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Stark County, Ohio State Court Records

Stark County Court records are documents submitted to a court or filed with a clerk in a judicial action or proceeding. A substantial number of these documents are held by the Court of Common Pleas, where judicial proceedings typically first begin. The Stark County Clerk of Common Pleas (also known as the Clerk of Court) is charged with the duty of collecting all exhibits, motions, and court pleadings for filing, docketing, indexing, and preservation under the State’s Public Records Act.

The records held by the Clerk’s Office pertain only to criminal trial cases and judicial disputes. They are distinct and separate from records such as arrest logs, vital records, and other public records held by the Stark County Sheriff and other governmental bodies. However, the content of a court record can, and often does, intersect with other public records, providing foundational materials or continuity for another record.

Are Stark County Court Records Public?

All court records for civil, felony criminal, and domestic relations cases are open to public inspection and copying, subject to applicable exemptions under Ohio’s Public Records Act and the Supreme Court of Ohio Public Access and Records Retention Rules.

Under the Rules, the distinction between restricted and publicly accessible court records is definition-driven. For instance, a case document or information is a public record if it was submitted to a court or filed with a clerk in a judicial action or proceeding. This means if a court document does not meet the definition, it does not qualify as a public record.

However, notwithstanding that some documents and information may otherwise qualify, the Public Access Rules exclude them from the definition (making them inaccessible). These include:

  • Personal identifiers and personal identifier forms
  • Document or information to which a court has restricted public access
  • Juvenile-related court records
  • Notes, drafts, recommendations, advice, and research of judicial officers and court staff
  • Certain domestic relations and juvenile matters in a Court of Common Pleas
  • Information obtained from the Ohio Court’s Network
  • A document or information exempt from disclosure under state, federal, or common law, including the Ohio Public Records Act

What Information is Available in Stark County Court Records?

The contents of court records vary depending on the nature of the case (civil, criminal, or domestic relations). However, a typical court record contains:

  • Pleadings
  • Motions
  • Exhibits and Witness Statement on Oath
  • Court Orders and Rulings
  • Judgments
  • Dockets
  • Party and Attorney Information
  • Bonds and Affidavit (Common in criminal cases)
  • Probation/Sentencing Reports

Stark County Court Records Search

Searching for court records in Stark County is very easy:

  • Access the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) on a browser. This is the court’s official online docket and case search tool.
  • Proceed by entering the case number or name in the search field.
  • Complete the search by clicking the search button to initiate a query.
  • The search results will return case files that match the search criteria.

Searchable records on the platform are limited to civil, criminal, and domestic relations disputes. If the record being sought falls outside these categories or if the online search does not show what the user needs, they can:

Go to the Stark County Clerk of Courts Office and make a request. The Clerk’s office is located at:

115 Central Plaza North

Suite 101

Canton, OH 44702

Phone: 330-451-7801

Fax: 330-451-7066

Email: clerk@starkcountyohio.gov

Although requests are not required to be put in writing, requesters must be prepared to identify the requested record with sufficient clarity to allow the office to locate and retrieve it. The office generally does not ask for the requester’s identity or intended use as a matter of policy, but the law permits it to do so. Records are to be made available promptly or, depending on the volume, reasonably.

Probate-related case documents are maintained separately. Record seekers may need to visit a different location to access them:

Stark County Office Building

110 Central Plaza South, Suite 501

Canton, Ohio 44702

Telephone: (330) 451-7755

Monday through Friday:

8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

The Probate Court provides remote access, but through a different online case search tool. The search process requires entering the case by full name or case number, then clicking the applicable search button to initiate a query.

Fees for Court Records in Stark County

Court records are provided as a service to the public. As a result, the Clerk does not charge for time or labor except for the actual cost of making copies. The charge for paper copies is 10 cents per page. Online searches through the CJIS and the Probate Court Case Search are free of charge. The office does not charge for emailed documents either.

However, if the requester has chosen a record delivery method that incurs additional expenses such as postage and mailing supplies, the burden of such additional costs will fall on the requester.

Stark County Courthouse Locations

Stark County Clerk of Courts Office at:

Stark County Court of Common Pleas

115 Central Plaza North,

Suite 101,

Canton, OH 44702,

Phone: 330-451-7801,

Fax: 330-451-7066

Stark County Family Court

Stark County Office Building,

110 Central Plaza S, Suite 690, Canton, OH 44702,

Phone: 330-451-7796

Stark County Family Court includes the Court of Common Pleas, the Domestic Relations Division, and the Juvenile Division.

Stark County Office Building

110 Central Plaza South, Suite 501,
Canton, Ohio 44702,
Telephone: (330) 451-7755,
Monday through Friday,
8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

Criminal Records Access in Stark County

Local criminal court records maintained by the Stark County Court of Common Pleas relate only to cases filed and adjudicated within Stark County. These records include filings, dockets, motions, judgments, and case outcomes for criminal proceedings handled by the County’s courts.

Members of the public may access eligible local criminal court records by:

  • Using the Stark County online court case search portal (CJIS)
  • Conducting in-person searches at the Clerk of Courts’ office.

However, a known criminal’s record may fail to appear in a CJIS search result. It may be that they were not prosecuted for the offense in Stark County. In such cases, a state-level criminal history check may be required.

Unlike local case records, state-level criminal history checks fall under the jurisdiction of the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). The Bureau serves as Ohio’s crime lab and criminal-record keeper. Its criminal records repository compiles arrests and convictions across multiple jurisdictions.

Stark County Probate Records

Stark County Probate records relate to the administration of a deceased person’s estate after they are dead. When a person dies, the court decides who to give authority to administer the deceased’s estate and under what terms.

The content of a probate record varies depending on whether the deceased person died intestate (without a will) or testate (with a will), and according to the instructions of the will. Some common probate filings include the following:

  • Will
  • Letters of administration (where the deceased died without writing a will)
  • Trust
  • Guardianship
  • Conservatorships
  • Adoption and family matters

The Court of Common Pleas does not adjudicate probate matters and therefore does not keep probate records. Probate Records are maintained by the Stark County Probate Court. Along with other court records, probate records are public documents, subject to the same statutory exemptions under Ohio’s Public Records Act and the Supreme Court of Ohio Public Access and Records Retention Rules.

The Clerk of the Probate Court provides access to Stark County probate records through the following media:

  • Remotely, through the Probate Court online case search tool
  • On-site access (recommended for older or more detailed files) at the Stark County Office Building, located at:

Stark County Family Court Records

Family Court matters (such as divorce, child custody, child support, and other domestic relations issues) are handled by the Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division of the Stark County Court of Common Pleas. The court handles a variety of domestic-related disputes, including:

  • Divorce and dissolution cases
  • Child custody and visitation
  • Child support and spousal support
  • Protection orders and domestic violence matters

Although some records are restricted in accordance with the Public Records Act and the Public Access Rules, Stark County Family Court Records are generally open for public inspection and copying at the Stark County Clerk of Courts Office (find address above) and online through the CJIS portal.

Federal Court Records in Stark County

Cases resolved by a federal court (e.g, bankruptcy) are generally not retrievable via the CJIS portal or other county record search tool. Members of the public may access these records electronically over the internet through the Court’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) System. The CM/ECF system contains almost all civil cases filed on or after July 1, 2000 (as well as many filed before that date)

Follow these steps:

  • Access the CM/ECF system using a browser
  • Complete PACER login
  • Select Public query
  • Enter a name or case number (as outlined in the Search Clues)
  • Select Run Query
  • After the case number is retrieved, select the docket report to obtain a docket sheet (an index of the documents in the case)
  • Scroll through the docket report and select the desired document by clicking the document number.

If a record is not available on CM/ECF, inquirers may use PACER, the Public Access to Court Electronic Records. It has most criminal and civil cases that are unavailable on the CM/ECF platform. Although it is recommended that the information be obtained through PACER, the copy requests can be made in person at the courthouse, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, by mail, or online by completing the following form. The Clerk’s office accepts copy requests: 50 cents per page and $11.00 to have the document certified. Registration is mandatory to view cases. The charge is 10 cents per page.

That district has multiple physical courthouses, including:

  • Cleveland
  • Akron
  • Toledo
  • Youngstown
Stark County Court