Richland County Court Records

Richland County court records are materials such as documents, files, and transcripts associated with court cases and dockets in Richland County, Ohio. The county maintains these documents for future reference during appeals and retrials. The records can also used for educational research, genealogy tracing, tax, and estate matters. Some examples of Richland County court records are birth, deeds, tax, marriage, etc.

Are Court Records Public in Richland County?

Yes, court records are public records in Richland County. The Freedom of Information Act: The Ohio Revised Code §149, also known as the Ohio Public Records Act or "Sunshine Laws," defines public records as documents created, received by, or coming under the jurisdiction of any public office of the state or its judicial subdivisions. The Sunshine Laws gives members of the public the right to access public records and requires public officials to maintain the records in a manner such that they are available to the public upon request. However, certain information such as social security numbers, tax identification numbers, vehicle and license tag numbers, and any other such information must be redacted from the records before they are made available upon request. The law also declares that infrastructure and security records are not part of public records. Therefore, if any of this exempted information forms part of a court record, it will not be available to members of the public.

Richland County Court Record Search

A Richland County court record search can be done in the following ways:

• Contacting the County Clerk's office
• In person at the relevant county court.
• An online portal made available by the Richland County Clerk of Courts.
• A third-party public records website

Richland County Court Record Search by Name

Members of the public may conduct a court record search in Richland County by name. They provide the first and last name of the individual they are searching for or the company name where relevant. They can visit the Richland County Clerk of Courts' office or conduct the search online through the provided database. More information can be found on the Richland County Common Pleas Court General Division website.

Alternatively, searches can be made by submitting the relevant name through an inquiry or a formal Public Records Request form to the Records Manager/Alternate Records of the Richland County Clerk of Courts Legal Division or Auto Title Division where relevant.

Where an individual desires a photocopy of the record, a county court record search in Richland Ohio attracts a fee of $0.10 per page for a non-certified copy and $1 per page for a certified copy. However, inspection of documents at a Richland County Building is free.

Richland County Courts

The following courts are part of the Richland County courts system.

The Richland County Court of Common Pleas:

General Division
50 Park Avenue East #3
Mansfield, OH 44902
Phone: (419) 774-5570

Richland County Juvenile Justice Center
411 South Diamond Street
Mansfield, OH 44902
Phone: (419) 774-5578

Richland County Ohio Probate Court
50 Park Avenue East
Mansfield, OH 44902
Phone: (419) 774-5583

Richland County Domestic Relations Court
50 Park Avenue East
Mansfield, OH 44902
Phone: (419) 774-5573

Richland County Common Pleas Drug Court (Under Specialty Dockets)
50 Park Avenue East
Mansfield, OH 44902
Phone: (419) 774-4766

Mansfield Municipal Court, Richland County, Ohio

Mansfield Municipal Court, Richland County, Ohio
30 North Diamond Street
Mansfield, OH 44902
Phone: (419) 755-9617

Municipal and Mayor's Courts:

Shelby Municipal Court
29 Mack Avenue,
Shelby, OH 44875
Phone: (419) 342-2896

Bellville Mayor's Court
142 Park Place,
Bellville, OH 44813
Phone: (419) 886-2245

Lexington Mayor's Court
Village Hall
44 W Main Street,
Lexington, OH 44904

Lucas Mayor's Court
101 1st Ave,
Lucas, OH 44843
Phone: (419) 892-2178

Ontario Mayor's Court
Ontario Municipal Building
555 Stumbo Rd,
Ontario, OH 44906
Phone: (419) 529-3723

Plymouth Mayor's Court
25 Sandusky Street,
Plymouth, OH 44865
Phone: (419) 687-2020

Shiloh Mayor's Court
13 W Main Street,
P.O. Box 242,
Shiloh, OH 44878
Phone: (419) 896-2011

The Richland County Common Pleas Court has divisions that handle different matters as can be seen in their names. The Mansfield Municipal Court has jurisdiction over all of Richland County with the exception of Shelby, Shiloh, Plymouth and six northern townships. The court handles matters such as marriage, mediation, and probation, as well as drug cases, domestic violence cases, and veterans' cases under their specialty dockets.

The other courts in Richland County are not courts of record and only hear cases involving violations of local ordinances and misdemeanor traffic laws. They typically meet only once or twice a week/month.

Richland County Superior Court Case Search

The superior court located in Richland County is the Richland County Court of Common Pleas. The court handles civil and criminal cases, appeal cases, juvenile cases, domestic violence cases, mediation, probation, and drug cases under their special docket. Case searches may be conducted for free online or with a subscription charge through a database provided by the County Court websites. Individuals must have the first and last name of the person involved in the case or the name of the company, where relevant, to carry out the search.

Alternatively, searches can be conducted in person at the Court of Common Pleas Courthouse at the address above. Searches can also be made by submitting the relevant name through an inquiry or a formal Public Records Request form to the Records Manager/Alternate Records of the Richland County Clerk of Courts Legal Division or Auto Title Division where relevant.

Photocopies of records will attract a fee of 10 cents per page for a non-certified copy and 1 dollar per page for a certified copy. Inspection of documents at a Richland County Building is free.

It must be noted that the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio has jurisdiction over Richland County but is not located within Richland County. As such, cases in Richland County are not usually tried at this court, but the court still serves Richland County. Their court cases and records can be found on their website.

Richland County District Court Records

Richland County does not have a district court. It is served mainly by the Richland County Court of Common Pleas, the Municipal Court, and the courts specific to certain townships, as mentioned above.

However, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio has jurisdiction over Richland County but is not located within Richland County. As a result, all cases are handled by the Court of Common Pleas, the Municipal Court, and the other township courts. All search requests for Richland county court records should be made to these courts.

Richland County Criminal Records

The Richland County sheriff's office holds the official archive of Richland County criminal records. The sheriff's office does not have an online database for searches. Any individual wishing to access criminal records will have to contact the sheriff's office directly.

Richland County Sheriff's Office
597 Park Avenue East
Mansfield, OH 44905
Phone: (419) 524-2142

Individuals can also search for Richland County arrest records through the relevant local police department and through the Richland County Common Pleas Court (information provided above). Lastly, one can make use of the Ohio State Offender Database when looking for past or present inmates/offenders in Ohio and related information such as where their cases were tried.

Richland County Criminal Court Case Lookup

Members of the public can look up criminal court cases in Richland County by using one of the online databases provided by the Richland County Clerk of Courts. Searchers must have the first and last name of the defendant in order to conduct the search.

Alternatively, a public interest inquiry or request can be made to the county clerk's office of courts, after which the searcher must pay the necessary fees to obtain copies of the records. The fee schedule is as discussed above.

Get Richland County Civil Court Records

All civil court records in Richland County can be found on the database provided by the court where the case took place. For example, civil cases conducted in Richland County, Mansfield Municipal Court, will be found on the court's website or database as provided. Richland County Civil Court records can also be obtained from the Clerk of Courts office at the Richland County Common Pleas Court.

Richland County Clerk of Courts
50 Park Avenue. East
Mansfield, OH 44902
Phone: (419) 774-5549

Richland County Family Court Records

The Richland County Family Court is also known as the Domestic Relations Division of the Richland County Court of Common Pleas. The court handles cases of divorce, guardianship, and child support. To obtain records from the domestic family division, one can visit the database provided by the Richland County Common Pleas Court or contact the County Clerk of Court's office directly, as they are responsible for holding all court records.

Some family records are also Vital Records (records that document life events and are kept under government authority and protection). Examples of such records are separation agreements, birth certificates, divorce certificates, etc. These records are significant because they document important life events. Ohio is an "open record" state, therefore there are no eligibility requirements for obtaining vital records.

Richland County Dissolution of Marriage Records

Dissolution of marriage records in Richland County can be accessed through the Probate Division of the Richland County Court of Common Pleas. Searches for records can be conducted on the Probate Court Division website or a database made available by the Probate Division.

Alternatively, searchers can contact the probate division directly through the contact details provided above. As always individuals conducting searches should note obtaining photocopies of records will attract a fee or 10 cents per page for a non-certified copy and $1 per page for a certified copy. The copies will be received via mail.

Richland County Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriage and divorce records form part of the Richland County Vital Records. Ohio is an "open record" state. This means that vital records are open to members of the public, and there are no restrictions for viewing and obtaining them. Richland County marriage records are maintained by the Probate Division of the Richland County Court of Common Pleas, while Richland County divorce records are kept by the County Clerk of Courts. Individuals seeking to obtain such records can visit the websites of these divisions and look through the available database or contact them directly through the contact information already provided in this article.

Richland County Birth and Death Records

The Richland Public Health Vital Statistics maintains all Richland county birth and death records from 1909, with the exception of Shelby. Birth and death records are useful in conducting censuses. These records can be accessed by contacting the Richland Public Health Vital Statistics via their website, requesting them, and receiving them by mail. Each copy of a record has a fee of $25. Any birth and death records before 1909 can be found at the Probate Court of the Court of Common Pleas. ((419) 774-9983).

Richland County Probate Court Records

Richland County Probate Court hears cases involving the administration of wills and trusts, disputes over wills, and matters involving guardianship and mental health issues. As such, the records can include marriage, birth, death, property, etc. These records can be obtained by carrying out a record search on the Richland County Probate Court website, databases made available by the court, or by contacting the division directly through the contact information already provided in this article.

Richland County Property Records

Information on properties in Richland County can be obtained from the Richland County Auditor. The records can be accessed through a database provided on their website. The county auditor's office can retrieve information such as who lives at a particular address, ownership, assessment, valuation, and tax information related to a property.

Requests can be made in person at the office or through a public request form, as well as copies of the records received by mail.

Richland County Auditor
50 Park Avenue East
Mansfield, OH 44902
Phone: (419) 774-5501

Individuals can also contact the Richland County Recorder's office for land records.

Richland County Court Records Online

Members of the public can access Richland County court records online through the court's website, government websites, or databases managed by the court. Individuals can also access these records through third-party websites. For example, Ohiocourtrecords.us is a third-party site that contains case information and computerized court records for many counties, including Richland County. The information on the sites is usually obtained from the county courts.

An advantage of third-party sites is that they can be more convenient than contacting official resources. However, the information provided on the sites may not be complete or up to date, and the courts in Richland County cannot be held liable for any losses amassed from using the information on the sites. Individuals using third-party sites should always check with the relevant county office to ensure accurate information.