Search DeKalb County Court Records
The main online path for DeKalb County Court records is Indiana MyCase. The Indiana Judicial Branch DeKalb County page links its case-search option to that portal, and MyCase includes DeKalb County plus "DeKalb County - Butler City Court" as separate court choices. That distinction matters. A citation or ordinance case from Butler may not be easiest to find if the court field is left too broad, while a Circuit or Superior Court matter should be searched under DeKalb County.
The public MyCase view is case information, not the certified court record. The state help page says official records must come from the court that maintains the file. In DeKalb County, that usually means the Clerk of Courts at the courthouse for Circuit and Superior Court files. If a document image is not available online, or if a certified copy is needed for court, employment, Social Security, or another formal purpose, the Clerk copy request process is the local route.
- Open MyCase from the state court search page or the DeKalb court page.
- Choose Case, Name, or Attorney search, based on the information already known.
- Select DeKalb County for Circuit and Superior Court cases, or DeKalb County - Butler City Court for city-court matters.
- Use status, date, criminal, civil, family, or probate filters when the portal offers them.
- Read docket entries as public case data, then request official or certified copies from the Clerk of Courts.
The Indiana MyCase public case search screenshot in the project manifest shows the statewide search interface used for DeKalb County Court case lookup.
Use the court dropdown in that interface before assuming a missing case is not public.
DeKalb County Court Search Fields
MyCase gives several search paths because DeKalb County Court records are not all found by the same key. A case number is strongest when it is known. A citation number is useful for traffic cases. A party-name search can find civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic records, but common names may return too many results unless a birth date, court, or filing range is added.
| Field | Type | Use | DeKalb note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search by | Tab | Case, Name, Attorney | Pick the tab that matches the known identifier. |
| Case Number | Text | Exact case lookup | Best for known Circuit or Superior Court files. |
| Citation Number | Text | Traffic lookup | Useful for infraction and ordinance citations. |
| Person Name | Text | Party search | Birth date can narrow common-name results. |
| Court | Dropdown | Court filter | Use DeKalb County or DeKalb County - Butler City Court. |
| Status | Radio | Open or closed | Advanced option for active or closed cases. |
| File Date | Date range | Time filter | Helpful when a filing year is known. |
DeKalb County Court System
Indiana does not use a county District Court as the general local trial court. DeKalb County's local trial-court structure is the Circuit and Superior Courts, with Butler City Court as a lower local court. The official county courts page lists DeKalb Circuit Court, DeKalb Superior Court, DeKalb Superior Court #2, Butler City Court, and the Clerk of Courts. The 2025 local rules are styled for the DeKalb Circuit and Superior Courts and allocate filings by case type.
The official DeKalb County Courts page is the county source for court names, judges, phone numbers, and office addresses.
Those local court listings explain why DeKalb County Court records should use Circuit and Superior Court terminology rather than District Court language.
| Court or office | Address | Phone | Judge or office |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeKalb Circuit Court | 100 S Main Street, Auburn, IN 46706 | 260-925-2764 | Hon. Kurt Grimm |
| DeKalb Superior Court | 100 S Main Street, Auburn, IN 46706 | 260-925-4723 | Hon. Adam C. Squiller |
| DeKalb Superior Court #2 | 100 S Main Street, Auburn, IN 46706 | 260-925-5277 | Hon. Patrick Jessup |
| Butler City Court | 120 West Main Street, Butler, IN 46721 | 260-868-2441 | Hon. Richard L. Obendorf |
| Clerk of Courts | 100 S Main Street, Auburn, IN 46706 | 260-925-0912 | Clerk Dana Hedrick |
Case path: filing or citation > DeKalb Circuit and Superior Courts or Butler City Court > Indiana Court of Appeals > Indiana Supreme Court if review is granted.
DeKalb County Court Record Types
DeKalb County Court records include civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, juvenile, warrant-related, and protective-order matters. Civil records may include complaints, summons, appearances, motions, orders, judgments, satisfactions, evictions, mortgage foreclosures, and small claims. Small claims and evictions are assigned to Superior Court II under local rules.
Criminal records include filed charges, initial hearings, bonds, pleas, motions, hearings, dispositions, sentencing entries, probation entries, and warrants when those events are public. Family records include dissolution, custody, support, protective-order, adoption, and guardianship materials, but public access changes when minors, financial identifiers, adoption, or juvenile facts are involved.
- Criminal case files: filed charges, hearings, pleas, dispositions, and sentencing entries.
- Civil case files: complaints, motions, judgments, evictions, small claims, and collection cases.
- Family records: dissolution dockets, support issues, protective orders, and custody events with access limits.
- Probate records: estates, wills, guardianships, personal representatives, inventories, and closing orders when public.
- Traffic records: citations, infractions, moving violations, hearings, fines, and failure-to-appear events.
What DeKalb County Court Records Show
A DeKalb County Court record usually starts with the court, case number, case type, filing date, case status, and party names. The detail then changes by case type. A criminal or traffic file may show charges, offense dates, statutes, offense degree, bond, citations, hearings, dispositions, and sentencing. A civil file may show claims, service, appearances, motions, orders, judgments, and financial entries. Probate and family records may show parties, attorneys, events, and orders, with sensitive documents withheld.
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Case number | The court file identifier used by MyCase and the Clerk. |
| Court | DeKalb County, Butler City Court, Circuit Court, Superior Court, or appellate court. |
| Parties | Names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, estates, attorneys, or protected persons when public. |
| Docket events | The timeline of filings, hearings, orders, judgments, sentencing, and other case activity. |
| Charges | Criminal or traffic count descriptions, statutes, offense dates, levels, and citation numbers. |
| Disposition | The result of a charge, claim, petition, or case event. |
| Documents | Downloadable files when public and available, with certified copies still requested from the Clerk. |
DeKalb County Court Access Laws
Public access to DeKalb County Court records comes from both court-record rules and Indiana public-records law. The practical rule is simple: MyCase is the public online case-information tool, while official records come from the court or Clerk that maintains the file. The Clerk's copy form states that confidential records require Indiana Administrative Rule 9(B) eligibility and photo identification when picked up.
Key authorities:
Indiana Administrative Rule 9 says public court records are available at the courthouse during regular business hours, with remote access as allowed.
Access to Court Records Rule 5 identifies records and data excluded from public access.
Access to Court Records Rule 9 gives a process to request access to records excluded from public view.
Indiana Code Title 5 includes the Access to Public Records Act, IC 5-14-3.
DeKalb County Clerk Copies
The DeKalb County Clerk of Courts is Dana Hedrick. The Clerk is the officer of the court, manager of court information, and financial officer for court revenues. For records, the most important local service is the copy request process. Requests can be made in person at the courthouse, by mail to P.O. Box 230, Auburn, IN 46706, or by fax using the Clerk's form. The main civil number is 260-925-0912, while criminal, traffic, small claims, child support, and voter registration have separate numbers.
| Copy item | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Plain court-record copy | $1.00 per page |
| Certification | $3.00 per document |
| Card convenience fee | 3% or $1.50 minimum |
| Mail payment | Money order payable to DeKalb County Clerk plus a self-addressed stamped envelope |
| Confidential records | Rule 9(B) eligibility and photo ID are required |
Restricted DeKalb County Court Records
Not every court record is public. Juvenile matters are not searched like ordinary adult cases. Adoption files, mental health proceedings, sealed records, expunged records, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, medical information, and minor identifying data may be withheld or redacted. Local rules place juvenile categories in Circuit Court, but Indiana law controls access.
Expungement is also local in a practical way. DeKalb rules say XP expungement cases are filed in the court with the underlying criminal case. If multiple cases apply, the court with the highest offense is used, and if more than one case shares that level, the most recent highest-level case controls. Eligibility still depends on Indiana Code Title 35 and the case outcome.
Note: If online results are missing, the cause may be a restriction, older file, court selection issue, or delay.
DeKalb County Sheriff Records
Court records and sheriff records are related, but they are not the same file. Sheriff Brady Thomas leads the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office at 215 E 8th Street in Auburn. The sheriff site provides an official inmate search, a warrant page that links to the DeKalb TheMostWanted warrant portal, jail information, visitation, commissary, bail and bonds, sex-offender registry information, and a records-request channel for law-enforcement reports.
The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office home page screenshot assigned to the home page shows the newer sheriff site where jail and warrant users start.
Use the sheriff record channel for jail, warrant, crash, and law-enforcement records, and use the Clerk for court-file copies.
DeKalb County Vital and Probate Records
Marriage records begin with the Clerk of Courts. A DeKalb marriage license application starts online through the Indiana judiciary link, but both applicants must finish in person by appointment at the Clerk's Office. Indiana residents must follow county residency rules, out-of-state applicants may apply in DeKalb only when the ceremony will occur in DeKalb County, and the license is valid for 60 days after issue. Divorce records are searched as dissolution cases in MyCase, with certified decrees requested from the Clerk.
Probate is handled in the DeKalb Circuit and Superior Court system rather than by a separate county probate court page. Estate and guardianship categories appear in the local allocation rules. Traffic records are court records when they involve citations, hearings, dispositions, fines, or failure-to-appear events, but Indiana BMV driver records are separate state records.
DeKalb County Court Programs
The DeKalb County Veterans' Treatment Court is a docket within DeKalb Circuit Court, with Judge Kurt Grimm presiding. The local rules also refer to DeKalb County Problem Solving Courts such as Veterans Court, Family Reconciliation Court, and Drug Court. The rules list program fees that may include a $100 administration fee, user fees up to $50 per month, chemical testing from $15 to $95, a $25 transfer fee, a $30 MRT fee, and home detention or electronic monitoring fees.
DeKalb County's current court setup also reflects a local history of courthouse-centered government in Auburn. County code materials refer to courthouse construction plans by Mahurin and Mahurin and document the second Superior Court approval history. Modern access is split between the courthouse at 100 S Main Street and the sheriff and jail at 215 E 8th Street.
DeKalb County Judiciary Page
The Indiana Judicial Branch DeKalb County page is a state-level landing page for local court links, e-filing, local rules, contacts, court statistics, and case search access.
That state court page is useful when the county site is hard to reach or when statewide court tools are needed.
DeKalb County Court Terms
Many records use short court terms. A docket is the timeline of filings and events. A disposition is the outcome of a charge or case. A certified copy is the Clerk-issued copy used for formal proof. A bond is money or a release condition used to secure a court appearance. An expungement is a court process that can restrict public access to eligible arrest, charge, or conviction records.
- Complaint
- A filing that starts many civil cases or states an accusation in some criminal contexts.
- Information
- A prosecutor's formal charging document in a criminal case.
- Judgment
- A final or enforceable decision resolving claims or money owed.
- Infraction
- A non-criminal violation, often used for traffic matters.
DeKalb County Court FAQs
Where are DeKalb County Court records searched?
Most public case information is searched in Indiana MyCase. Select DeKalb County for Circuit and Superior Court matters or DeKalb County - Butler City Court for local city-court cases.
Are MyCase results official records?
No. MyCase is public case information. Official and certified records must be requested from the court or the DeKalb County Clerk of Courts.
Who handles certified copies?
The Clerk of Courts handles certified copies for DeKalb Circuit and Superior Court records. The local form lists $1 per page and $3 per certified document.
Where are jail and warrant records found?
The Sheriff's Office handles jail roster, warrant, crash, and many law-enforcement record requests. Court case records remain with the Clerk and courts.