St. Louis County Court Records Lookup

How to Search St. Louis County Court Records

St. Louis County case records sit inside Missouri Case.net, the statewide court information portal at courts.mo.gov/cnet. The local court's "Find My Case" page sends users straight to Case.net rather than to a county-built database. Inside Case.net, choose the 21st Judicial Circuit if the case is known to be from St. Louis County, or run a statewide search if the court location is unclear. The public-search results show the case header, parties and attorneys, docket entries, hearings and many judgments. Case.net is free, but it is not a certified court record. Certified or older paper copies come from the Circuit Clerk in the Clayton courthouse.

Before opening Case.net, pull together what is known about the case. The portal works best with a case number; a name, charge date or filing date is the next-best option. Have ID handy if the request will continue at the courthouse for a certified copy. Note that automated scraping or repetitive querying of Missouri judicial sites is prohibited by the Missouri Courts notice, so build searches one at a time.

The official St. Louis County Court homepage links Case.net through its quick action buttons, alongside Pay Fines/Fees/Tickets and Track This Case. A look at the local court homepage gives a feel for what is available before opening the search portal.

Open the 21st Judicial Circuit homepage at stlcountycourts.com to see the same launch links the clerk's office uses.

The homepage front-loads the address, hours, judge list and the Find My Case link. The Maps and Directions link there is also the place to confirm parking and security before a courthouse visit.

1. Open Case.net at courts.mo.gov/cnet and pick a search method: Litigant Name, Filing Date, Case Number, Scheduled Hearings & Trials, Judgment Index or Pay By Web.
2. Select a court location. For St. Louis County Court cases, choose the 21st Judicial Circuit. Use a statewide search if the original filing court is uncertain.
3. Enter the litigant name or case number. Case numbers are the most precise; name searches may miss protected parties such as victims, witnesses, children or protection-order subjects.
4. Review results. Click into a case to see the Case Header tab, Parties & Attorneys tab and Docket Entries tab.
5. For public documents filed on or after July 1, 2023, download attached files from the docket entries. Older paper documents stay at the Circuit Clerk's office in Clayton.
6. Request a certified copy from the Circuit Clerk if the document will be used in another court, for ID purposes or for any legal filing.

For step-by-step instructions written for the local court, the Find My Case page shows the same routing that clerks read aloud at the public counter.

That page is the cleanest off-ramp from the local site into the statewide search. It is also the page to bookmark for repeat lookups.

St. Louis County Court Records Search Fields

Missouri Case.net does not put every search input on one screen. The system asks for the search method first, then opens a tailored form. The official Case.net help page explains the choices and what each field expects. A look at the Case.net welcome screen confirms the same layout used since the statewide rollout.

The welcome screen lists the six search methods and the court-location filter. Choosing the right method first saves time and avoids "no results" returns that often come from running a name search against a sealed or municipal case.

The Missouri Courts Case.net general help page walks through each search type with screenshots. It is the official explainer that staff also rely on when training new users.

The help page also flags the search limits for protected parties and reminds users that Case.net is a real-time, but not certified, view of court data.

The St. Louis County Judicial System

St. Louis County is the 21st Judicial Circuit of Missouri. Missouri uses one trial court of original jurisdiction, the Circuit Court, with several divisions inside it. The county does not have a separate "District Court" at the state level; the term "District Court" applies only to the federal court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Local Rule 1 sets the numbering for the county's divisions: Divisions 1 through 21 are circuit-judge divisions; Divisions 31 through 44 are associate-circuit divisions; Divisions 46 and 47 are traffic commissioners; Divisions 61 through 65 are family court commissioners; Divisions 66 and 67 are probate commissioners; Division 68 is the treatment-court commissioner.

Hon. Bruce F. Hilton serves as the Presiding Judge in Div. 13, and Hon. Ellen Levy serves as the Assistant Presiding Judge in Div. 11. The Probate Court Administrative Judge is Hon. Nicole Zellweger in Div. 5. Hon. Jason D. Dodson sits as the Family Court Administrative Judge in Div. 10. The current roster of judges and commissioners is published on the official our-judges page.

Names rotate as judges retire or take new assignments, so the official list is the source to trust.

State case flow: Municipal & Associate Divisions › 21st Judicial Circuit (Circuit Court) › Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District › Supreme Court of Missouri.

A more in-depth profile of the trial court sits on the St. Louis County Circuit Court page, including the full division-by-division breakdown.

St. Louis County Courthouses and Justice Offices

The Clayton complex packs the courts, the jail, the Recorder of Deeds and County Police records into a few blocks on or near South Central Avenue. A short walk connects each office. The Maps and Directions page from the local court is the canonical wayfinding source.

The page shows the Courts Building entrance, the Justice Center across the street and the Shaw Park Drive Garage one block south.

The Courts Building sits one block north of the Shaw Park Drive Garage and Transit Center at 232 S. Meramec. The garage holds the Clayton MetroLink station, so visitors can ride into court rather than drive. Garage clearance is 8'4" on level 1 and drops to 7'4" on the upper levels, which matters for vans. Security at the main court entrance includes a metal detector, screening for belts, jewelry, watches and steel-toed shoes, and a full ban on weapons and sharp items inside the Courts Building or Justice Center. Cell phones are allowed but should be turned off during court; cameras and recording equipment require prior judge authorization in courtrooms.

Types of Court Records Available in St. Louis County

The 21st Judicial Circuit produces a wide range of case files. Civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, small claims, municipal ordinance and traffic matters all sit inside the same Circuit Court, with separate divisions and commissioners assigned to each docket. Older case files are paper records held at the Clayton courthouse; newer files are digital and viewable through Case.net.

Each record type has its own subpage with deeper detail on what is searchable and how.

• Civil and general court records - lawsuits, contracts, judgments, garnishments, landlord-tenant filings.
• Arrest and criminal court records - felony, misdemeanor and traffic prosecutions with charges, bond and disposition.
• Marriage and divorce records - Recorder issues licenses; the court handles dissolution cases.
• Probate records - estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships and trust matters.
• Traffic court records - citations from County Police, Missouri State Highway Patrol and city departments.
• Court dockets - the running calendar of hearings, motions and orders for each case.
• Warrant records - bench warrants, arrest warrants and capias entries when public.

What St. Louis County Court Records Show

A typical Case.net case sits on three tabs. The Case Header tab carries identity fields such as case number, court location, case description, assigned judge or commissioner and date filed. The Parties & Attorneys tab lists every named party and counsel. The Docket Entries tab carries the running log of filings, orders and document links. The Missouri Courts case information help page describes each visible field in plain language.

Public Access Laws for St. Louis County Court Records

Missouri keeps two tracks for public records. Agency records, such as police reports and county administrative files, run under the Sunshine Law in Chapter 610 of the Missouri Revised Statutes. Court records run under the Missouri Court Operating Rule 2 (COR 2) because the judiciary controls its own records. For St. Louis County users this means Case.net and the Circuit Clerk for court files, the county Sunshine portal for police and county-agency records, and the Recorder of Deeds for marriage and recorded instruments. Most adult court records are presumed open. Juvenile, adoption, mental-health and sealed records are restricted by statute or court rule.

The Missouri Courts remote public-access page explains the modern rule that public users may view, download and print public court documents from any device for filings made on or after July 1, 2023.

Documents filed before that date stay in paper form at the Clayton clerk's office, though courthouse public terminals let visitors view electronic case documents on site.

Records That Are Restricted or Confidential

Several categories of St. Louis County case material stay sealed by law. Juvenile court records are confidential under RSMo § 211.321, with narrow exceptions for serious offenses or court orders. Adoption records, mental-health filings and the contents of expunged cases are also closed. Case.net help notes that name searches may not return cases tied to victims, witnesses, children or protection-order subjects, even when a case exists. A case-number search may still work on the public parts, but content remains limited.

Records sealed by court order, such as RSMo § 610.140 expungements, drop off public Case.net display once the order is processed by the holding agencies. Older third-party copies of expunged information may still exist online, but the official court file is closed. Petitions for expungement are filed in the court where the case occurred, which for St. Louis County is usually the 21st Judicial Circuit, a municipal division, or an associate division depending on the underlying case.

Specialty Courts in St. Louis County

The 21st Judicial Circuit runs several alternative treatment courts under the umbrella term "Alternative Treatment Courts" in the county business plan. The official court navigation lists Co-Occurring Disorders Court, Drug Court, DWI Court, Mental Health Court, the SAFETI Program and Veterans Court. Local Rule 1 assigns Division 68 to the Treatment Court Commissioner. These dockets are alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent defendants. Each one combines closer judicial review, probation supervision, structured treatment, drug testing and graduated incentives and sanctions.

Drug Court targets defendants whose substance-use disorder drives the underlying criminal behavior. DWI Court works with repeat or intensive impaired-driving cases. Mental Health Court and the Co-Occurring Disorders docket bring treatment providers into the criminal case to address behavioral-health needs. Veterans Court taps into VA service connections and veteran mentoring. Records of treatment-court cases sit inside Case.net like any other criminal docket, though hearings happen more often and may show as commissioner reviews on the docket sheet.

St. Louis County Jail and Inmate Information

The St. Louis County Jail is part of the Buzz Westfall Justice Center at 100 South Central Avenue, directly across from the courthouse. The jail is operated by the county's Department of Justice Services rather than the Sheriff's Department, which handles court security and civil process. Reach Justice Services at 314-615-5245 or by email at JSocial@stlouiscountymo.gov. The St. Louis County Police "Jail Inmate Information" page is the official starting point for custody questions, though the page does not expose a live public roster search.

For people in state prison or under state supervision, use the Missouri Department of Corrections Offender Web Search. For federal custody, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. Full search instructions sit on the St. Louis County inmate records page, with the released-inmates side on the released-inmates page and jail-population data on the inmate population page. For active or recalled warrants, see the warrant records page.

Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Division Records

Marriage license records are held by the St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds at 41 South Central, not the Circuit Clerk. The Recorder's marriage book goes back to 1877. Marriage licenses are issued through a virtual appointment process; both parties must attend, show government ID and know or show a Social Security number. Divorce cases are court files. They are opened in the Family Court division of the 21st Judicial Circuit and searched through Case.net, the same as any other civil case. Some divorce filings are redacted to protect children, addresses and financial accounts. Full detail sits on the marriage and divorce records page.

Probate, which Missouri folds into the Circuit Court, handles estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships and trust matters. The Probate Division is overseen by Probate Court Administrative Judge Hon. Nicole Zellweger in Div. 5, with Probate Commissioner Div. 66 and Deputy Probate Commissioner Div. 67. The court's probate forms page publishes packets for civil commitment 96-hour holds and several trust filings.

The probate page is a useful starting point for estates and guardianship cases. Deeper detail sits on the probate records page.

Testator

The person whose will is being probated.

Executor / Personal Representative

The person named in the will or appointed by the court to administer the estate.

Conservator

A person appointed by the probate court to manage finances for a protected person.

Guardian

A person appointed by the probate court to manage personal-care decisions for a protected person.

Intestate

A person who died without a valid will.

St. Louis County Court Records Fees

The 21st Judicial Circuit publishes a schedule of deposits and fees that took effect January 1, 2022. Case.net search is free. Certified copies and filing deposits are charged at the counter or by mail. The full schedule sits on the Circuit Clerk page.

The page also links forms for filings used in the local civil, criminal, family and probate divisions.

Checks are made payable to St. Louis County Circuit Clerk. Marriage license fees are handled by the Recorder of Deeds and listed on the marriage records page.

How to Read St. Louis County Court Records

A docket entry is a short, dated log line, not the full filing. To read what was actually filed, open the linked document if one is attached. Most public electronic documents filed on or after July 1, 2023 can be downloaded. Older entries point to paper filings that the clerk can pull. A case header listing "Disposed" means the court has entered an outcome, but fines, probation, restitution, appeals or related cases can remain open. A "Pending" status means the case is still active and the next hearing date should appear in the docket entries.

Charges in a criminal case are listed separately from the case description. Each charge can have its own disposition. A plea on one charge does not always resolve every charge. Bond amount may change after each hearing, so the current Case.net bond field is the value to trust. Year of birth is shown for criminal defendants; full dates of birth and Social Security numbers are not public. For civil judgments, the date of satisfaction may show "not yet on file" when the judgment has not been paid.

Accuracy and Record Limitations

Case.net is a real-time public information system, not a certified court record. Newer filings show up after the clerk processes them. Older paper cases may have docket entries that point to filings that are not yet scanned. Municipal cases sit in Case.net only when the municipal division uses Show-Me Courts. If a ticket from a city in St. Louis County is missing from Case.net, the local municipal division may not have been on the statewide system at filing, or the prosecutor may not have filed yet.

History of St. Louis County Courts

St. Louis County and the independent City of St. Louis split in 1876 in what is still called the "Great Divorce." After the split, the county seat moved away from the city and settled in Clayton. The county's modern Courts Building, the jail and the Recorder of Deeds now sit within a few blocks of one another in downtown Clayton. The Missouri State Archives holds older 19th-century St. Louis-area court records and a guide for genealogists. Pre-1876 records often involve both the city and county because the split had not yet occurred.

Modern court technology arrived in stages. Missouri Courts say most case documents have been all electronic since 2014. The state-level remote public-access rule effective July 1, 2023 was the most significant access change for the general public, allowing public users to view, download and print eligible documents from any device.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I search St. Louis County court records online?

Use Missouri Case.net at courts.mo.gov/cnet. Pick a search method (Litigant Name, Case Number, Filing Date, Scheduled Hearings, Judgment Index or Pay By Web), then choose the 21st Judicial Circuit for St. Louis County or run a statewide search.

Where is the St. Louis County courthouse?

The Courts Building is at 105 South Central Avenue, Clayton, MO 63105. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The main court phone is 314-615-8029. Park at the Shaw Park Drive Garage at 232 S. Meramec; the Clayton MetroLink station is at the same garage.

Are St. Louis County court records online?

Most public adult case records are in Case.net. Public electronic documents filed on or after July 1, 2023 can be viewed, downloaded and printed remotely. Older paper documents stay at the Circuit Clerk's office, and courthouse public terminals can read electronic files on site.

How do I get a certified court copy in St. Louis County?

Request it from the Circuit Clerk at the Clayton courthouse. Case.net printouts are not certified. The Circuit Clerk charges $1.50 for a certified copy with seal and $0.30 per additional photocopy page.

More questions and answers are on the St. Louis County Court Records FAQ page.