Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Case Search

Montgomery County’s Court of Common Pleas serves as the record custodian for all cases heard in the courthouse.

Public members seeking to obtain court records must use resources provided by the clerk of courts. Note that the clerk may restrict access to documents whose disclosure is judged to not be in the public interest. Mental health and adoption records are examples of exempt court records in Montgomery County.

Note: Public members typically search court records to learn about court events and research legal documents.

What Kinds of Cases Are Heard in the Montgomery Court of Common Pleas?

In Montgomery County, the Court of Common Pleas hears all civil and criminal cases. In addition, it oversees other case types like family law and probate. The following cases fall under the court’s purview:

• Civil: general civil unlimited, civil equity, complex commercial, protection, and restraining orders, administrative agency appeal, and real estate title and boundary cases.
• Criminal: felony and juvenile cases.
• Family law: All family law cases, including divorce, child support, paternity, and juvenile delinquency cases.
• Probate: trusts, name changes, wills, estates, guardianship, and conservatorship cases.
• Mental health: involuntary commitment and other mental health-related cases.

The Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas has different divisions, each with jurisdiction over specific case types. For example, the court’s probate division in the Montgomery County Courts Building hears probate-type cases.

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas

Montgomery County’s Court of Common Pleas is a trial-level court with general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases. However, the court will only oversee cases with harsher penalties or a higher financial threshold. For instance, the court has exclusive authority over felony cases.

The Court of Common Pleas is the most important trial court due to the case types under its jurisdiction. For this reason, local residents file cases with the court to resolve important civil disputes, get justice, and document vital events like divorce. Residents can find the Court of Common Pleas at these locations:

Courts of Common Pleas in Montgomery County

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas—Domestic Relations Division

Montgomery County Courts Building
41 North Perry Street
Dayton, OH 45422
Phone: (937) 225-4063
Fax: (937) 496-7443

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas—General Division

Montgomery County Courts Building
41 North Perry Street
Room 106, Dayton, OH 45422
Phone: (937) 225-4512 (Civil)
Fax: (937) 496-7220 (Civil)
Phone: (937) 225-4536 (Criminal)
Fax: (937) 496-7581 (Criminal)

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas—Juvenile Division

Juvenile Justice Center
380 West 2nd Street
Dayton, OH 45422
Phone: (937) 496-7908

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas—Juvenile Division

Satellite Juvenile Court of Washington Township, City of Kettering, and City of Centerville

Washington Township Government Center
8200 McEwen Road
Centerville, OH 45458
Phone: (937) 433-0152

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas—Probate Court

Montgomery County Courts Building
41 North Perry Street
Dayton, OH 45422
Phone: (937) 225-4640
Fax: (937) 496-3181

Montgomery County Case Lookup

Public members can look up and obtain Montgomery County court records by using these options:

Online searches and requests for court records

The Montgomery County Clerk of Court hosts an online case search platform for all cases heard in the county. To use the platform, inquirers must input relevant information, like case party names, into allocated search boxes.

Walk-in requests for Montgomery County court records

The Clerk of Court’s Record Section maintains all records of case events in the Court of Common Pleas. Persons or entities seeking to obtain such records must submit a request in person to the Record Section at:

Montgomery County Courts Building
41 North Perry Street
Room 104
Dayton, Ohio 45422.

For in-person access to municipal court records, inquirers must submit their requests at these locations:

Eastern Division
6111 Taylorsville Road
Huber Heights, Ohio 45424
Phone: (937) 496-7231
Fax: (937) 496-7236

Western Division
875 East Main Street
Trotwood, OH 45426
Phone: (937) 687-9099
Fax: (937) 687-7119

The court clerk charges $0.1 and $1 per page of regular and certified court documents, respectively. In contrast, authenticated copies are $5 each. The court clerk accepts all payments made through cash, credit card, money order, or check.

Mail-in requests for Montgomery County court records

Mail- or email-based requests for Court of Common Pleas records must be sent to the Clerk of Court’s Record Section at:

Montgomery County Courts Building
41 North Perry Street
Room 104
Dayton, Ohio 45422.
Email: recordssection@mcohio.org

The request must contain these details:

• The requester’s information, including name and address.
• A description of the requested court document.
• The required fees in a preferred payment option.

To access municipal court records, inquirers must send a request along with the required fees to the municipal court.

Additional considerations

The Municipal Court accepts phone-based inquiries for court records. Inquirers must make a request by calling the court at (937) 496-7231 (Eastern Division) and (937) 687-9099 (Western Division).

Montgomery Court of Common Pleas Case Search by Name

In Montgomery County, the Clerk of Court’s Office allows online and offline name-based searches for Court of Common Pleas case records. To use the online option, inquirers must type the case party’s name into the online search platform. Offline name-based searches, however, require visiting the clerk of court at:

Montgomery County Courts Building
41 North Perry Street
Room 104
Dayton, Ohio 45422.

Name-based searches are not accurate options for retrieving court documents. The search option often brings up case files of other case parties with similar names. To increase the accuracy of the search result, you must provide case identifiers like case number, ticket number, and case type.

Montgomery Court of Common Pleas Docket Search

Court dockets contain records of all filings and actions in a court case. The record typically consists of filings, case-party information, court dates, and judgments.

Inquirers may use the Clerk of Court’s online database to locate Montgomery County’s Court of Common Pleas dockets. The court also maintains a daily docket schedule for all active court cases. Alternatively, inquirers can view court docket information by making a request in person at the clerk of the court’s office.

Public members may search or inquire about court dockets for these reasons:

• To gain insight into the progress of a court case
• For legal research
• To locate documents filed during a case
• To stay updated about court dates.

Lookup Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas Online

Public members can look up Montgomery County’s Court of Common Pleas records through an official online case repository. To view records on the repository, inquirers must input relevant identifiers in the appropriate section.

Alternatively, third-party search websites like Ohiocourtrecords.us offer online access to Court of Common Pleas records. Such websites mostly feature user-friendly interfaces, which enable users to locate court documents conveniently. However, they do not operate under government jurisdiction and, as such, are not verifiable sources of finding court information.

Supreme Court vs. Court of Common Pleas

The Ohio Supreme Court is different from the Court of Common Pleas in terms of judicial authority and duties. Based on judicial authority, the Supreme Court has the highest judicial authority, and it is referred to as the "court of last resort". However, the Court of Common Pleas has county-wide authority over trial court cases.

The Supreme Court reviews appeals from the District Courts of Appeals and lower courts. It also handles all matters concerning the interpretation of state statutes. In contrast, the Court of Common Pleas only reviews criminal and civil cases that are beyond the jurisdiction of other courts.