Summit County Court of Common Pleas Case Search

In Summit County, Ohio, the Clerk of the Court is the official record keeper of all case events in the Court of Common Pleas. Thus, interested public members can request and get copies of court records from the court clerk.

However, the clerk may deny access to court documents that are sealed due to statutes or judicial orders. Examples of restricted court records include case files about juvenile offenders and adoptions. Public members typically search for court records to find information about court events and activities. They also search the records to determine whether the court was impartial and fair in a case proceeding.

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

The Summit County Court of Common Pleas has jurisdiction over all court cases, including civil, criminal, family law, mental health, and probate cases. Cases under the court’s jurisdiction are outlined in the table below:

Summit County’s Court of Common Pleas has specialized divisions for handling specific case types. These divisions include juvenile, domestic relations, general, and probate.

Summit County Court of Common Pleas

The Summit County Court of Common Pleas has general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters. However, it will only hear cases that meet the required financial threshold or severity. For example, the court hears civil disputes in which the disputed amount is more than $15,000. If the contest amount is less than $1,000, the court may refer the case to the municipal court.

The Court of Common Pleas plays a significant role in the county’s justice system. Residents file cases with the courts to settle large civil disputes, get justice, and document life events like marriage and divorce. The Courts of Common Pleas are located at these addresses:

Courts of Common Pleas in Summit County

Summit County Court of Common Pleas—Domestic Relations Division
205 South High Street
Akron, OH 44308
Phone: (330) 643-2202
Fax: (330) 643-7738

Summit County Court of Common Pleas—General Division
205 South High Street
Akron, OH 44308
Phone: (330) 643-8368 (Civil)
Fax: (330) 643-7737 (Civil)
Phone: (330) 643-7398 (Criminal)
Fax: (330) 643-7772 (Criminal)

Summit County Court of Common Pleas—Juvenile Division

William P. Kannel Juvenile Justice Center
650 Dan Street
Akron, OH 44310
Phone: (330) 643-2900

Summit County Court of Common Pleas—Probate Division

Summit County Courthouse
209 South High Street
Akron, OH 44308
Phone: (330) 643-2350
Fax: (330) 643-2393

Summit County Case Lookup

Interested persons or entities can look up Summit County court records by using resources or options provided by designated record custodians. These options include the following:

Online search and request platforms for accessing court records

The Summit County Clerk of Courts hosts a searchable database for all cases filed in the Court of Common Pleas. Interested parties using the database must provide the relevant search data for any of these search options:

• Search by criminal case number.
• Search by name.
• Search by commercial name.
• Search by judge, case type, date, or document type.

The Clerk of Court's office also features an online request platform. Inquirers must fill out the form and click on "Submit" to send it to the clerk’s office. The clerk will review the request and send the request document to the inquirer’s mail address.

Conversely, Akron Municipal Court’s website hosts a case search portal for all municipal court cases filed in the courthouse. To view court records, inquirers must choose a search option and input the required information. The municipal court also offers access to court transcripts through an online request form. Inquirers must download the form, fill out the required sections, and click on "Submit" to send it to the court. The municipal court will retrieve the requested documents and send them to the inquirer’s email address.

Walk-in requests for court records

The Summit County Clerk of Court’s Office is the official custodian of court records documented in the Court of Common Pleas. To obtain copies of Summit court records, inquirers must submit an in-person request to the Clerk of Courts at these locations:

Main Branch
1030 East Tallmadge Avenue
Akron, OH 44310-3516
Phone: (330) 630-7200

North Branch

Summit Plaza
10333 Northfield Road
Suite 152
Northfield Village, OH 44067
Phone: (330) 467-7333

South Branch—Green
3333 Massillon Road
Suite 105
Akron, OH 44312
Phone: (330) 899-9699

The clerk of courts attends to in-person requests during open hours on weekdays. To obtain physical copies of court documents, inquirers may need to pay copy fees at the clerk’s office.

On the other hand, you can obtain municipal court records by walking into the Akron Municipal Court at:

Akron Municipal Court
172 South Broadway Street
Akron, OH 44308
Phone: (330) 375-2120

Inquirers can also view municipal court records by using public self-service terminals installed at the court premises. The court charges $1 per page for the first 10 pages and $0.25 per additional page.

Mail-in requests for court records

The Akron County Municipal Court allows email-based requests for court transcripts. To make a request via mail, record seekers must send a completed court transcript request form to the court at TranscriptRequests@akronohio.gov.

Summit Court of Common Pleas Case Search by Name

Name-based inquiries involve using the record subject’s name to locate documents. In Summit County, interested parties can search the Court of Common Pleas court records through online searches and offline requests. For online name-based searches, inquirers must follow these steps:

1. Visit the Summit County Clerk of Court’s online search platform.
2. Select the preferred case type.
3. Next, choose the "Search by name" or "Search by commercial name" option.
4. Input the case party’s full names.
5. Click on "Search" to locate the document.
6. Name-based searches may bring up names of case parties with similar names. To get an accurate search result, inquirers may include additional court data like case number and filing date range.

In contrast, you can inquire about court records by providing the case party names at the Clerk of Court’s physical locations.

Summit Court of Common Pleas Docket Search

Court dockets are summaries of all events that occurred in a case proceeding. Such records typically contain information on filed documents, case parties, judgments, orders, court dates, and the presiding judge.

To find Summit Court of Common Pleas court dockets, inquirers may conduct searches on the Clerk of Court’s online database. The Clerk of Courts also allows in-person requests for court docket information. Court docket searches are important for staying updated about upcoming court hearings. Inquirers also search court dockets to locate documents filed in a case proceeding.

Lookup Summit County Court of Common Pleas Online

In Summit County, the Clerk of Courts hosts an online database of Court of Common Pleas court records. Inquirers must select the case type and search option to find records in the database. Conversely, third-party search websites like Ohiocourtrecords.us offer online access to Summit County’s Court of Common Pleas court records. The platforms are generally easy to use and do not have location-based restrictions. However, such sites are unregulated and unaffiliated with any government agency and, therefore, do not provide any guarantees on accurate court information.

Supreme Court vs. Court of Common Pleas

The Ohio Supreme Court is the highest appellate court. Its jurisdiction covers appeals concerning judgments passed in the lower courts or the district courts of appeals. In addition, the court has final authority over the interpretation of the state constitution. However, the Court of Common Pleas is a trial court with general jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. The court also oversees probate, family law, and mental health cases.