Hancock County Trial Courts
Indiana trial courts are circuit courts, superior courts, and local city or town courts. The Indiana Judicial Branch explains that trial-court names often reflect history and local custom, while the actual case mix varies by county. Hancock County's principal trial courts are Hancock Circuit Court, Hancock Superior Court I, and Hancock Superior Court II. All three are located in the Hancock County Courthouse in Greenfield.
The official Hancock County Courts page links the local court pages, courthouse hours, local rules, CASA, and Behavioral Health Court. It is the county-level starting point for court structure. Public case lookup is separate from that county page: users search case information through MyCase and request official court documents through the Clerk of the Circuit Court / County Clerk.
Indiana does not use "district court" as the local label for Hancock County trial work. The resolved local page name is Circuit and Superior Courts, because that is the court structure shown in the research map and the official county court pages.
Hancock County Court Table
The local court table shows where case records begin and which courtroom is most likely tied to each case type. The clerk remains the record keeper across these courts, but the court named on a MyCase record controls hearings, orders, courtroom assignments, and many case-specific questions.
| Court | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock Circuit Court | Probate, criminal, civil, juvenile, domestic relations | 9 E Main Street, Room 302, Greenfield, IN 46140 | 317-477-1107 |
| Hancock Superior Court I | General jurisdiction, serious felony, divorce, juvenile, CHINS, estates, foreclosure, eviction | 9 E Main Street, Room 303, Greenfield, IN 46140 | 317-477-1148 |
| Hancock Superior Court II | Traffic infractions, misdemeanors, Class D felonies, small claims | 9 E Main Street, Room 217, Greenfield, IN 46140 | 317-477-1115 |
| Hancock Behavioral Health Court | Specialized problem-solving court | 9 E Main Street, Greenfield, IN 46140 / referral through online form | Not listed on program page |
Room numbers are useful because the clerk's office is also in the courthouse, but it is not a courtroom. The clerk is in room 213. Circuit Court is room 302, Superior Court I is room 303, and Superior Court II is room 217.
Hancock County Superior Court I
Hancock Superior Court I is a trial court of general jurisdiction. Its official page names Judge DJ Davis, gives room 303, and lists serious felony criminal cases, divorces, juvenile delinquency, CHINS, auto accidents, negligence actions, estates, foreclosures, and evictions. It also states that the court does not hear small claims or most traffic cases, a detail that keeps record searches from being routed to the wrong courtroom.
The Superior Court I page is the source for that room, phone, judge, and case mix.
When a MyCase record names Superior Court I, the case may involve broad civil or serious criminal jurisdiction rather than county-level traffic work.
Hancock County Superior Court II
Hancock Superior Court II is the key court for traffic infractions, misdemeanors, Class D felonies, and small claims. Its official page names Judge Dan E. Marshall, gives room 217, and identifies the case mix. This court is especially important for traffic ticket records because the county traffic page routes payments through the clerk, AllPaid, ePay, or mail, while the court record itself may show the case number, citation, charge, payment status, and hearing entries.
The Superior Court II page is the local source for the court's traffic, misdemeanor, small-claims, and room information.
Superior Court II should be checked when the public record involves a citation, misdemeanor charge, or small-claims filing.
Hancock County Circuit Court
Hancock Circuit Court handles probate, criminal, civil, juvenile, and domestic relations cases. Its official page names Judge Scott Sirk, gives room 302, and identifies the court as one of the principal trial courts in the county courthouse. Because the Circuit Court handles probate, estate users should not look for a separate Hancock County probate court. The probate record is a state trial-court record, and certified documents come through the clerk.
The Circuit Court page is the county source for the court's judge, phone, room, and probate jurisdiction.
When a case record lists Hancock Circuit Court, the record may involve probate, family, juvenile, civil, or criminal jurisdiction depending on the case type.
Circuit Courts vs Lower Courts
Hancock County's research map lists the lower-court context as city or town courts where created by a municipality, plus traffic and ordinance matters in Hancock Superior Court II for county-level filings. That means the local comparison is different from states with county courts, justice courts, or JP courts. The clerk and MyCase search remain the practical record path for county trial-court records.
| Topic | Circuit and Superior Courts | City / Town Courts | Superior Court II Traffic Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local role | County trial courts for broad civil, criminal, probate, juvenile, family, traffic, misdemeanor, and small-claims work. | Municipal courts where created by local government. | County-level traffic infractions, misdemeanors, Class D felonies, and small claims. |
| Record access | Search MyCase and request official copies from the clerk. | Check the municipality or MyCase if the case is in the state system. | Search MyCase, ePay, or ticket payment channels, then use the clerk for official copies. |
| Probate | Circuit Court handles probate; Superior Court I also lists estates among case types. | Not the local probate route in this research. | Not the main probate court. |
| Traffic | Traffic may appear in the county system depending on the filing. | May handle local ordinance or municipal matters where created. | Main Hancock County traffic court identified in the research. |
Hancock County Case Flow
Case movement depends on the case type, but the records path is similar. A filing or charge opens a case, the clerk creates or receives the record, the case is assigned to the proper court under local rules and court authority, and public case information becomes searchable when it is not confidential. Judges control hearing dates and orders. The clerk maintains the file and issues certified copies.
Criminal flow: Arrest or summons › Prosecutor filing › Initial hearing or arraignment › Pretrial motions and hearings › Plea or trial › Disposition › Sentencing › Appeal when allowed.
Civil flow: Complaint or petition filed › Service › Answer or response › Motions and hearings › Settlement, dismissal, trial, or judgment › Post-judgment collection or appeal.
Probate flow: Petition or estate filing › Court assignment › Appointment or order › Letters issued by clerk › Notices, claims, inventory, accounting, or hearings › Final order or closing.
Note: The clerk's page states that court staff cannot tell users when the court will act on a pending matter.
Hancock County Case Assignment
Local rules control case assignment. The research notes that civil docket cases in Hancock Circuit Court and Superior Court No. 1 are filed on a random basis by the clerk under an approved method, except when manual assignment is needed because there is a related case in another court. Judges also retain authority to reassign case types between courts when workload or convenience makes reassignment needed.
That assignment rule affects records because the court name on the case is not just a label. It tells a user which judge, courtroom, and local docket path applies. For a certified copy, users still go to the Clerk of the Circuit Court / County Clerk. For a pending hearing or a court order, users should read the MyCase docket and contact the court tied to the case if the official page directs them to do so.
Hancock County Specialty Courts
Hancock County also has problem-solving court resources. The official Behavioral Health Court page describes a specialized court for people whose mental-health conditions contribute to criminal-justice involvement. It emphasizes treatment, accountability, structured support, stability, reduced recidivism, and public safety through court oversight and behavioral health services.
Problem-solving court participation may create docket entries that look different from a standard case path, such as referral, review, compliance, treatment, or program-status entries.
Hancock County Appeals
A final judgment or appealable order from Hancock Circuit Court or a Hancock Superior Court generally goes to the Indiana Court of Appeals, subject to Indiana appellate rules and any direct-jurisdiction exceptions for the Indiana Supreme Court or Tax Court. Federal cases from the Southern District of Indiana are different and go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is relevant only for federal court records, not ordinary Hancock County probate, traffic, small-claims, domestic, or state criminal cases.
Separating state appeals from federal appeals prevents a local case search from being sent to PACER when the record is still a Hancock County state-court case.