings, pleas, bond entries, motions, trial events, judgment, sentence, probation, costs, and later expungement filings. Traffic and infraction records can show the citation, charge, court date, plea or admission, deferral, dismissal, judgment, fines, and failure-to-appear activity.
Family, probate, and guardianship files are part of the same local court system but have more limits. Divorce packets are filed with the Clerk, and child-related or financial identifiers may be restricted. Probate filings include estates, guardianships, small estate affidavits, inventories, orders, and closing papers. Juvenile cases should not be treated like adult public case files.
- Civil records include small claims, evictions, debt collection, contract suits, property disputes, name changes, hardship licenses, and lost title cases.
- Criminal records begin after the Prosecutor files charges and include court events through plea, trial, dismissal, conviction, or sentence.
- Family records include divorce, paternity, and protection-order filings, with redaction or confidentiality where law requires it.
- Probate records include estates, guardianships, and small estate affidavits filed through the Clerk and heard in Circuit Court.
- Traffic records are court case records and are separate from the Indiana BMV driver record.
What Martin County Court Records Show
A Martin County court record should be read as a set of fields and events, not as a single summary. The cause number identifies the court, case type, year, and sequence. Party labels change with case type: plaintiff and defendant in many civil cases, petitioner and respondent in family matters, State of Indiana and defendant in criminal cases, or estate and personal representative in probate. A docket is the time-ordered list of filings and court actions.
| Field | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Case number | Indiana cause number used by MyCase and the Clerk to locate the file |
| Court | Martin County Circuit Court for the local trial matters researched here |
| Filing date | Date the civil case, charge, probate, family case, or citation was opened |
| Docket entries | Filings, motions, orders, hearings, continuances, notices, service, judgments, or sentence events |
| Disposition | Dismissal, judgment, conviction, acquittal, plea, sentence, transfer, or closed status |
| Financials | Costs, fines, fees, restitution, judgment payments, or copy and certification charges when shown |
Martin County Public Access Rules
Public access to Martin County court records is controlled by both general Indiana public-record law and court-specific rules. The Indiana Access to Public Records Act, IC 5-14-3, says public agencies must provide access to public records unless a record is confidential or a lawful exception applies. Court records also follow Indiana Administrative Rule 9, which defines public access and exclusions for court-record information.
Key Statutes:
IC 5-14-3 gives the general public-record access rule for Indiana agencies.
Indiana Administrative Rule 9 governs public access to court records and confidential court-record information.
IC 35-38-9 covers sealing and expungement of eligible criminal records.
IC 31-39 sets separate access rules for juvenile records.
In practice, MyCase is the public online access channel, while the Clerk is the official copy channel. Sheriff booking, jail, and warrant-related records should be requested from the Sheriff. Prosecutor files and charging questions may have law-enforcement, work-product, or confidentiality limits.
Restricted Martin County Court Records
Not every Martin County case file is open to a public search. Juvenile records have separate confidentiality rules. Adoption records are not ordinary public court records. Mental-health proceedings may be confidential or restricted. Protected addresses, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, minor-identifying data, and sealed filings should not appear in a broad public display.
Sealing and expungement are also distinct from routine public access. A person seeking Indiana expungement generally identifies each case or arrest record, checks eligibility under IC 35-38-9, waits the statutory period when required, and files in the proper court. If relief is granted, public access may be sealed or limited, but expungement does not mean every law-enforcement, court, federal, or private reference disappears.
The Martin County courthouse holiday page is a useful official source for planning any in-person filing or records trip.
Holiday and election-day closures matter because records access often depends on the Clerk or court office being open.
Martin County Sheriff and Jail
The Martin County Sheriff's Office and jail are separate from the court file, but they often connect to criminal and warrant records. The official Sheriff page lists Sheriff Josh Greene, Chief Deputy Keith Keller, Matron Lisa Greene, Jail Commander contact information, Communications Commander Tiffany Evans, and patrol staff. The Sheriff's Office and Security Center address is 318 Capital Avenue, PO Box 180, Shoals, IN 47581, phone (812) 247-3726, fax (812) 247-2226.
Online custody searches use INjail Public Access, the statewide county-jail portal. It can be filtered to Martin County and searched by name, birth date, booked-between dates, or released-between dates. Indiana SAVIN, IDOC, and the sex and violent offender registry cover different custody or offender status needs. For active local custody or jail records that are not shown online, call the Sheriff.
The official Sheriff page supplies the local staff and contact details used for Martin County jail and sheriff record routing.
That office is the local fallback for custody, booking, jail, and law-enforcement record questions outside the court file.
Martin County Criminal Charges
Criminal case records should be separated from arrest records. Law enforcement may arrest a person or submit an incident report, but the Martin County Prosecutor decides what charges to file in court. Jail booking charges can differ from final filed charges. Once charges are filed, the court case is maintained by the Clerk and may appear in MyCase when public.
The Prosecutor page lists Aureola Vincz as Prosecuting Attorney for the 90th Judicial Circuit, Chief Deputy John Springer, criminal division staff, child-support staff, and office hours. It also says appointments are needed and the office closes from noon to 1pm. For ticket pre-trial deferral, the Clerk page directs people to call the Prosecutor at (812) 247-3500.
The Martin County Prosecutor page is the source for the charging office and pre-trial deferral contact.
This distinction helps prevent a booking record from being mistaken for the final Martin County criminal court record.
Martin County Court Records Fees
The Clerk's fee list provides several practical record and filing costs. Plain copies are $1 per page. Certification is $3 each. Civil cases are $157, divorce is $177, small claims are $97 or $87 when e-filed, estates are $177, guardianship is $177, paternity is $196, sheriff's service is $28, and post-judgment sheriff's service is $28. A person requesting copies by mail should call first, because the total depends on the number of pages and whether certification is needed.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Copies | $1/page |
| Certification | $3 each |
| Civil case filing | $157 |
| Divorce filing | $177 |
| Small claims filing | $97, or $87 when e-filed |
| Estate or guardianship filing | $177 |
| Sheriff's service | $28 |
Martin County Marriage and Probate
Marriage licenses are handled by the Martin County Clerk. Both applicants must apply in person at the same time. Indiana residents apply in the county where at least one applicant resides, and the license may be used anywhere in Indiana. Out-of-state applicants apply in the Indiana county where they intend to marry. The state Marriage License Public Lookup covers many Indiana marriage records from 1993 to the present, but the issuing Clerk is the confirmation point.
Divorce cases are filed through the Clerk and Circuit Court. Probate is handled as the Probate Division of the Circuit Court rather than a separate probate courthouse. Estates and guardianships have $177 filing fees, and the Clerk lists a Small Estate Affidavit form. For more focused family record detail, see Martin County marriage and divorce records.
- Estate
- A probate case involving property of a deceased person.
- Guardianship
- A court case appointing a decision-maker for a minor or incapacitated adult.
- Disposition
- The result or outcome of a case, claim, or charge.
Martin County Court Programs
Official sources did not locate a separate Martin County drug court, veterans court, mental-health court, DUI court, or family treatment court. The local court-adjacent program with detailed official information is Martin County Community Corrections. It is not described as a specialty court. It is an alternative sentencing and pretrial supervision resource tied to public safety, case planning, accountability, family stability, treatment, and community service.
The Community Corrections page lists forms for community service restitution, road crew safety, home detention and electronic monitoring, fee schedules and policies, consent to search, employment policy, emergency reporting, PREA, weekly schedule requests, support group verification, pre-trial release, and day reporting. Probation also supports adult and juvenile supervision through the courthouse area.
The Community Corrections page is the official source for these alternative sentencing and pretrial materials.
These programs may appear in criminal docket events or sentence terms, so they are part of the broader court-record picture.
The Martin County Probation page provides the local probation office context.
Probation entries can show up in criminal court records as supervision, compliance, violation, or sentence-related events.
Martin County Courthouse Access
The main local court-record stop is the courthouse area at 129 Main St, Shoals, IN 47581. The county homepage displays this address and the county contact footer repeats the same courthouse address with the main county phone, (812) 247-3731. The Clerk, Circuit Court, and Probation Department are tied to the same courthouse contact area. Martin County is rural, so visitors may be driving from Loogootee, Crane, Shoals, forest areas, industrial sites, or nearby state roads rather than from urban transit.
No official county page located in the research published detailed security screening rules, cell-phone limits, parking rates, public transit routes, or ADA entry specifics. For a hearing, filing deadline, or accommodation question, call the Circuit Court or Clerk before traveling. Check the county holiday page because the 2026 closure list includes election days as county employee holidays, and the Clerk also administers elections.
The official Martin County homepage is the source for the county government address and local county context.
The homepage confirms the county seat address used for courthouse mapping and records-office planning.
The Martin County contact page provides the department phone and fax table.
That contact table is useful when a record question belongs with the Court, Clerk, Jail, Probation, Prosecutor, or another county office.
Martin County Court Records FAQ
Are MyCase results official Martin County court records?
No. MyCase is a public case information display. It can identify cases, docket events, parties, hearings, charges, judgments, and public dispositions, but certified and official records come from the Martin County Clerk or maintaining court.
Where are certified copies requested?
Certified copies are requested from the Martin County Clerk at 129 Main Street, PO Box 120, Shoals. The researched fee list gives copies at $1 per page and certification at $3 each.
Does Martin County have a separate probate court?
No separate probate courthouse was located. Probate matters are filed through the Clerk and heard in the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. Estates and guardianships are listed in the Clerk fee schedule.
Can juvenile cases be searched like adult cases?
No. Juvenile matters have separate public-access limits under Indiana law. A juvenile case may be absent from public search results or restricted to parties, attorneys, agencies, or court-authorized access.
Where are jail and custody records checked?
County jail custody can be searched in INjail Public Access with Martin County selected, while direct local custody questions go to the Sheriff's Office and Security Center at (812) 247-3726.