Search Clay County Court Records Online
Public Clay County court records are searched through Indiana MyCase or the public entry at public.courts.in.gov/mycase. The Indiana Judicial Branch links Clay County case searching to MyCase, and the state explains that MyCase receives data from courts using Odyssey, the statewide case management system used by most Indiana courts. The official docket in that system is the Chronological Case Summary, often shortened to CCS.
MyCase is free for non-confidential case information. It can show Clay Circuit Court and Clay Superior Court cases, including public case summaries, hearings, parties, attorneys, docket entries, balances, and some documents. A missing document does not mean the document is closed. The state help pages say documents not available through MyCase should be requested from the clerk in the county where the case is heard, which means the Clay County Clerk for local Clay County court records.
- Open MyCase and choose the search mode that fits the information in hand.
- Use a case number, citation number, party name, business name, or attorney search.
- Limit results by case type or court when the interface offers a useful filter.
- Open the case summary and read the CCS entries, parties, hearings, documents, and financial fields.
- Contact the Clay County Clerk for public documents that are not linked online or for certified copies.
The Indiana Odyssey case management page is the source for the CCS and Odyssey explanation. That statewide system is why Clay County court records are not kept in a separate county-only portal.
The state describes Odyssey as the connected case-management system for Indiana courts on the Indiana Judicial Branch Odyssey page.
Clay County Court Records Search Fields
The most useful Clay County court records search depends on the data known before the search starts. A cause number is the cleanest path. Party searches need more care because MyCase search tips say an individual search uses a last name plus at least a first name, middle name, or date of birth. The date of birth can help search, but it does not display in case details because that data is excluded from public case view.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Text | Optional | Hyphens and leading zeroes are not required. Clay County case numbers begin with county code 11. |
| Citation Number | Text | Optional | Often must match the citation as entered in Odyssey, especially for traffic records. |
| Last Name | Text | Yes for party search | Use with first name, middle name, or date of birth to narrow individual results. |
| Business Name | Text | Yes for business search | Exact names work best, but official tips allow wildcard use. |
| Attorney Name or Number | Text | Optional | Search by attorney number or by last name paired with first or middle name. |
| Case Type Limit | Filter | No | Default searches broadly, but a case type filter can reduce unrelated results. |
| Captcha | Verification | Sometimes | May appear after repeated searching to prevent data mining. |
The official MyCase search tips also note that no search returns more than 1,000 results. Narrowing by name, date, case type, or known case number helps avoid a result set that is too broad.
Indiana publishes field rules and wildcard guidance through the MyCase search tips page.
Types of Clay County Court Records
Clay County court records are split between Clay Circuit Court and Clay Superior Court under the local rules. Felonies and many civil case types are shared or allocated by the local caseload plan. Misdemeanors, traffic infractions, ordinance violations, small claims, and many protective-order matters are assigned to Superior Court. Juvenile, estate, guardianship, trust, adoption, reciprocal support, and many probate matters are assigned to Circuit Court.
The Clay County Clerk administers official court records for cases in the county. The Clerk's responsibilities page lists criminal case records, traffic cases, civil categories, domestic relations, mental health, adoptions, estates, guardianships, CHINS, juvenile delinquency, juvenile status, juvenile miscellaneous, and juvenile paternity. That list is broader than the public records that appear online, because some case types are restricted by rule or not displayed on MyCase.
- Criminal court records include felony, misdemeanor, miscellaneous criminal, warrants, bond, plea, disposition, and sentence entries.
- Civil court records include torts, collections, foreclosures, evictions, small claims, protective orders, garnishments, and judgments.
- Family court records include dissolution, separation, custody, paternity, reciprocal support, and post-judgment filings.
- Probate records include estates, guardianships, trusts, wills, inventories, notices, and final reports, with adoption restricted.
- Traffic and ordinance records include citation number, plea, fine, cost, deferral, BMV reporting, and court disposition.
For criminal-only case files, the focused path is the Clay County criminal court records page. This broader Clay County court records page stays centered on all public trial court case types.
What Clay County Court Records Show
A Clay County court record is not one flat file. It is a case number, court assignment, parties, attorneys, CCS entries, hearings, financial data, and available documents. Indiana Administrative Rule 8 gives the statewide case-number format, and Clay County uses county code 11 in that format. The case type section of the number helps identify whether the matter is an infraction, ordinance violation, estate, guardianship, small claim, dissolution, protective order, felony, misdemeanor, or another case class.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Uniform Indiana cause number with Clay County code 11, court identifier, filing period, case type, and sequence. |
| Court | Clay Circuit Court or Clay Superior Court, depending on the local assignment rules. |
| Case Type | Criminal, civil, traffic, family, probate, juvenile, protective order, or other public case class. |
| Parties | Names such as plaintiff, defendant, petitioner, respondent, estate, ward, guardian, or attorney when public. |
| CCS | The chronological event list with filings, hearings, orders, judgments, payments, continuances, and dispositions. |
| Documents | Linked public documents when available, with many documents still requiring a Clerk request. |
| Financial Fields | Fines, costs, credits, payments, balances, restitution, or fees when shown, subject to Clerk confirmation. |
Indiana Administrative Rule 8 is the authority for the case-number format. It is useful when reading Clay County court records because the number itself can show the court, filing date, and case type.
The Indiana document access lookup explains which court documents may be available by case type.
Public Access to Clay County Court Records
Indiana's access framework combines the Indiana Access to Public Records Act with the Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records. Rule 4 states the general public-access rule for court records, while Rule 5 lists records and information excluded from public access. In practice, Clay County court records begin with MyCase for public summaries and available documents, then move to the County Clerk when a public document is not online.
Clerk-held copies matter because MyCase does not supply a complete certified case file. Public access may include a CCS docket entry, but the public document may be unavailable online. Certified copies, older case files, financial balance questions, judgment details, and court documents not linked in MyCase should be directed to the Clerk's Office in Room 209. Bulk court data follows a separate Indiana Office of Court Services request route under Administrative Rule 9(F).
Note: Public Clay County court records can still omit confidential data, sealed files, and documents that are only available from the Clerk.
Indiana collects statewide record-access routes on the public records page.
Restricted Clay County Court Records
Not every Clay County court record is public online. Indiana Access to Court Records Rule 5 excludes several kinds of records and information. Juvenile CHINS, delinquency, status, and many adoption-related matters are often confidential or not displayed online. Some juvenile paternity cases filed after July 1, 2014 may be public unless made confidential, but courts are not required to display those records on the internet.
Protection order cases do not appear in MyCase because protected-person identifying information is excluded from online public access. Mental health files are often restricted. Sealed records may not appear at all. Pending or denied expungement cases may appear, but granted expungements may be removed depending on the type. Social Security numbers, account numbers, date of birth in case details, minor data, victim or witness addresses, and similar identifiers should be redacted or excluded.
A person seeking access to a restricted record must use the court process that applies to that case type. A person seeking expungement files in the court that has jurisdiction over the eligible arrest, charge, or conviction record. Indiana expungement law is in IC 35-38-9, but eligibility depends on the record type, waiting period, offense, and case outcome.
Clay County Clerk Record Requests
The Clay County Clerk is the local record counter for court documents not available through MyCase, certified copies, older records, judgments, and case questions that require the official file. Mail requests should identify the case number if known, party names, the document requested, the copy type, a return address, and the payment method after fee confirmation. The research did not locate a general Clay County court-record request form, so calling first is the practical step.
Clay County Clerk
Clay County Courthouse, Room 209
609 East National Avenue
Brazil, IN 47834
812-448-9024
Traffic and jury questionnaire line: 812-448-9032
The County Clerk page identifies Nichole Keller as Clerk and lists services that include child support, jury duty, small claims, marriage licenses, and court-related payments. The Clerk's responsibilities page adds the local record duties: official court records, permanent historical records, the Record of Judgments and Orders, the Judgment Docket, and CCS indexes.
For document limits and payment availability, the MyCase help page explains account access, documents, and online payments.
Clay County also appears in the statewide public MyCase entry point.
