Search Hancock County Court Records
Most public Hancock County court records start with Indiana MyCase, the state public case-search portal. The Indiana Judicial Branch also keeps a Hancock County court page with links for local court search, e-filing, local rules, and direct local court contact. MyCase can show case summaries, parties, attorneys, hearings, docket entries, charges in criminal matters, financial entries where public, and many online documents. It does not replace the official record maintained by the court.
Use the case number when one is known. If not, search by party name, business name, attorney, citation number, or cross-reference number. The official MyCase help page warns that no search returns more than 1,000 results, so common names need more detail. Hancock County case records may appear under Hancock Circuit Court, Hancock Superior Court I, or Hancock Superior Court II.
The Indiana MyCase public case-search portal is the official statewide starting point for Hancock County court records.
Search results should be confirmed with the Hancock County Clerk when a certified document, older file, or unavailable document is needed.
- Open MyCase and choose the search mode that fits the information available.
- Use case number, citation number, cross-reference number, party name, business name, or attorney search.
- Narrow the search to Hancock County or to the relevant Hancock court when the filter is available.
- Open the case summary and review the chronological case summary, hearings, parties, and documents.
- Request official copies from the Hancock County Clerk when MyCase does not provide the document or certification is required.
Hancock County Court Search Fields
MyCase search fields matter because Hancock County court records may be easier to find by case number than by name. A citation can lead to a traffic case. A business name can lead to civil collection, tort, foreclosure, eviction, or small-claims results. Attorney searches can help when a party name is common, but the official search tips require enough attorney detail to narrow the result.
The Indiana Judicial Branch MyCase search tips explain case, party, and attorney searches for Hancock County court records.
The search tips are useful before calling the clerk because they show how to reduce large result sets and avoid missed cases caused by punctuation or leading zeroes.
| Field | Use | Hancock County record note |
|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Find a known court file | Hyphens and leading zeroes are not required. |
| Citation Number | Find traffic and citation matters | Useful for Superior Court II traffic records. |
| Party Name | Search a person or business | Last name or business name is the core search term. |
| Date of Birth | Narrow a person search | Helps with common names in criminal or traffic cases. |
| Attorney | Search by lawyer | Use attorney number or last name with first or middle name. |
| County or Court | Limit results | Choose Hancock County, Circuit Court, Superior I, or Superior II where available. |
Hancock County Court System
Indiana trial courts include circuit courts, superior courts, and city or town courts where created. In Hancock County, the principal trial courts are Hancock Circuit Court, Hancock Superior Court I, and Hancock Superior Court II. The names do not work like a strict ladder. The Indiana judiciary explains that trial-court labels often reflect history and local law, while the practical case mix varies by county.
The Hancock County courts page lists the local court offices and courthouse access points.
The local court list helps users separate courtrooms from the clerk, sheriff, prosecutor, and public defender, which use different offices and record channels.
| Court | Room | Phone | Case notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock Circuit Court | 302 | 317-477-1107 | Probate, criminal, civil, juvenile, and domestic relations. |
| Hancock Superior Court I | 303 | 317-477-1148 | General jurisdiction, serious felony, divorce, juvenile, estates, foreclosure, and eviction. |
| Hancock Superior Court II | 217 | 317-477-1115 | Traffic infractions, misdemeanors, Class D felonies, and small claims. |
| Hancock Behavioral Health Court | Courthouse program | Not posted in research | Problem-solving court for eligible criminal-justice participants. |
Case flow: filing or charge › assigned Hancock trial court › hearings and orders › judgment or disposition › Indiana Court of Appeals when an appeal is taken.
Hancock County Court Record Types
Hancock County court records include civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, ordinance, protective order, juvenile, adoption, mental health, and small-claims files. Public access depends on the record class. Civil collection, tort, eviction, mortgage foreclosure, and small-claims cases are generally easier to search by party or business name. Criminal and traffic records often have case numbers, citation numbers, charges, pleas, dispositions, fines, bond entries, and court dates.
Some Hancock County court records are public in part but not in full. Juvenile cases are confidential under the county public-records page. Adoption files are civil but confidential. Paternity, mental health, protected-person details, personal identifiers, and sealed or expunged criminal records may be excluded from public access. That is why a missing MyCase result does not always mean no case exists.
- Civil records: complaints, summonses, appearances, motions, orders, judgments, and service returns.
- Criminal records: charges, pleas, hearings, dispositions, sentencing, bond, and public warrants or summons entries.
- Family records: divorce and domestic relations files, with some child or financial documents restricted.
- Probate records: estates, guardianships, trusts, small estate affidavits, letters, and orders.
- Traffic records: citations, case numbers, court dates, fines, fees, dispositions, and payment status.
What Hancock County Court Records Show
A Hancock County court record can include a case number, case title, court name, judge, case type, filing date, status, parties, attorneys, chronological case summary, hearings, motions, orders, judgments, sentences, charges, pleas, dispositions, fines, fees, restitution, bond, payment entries, and public documents. MyCase may show many of these fields for free, but certified records must come from the clerk.
- Chronological Case Summary
- The Indiana docket history showing events, filings, notices, hearings, orders, and outcomes over time.
- Disposition
- The result of a charge, claim, or case, such as dismissal, judgment, plea, or conviction.
- Information
- A prosecutor-filed criminal charging document used in many Indiana cases.
- Expungement
- A statutory process that can seal or restrict access to eligible arrest, charge, or conviction records.
| Field | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Case number | The court file identifier used for lookup and copy requests. |
| Court | Whether the case is in Circuit Court, Superior Court I, or Superior Court II. |
| Parties | Plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, state, defendant, or estate participants. |
| Docket entry | A dated event such as filing, hearing, order, continuance, judgment, or sentencing. |
| Financial entry | Fines, fees, court costs, restitution, bond, or payment status when public. |
| Document link | Public online documents when available, with some records withheld or redacted. |
Hancock County Public Court Access
Indiana court access is shaped by the Access to Public Records Act and the Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records. The Hancock County Clerk's public-records page says case information can be viewed online, but copies of court documents are provided through the clerk after the proper fee is paid. The clerk also notes that confidential case parties must provide photo identification.
The Indiana Judicial Branch public-records guide gathers court access, MyCase, marriage, protection order, offender, and local clerk guidance.
That statewide page is useful when a Hancock County search crosses from county court records into statewide court, protection order, offender, or marriage record resources.
Key Statutes and Rules:
IC 5-14-3 gives the public access to public records unless a law or rule limits disclosure.
Indiana Access to Court Records Rule 4 treats court records as public unless excluded by rule, statute, order, or confidentiality law.
Indiana Access to Court Records Rule 5 excludes confidential categories and protected information from public access.
IC 35-38-9 governs eligible Indiana expungement and sealing petitions.
Hancock County Clerk Records
The Hancock County Clerk of the Circuit Court, also called the County Clerk, is the keeper of local court records and the office for certified court-document requests. Lisa M. Lofgreen is the clerk named in the county research. The office is in room 213 of the courthouse, and public-record mail goes to the Clerk's Public Access Department. Attorneys must e-file through an Indiana E-Filing Service Provider, while self-represented litigants may file in person, by mail, or by fax. Email filings are not accepted.
For copies, the clerk uses a Request for Information form. Written requests should identify the public record with reasonable particularity, include a money order, and include a self-addressed stamped envelope. The form says in-person requests may take up to 24 hours, mail requests may take up to seven days, and closed case files may be off-site until the next business day.
| Clerk service | Fee or rule |
|---|---|
| Court case copies | $1 per page |
| Child support payment printouts | $1 per year |
| Certification | $3 per certification |
| Microfilm copies | $1 per page |
| Mail request | Request form, money order, and self-addressed stamped envelope |
Restricted Hancock County Court Records
Not every Hancock County court record is open online. Juvenile records are confidential under the county public-records page, and paternity cases, especially pre-2014 paternity matters, are treated as confidential. Adoption cases are civil but confidential. Mental health, protected-person, financial, minor, and personal identifier details may be removed or sealed under Indiana court access rules.
The Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records set the statewide court-record access framework for Hancock County court records.
Those rules explain why a court event can be public while a related filing, exhibit, personal identifier, or confidential case category is withheld.
For criminal records, expungement filings go through the court. The Hancock fee schedule lists expungement as XP and states that no filing fee applies if the case did not result in conviction, was dismissed, or was reduced to an infraction. If the petition is granted, public access may be limited based on the statute and the court order.
Note: If a record is confidential, the clerk may require party status, attorney access, a court order, and photo identification.
Hancock County Sheriff Records
Hancock County sheriff and jail records use different channels from court files. Sheriff Brad Burkhart's office and the Hancock County Jail are at 398 Malcolm Grass Way in Greenfield. Sheriff records include local background checks, crash reports, case reports, and public-record requests through NextRequest. The jail page covers custody, visitation, mail, telephone service, bonds, commissary, and property release.
The county jail opened in May 2022 and has a listed capacity of 446. Current jail custody is searched through the official JailTracker link from the jail page, while Indiana county jail public access, IDOC offender locator, and SAVIN serve different statewide purposes. Active Indiana warrant verification is directed to MyCase by the sheriff records page, not to a separate sheriff warrant database.
| Record need | Best channel |
|---|---|
| Current Hancock jail custody | JailTracker current-inmate lookup or jail phone line. |
| State prison custody | IDOC offender locator or SAVIN notification search. |
| Crash or case report | Sheriff NextRequest or records office pickup. |
| Warrant court status | MyCase, issuing court, clerk, or sheriff confirmation. |
Hancock County Marriage Probate Records
Marriage licenses are issued by the Hancock County Clerk's Office. Both applicants must be present with proper, unexpired identification, and Hancock County residents need at least one applicant who lives in the county. The license is valid in any Indiana county for 60 days after issuance. Out-of-state residents must marry in Hancock County if the license is issued there. Certified marriage copies are requested from the clerk by mail with spouse names, marriage date, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and the posted copy fee.
The Indiana Marriage License Public Lookup can help search public statewide marriage license records from many counties from 1993 forward, but certified marriage and divorce documents still come from the county clerk that issued or entered the record. Divorce cases are domestic relations court records, and probate is handled through the Hancock court system rather than a separate probate court.
Indiana's court-system overview explains the trial court structure that applies to Hancock County court records.
The statewide overview helps place Hancock Circuit Court and Hancock Superior Courts within Indiana's larger trial and appellate system.
Hancock County Traffic Warrants
Hancock Superior Court II is the key local court for traffic infractions, misdemeanors, Class D felonies, and small claims. Traffic payments can use Indiana ePay or AllPaid when eligible. The Clerk's traffic ticket page lists AllPaid pay location code 6285 and says useful payment details include UTT number, ticket amount, case number, name, date of birth, and due date. By mail, users include a copy of the ticket and certified funds payable to Hancock County Clerk.
A court traffic record is not the same as an Indiana BMV driver record. The court case shows citation, case number, charge, court date, disposition, fine, fee, and payment status. The BMV record shows driver status, license type, points, suspensions, disqualifications, convictions, and reinstatement matters. BMV online driver-record search lists a $12 online record fee.
Hancock County Federal Records
Some records tied to Hancock County are not county records. Federal civil and criminal cases are handled by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, and federal bankruptcy cases are handled by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana. PACER and CM/ECF are the federal docket and document channels. Federal appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
The Indiana Judicial Branch Hancock County page connects local court search and court resources for Hancock County.
Use the state county page when local court rules, e-filing, or the official Hancock County MyCase route is needed.
Hancock County Court Terms
Many Hancock County court records use short legal terms. A few definitions prevent a common mistake: a filed charge is not the same as a conviction, a docket entry is not a full order, and a public search result is not a certified copy. Criminal, civil, probate, traffic, and family cases all use terms that can affect how a record should be read.
The Indiana court glossary provides plain definitions for terms that appear in Hancock County court records.
The glossary is most helpful when MyCase shows terms such as motion, order, judgment, plea, disposition, bond, continuance, or restitution.
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Plaintiff | The person or entity that starts a civil lawsuit. |
| Defendant | The person or entity being sued or charged. |
| Motion | A request asking the judge to take action. |
| Order | A judge's directive or ruling. |
| Sentence | The punishment or court order after conviction. |
Hancock County Court Records FAQ
Where are official Hancock County court copies issued?
Official and certified copies come from the Hancock County Clerk of the Circuit Court / County Clerk. MyCase can show many public records, but the clerk maintains the official court file and handles certification.
Can the clerk tell me when the judge will act?
No. The clerk's court-information page says the court, not the clerk, establishes the calendar and controls when a matter is acted on. The clerk can help with records and copies, but staff cannot provide legal opinions.
Where do I check an active warrant?
The sheriff Administration and Records page directs users to verify active Indiana warrants through MyCase. For custody or sheriff records, contact the sheriff or jail through the listed local channels.
Are juvenile cases public?
No. Hancock County's public-records page states juvenile cases are confidential. Party access can require identification, and public MyCase results should not be expected for those files.
Are traffic records the same as driver records?
No. The court traffic case is held by the court and clerk. License status, points, suspensions, and reinstatement information are BMV driver-record issues.