Missouri Court Records Search

Missouri Court System

The state's Court System is simple and comprised of only a Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and local courts called Circuit Courts. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the state and court of last resort. The Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for the state.

MO is split up into 46 judicial districts, and there is at least one court in each county.

The Office of State Courts Administrator (OSCA) is the entity responsible for providing administration and support to all the courts, court personnel, and other organizations. They provide technical assistance, business help, and resources. They were established in 1970 and offer the following services: "case processing; criminal history reporting; debt collection and judgment enforcement; crime victims' rights; treatment court programming; the implementation of time standards for case disposition; and court improvement projects in the areas of child abuse and neglect, juvenile services, and family preservation."

Supreme Court

Court of Appeals

Circuit Court

Municipal Court

MO Court Records That are not Open to the Public

Although a lot of information is available through the state's records, not everything is made public. According to MO law, any legally deemed "closed" records will not be available. Criminal offenders who were not officially charged with a crime, their records will not be public. Additionally, crimes that did receive a charge but were dismissed or found not guilty will also not show up. Identifying information such as the following will be removed from any court documents:

- “Name - Location (home or temporary address)

- Telephone Number

- Social Security Number

- Physical Characteristics (including an unobstructed visual image of the victim's face or body).

- Place of Employment”

Other things that will not be included are mental health records, some public records, expunged criminal records, and contact details.

MO Court Case Filing Information

The MO Judicial Branch of Government website (Missouri Case.net) has an extensive area of forms split into types to make it easy for patrons to find the forms they need to file. Some of the categories are child protection, adult abuse, child support, court of appeals forms, probate, small claims forms, name change forms, family forms, criminal forms, collections programs, and general forms. Each form area on the website has detailed information about the legal process and how, where, and when to file the forms. They also have information on filing fees, docket entries, FAQs, and general information about the courts. Some courts also have electronic filing, but it is not a state-wide standard as of yet.

Search for Court Records Online

To search for state records easily, use the Infotracer search tool! With access to thousands of court cases all over the state, including St. Louis County, Jefferson City, Kansas City, Jackson County, and St. Charles County, Infotracer is your best option! Thanks to the state Sunshine Law, MO. Code §610.023 et seq., Infotracer can offer criminal records, civil cases, dockets, case information, case records, bankruptcies, civil court records, divorces, probate court records, and more through their extensive database.

Anyone can conduct a private records search without any reason at all. No special information is needed or permission, just a Missouri state court records name search. Most records will be available except those that are private or confidential by law.

With Infotracer, get free instant access to records from most of the courts in the state. The Infotracer search tool is the best way to lookup court cases online from courts in all 46 judicial districts, appellate courts, and the Supreme Court.

Missouri Court Statistics

In 2012, the Missouri courts received 2,840,743 filings. In 2016, the number of filings decreased by 22.0% and counted 2,216,593 filings and had 2,059,069 outgoing cases

Family Court Cases

Domestic relations caseload of Missouri at year end of 2016 has decreased by 7.0% compared to the last 5 years, in 2012 the number of incoming cases have been 126,887 but are higher than in 2015.

Missouri Criminal Caseloads

The number of criminal cases in Missouri courts counts to 221,347, with 106,313 felony cases and 115,034 misdemeanors accordingly.

Circuit Courts

Circuit Courts are the local, general jurisdiction trial courts for the state. They handle both civil and criminal matters. MO is split into 46 judicial districts with at least one of these courts in each county. These courts are further divided into specialized courts to deal with matters of family, juvenile, small claims, and probate issues. Additionally, MO has initiated problem-solving courts such as DUI Court, Drug Court, Juvenile Court, Family Court, and Veteran's Court to help with treatment and rehabilitation far beyond just bringing justice into these areas. The goals of Circuit judges are to help people live better lives and stay out of the court system.