Ohio Court Records

Statewide Ohio or Nationwide Criminal Court Records         Bankruptcies, Judgments, Tax Liens

The Ohio court system is organized with the Ohio Supreme Court at the top with authority over the lower courts and responsibility as the highest appeal court in the state.  At the next level are the 12 Ohio Courts of Appeals, who are the intermediate appeals courts with responsibility to hear appeals from Ohio county common pleas and municipal courts.  The third State court is the Court of Claims, whose responsibility is to hear civil actions filed against the State of Ohio and/or Ohio agencies.  The Court of Claims is also responsible for appeals of decisions made by the Ohio Attorney General on claims under the Victims of Crime Act. 

Next are the Courts of Common Pleas, the Trial Courts in Ohio, and there is one located in each of the 88 Ohio counties.  The county Common Pleas courts may be divided into four divisions:  General, Probate, Juvenile, and Domestic Relations.  More populated counties often have all four divisions or combine probate and juvenile.  Each General Division is responsible for civil actions where the filing is in excess of $15,000, felony criminal cases, and appeals from some state agencies.  The Domestic Relations Division is responsible for divorces, dissolutions, annulments, legal separation, and parental responsibilities.  The Probate Division is where marriage licenses are recorded, has responsibility for cases involving wills, estates, probate, trusts, conservatorships, and guardianships, as well as birth record corrections and registrations, name changes, mental illness, and adoption proceedings.  The Juvenile Division handles matters of paternity, child abuse, offenses involving minors, nonsupport of minors, and delinquency.

Ohio counties also have Municipal and County Courts.  These courts were established by the state legislature and are responsible for civil cases less than $15,000, small claims, misdemeanor criminal cases, preliminary felony criminal hearings, and traffic cases. Municipal Courts may be countywide, or their jurisdiction may be divided between two or more municipal and county courts.

Ohio also has what is called Mayor's Courts.  These are not courts of record, nor are they part of the Ohio judicial branch of government, though they do have to file statistics with the Ohio Supreme Court.  Mayor Courts are responsible for ordinance violations, may hear alcohol, drug related, or other traffic laws, and may be presided over by a Mayor.

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