How to Search St. Louis County Court Records
Missouri Case.net at courts.mo.gov/cnet is the statewide search hub. The 21st Judicial Circuit's local "Find My Case" page points users to the same portal. Case.net is free to use, includes most public adult case information from the circuit and is searchable by name, case number, filing date, hearing date, judgment index or Pay By Web for eligible payments. The official Missouri Courts help page describes the portal in detail and is the source for the search-method definitions used throughout the system. A quick look at the case information help page shows what fields a public user can expect on a typical record.
The help page lays out the three case tabs and lists the criminal and civil fields the public can read. Bookmark it for repeat searches.
Before opening Case.net, gather what is known about the case: a case number if available, the full name of a party, the approximate filing year and the type of case. Pick the right search method for what is on hand. Case-number search is the most precise. Name search works for many adult cases but can miss protected parties such as victims, witnesses, children and protection-order subjects. Filing-date search and scheduled-hearings search support narrow time windows. The Missouri Courts site also reminds users that automated scraping is prohibited; run searches manually one case at a time.
- Open Case.net and pick a search method from the top menu.
- Choose the 21st Judicial Circuit / St. Louis County in the court-location filter if the case is known to be from this county. Use statewide search if unsure.
- Enter the case number, name, date or judgment debtor. Click Search.
- Open the case from the results. Review the Case Header, Parties & Attorneys and Docket Entries tabs.
- Download a public document attached to a docket entry if it was filed on or after July 1, 2023, or visit the Circuit Clerk in Clayton for older paper files.
- Ask the Circuit Clerk for a certified copy if the record will be used for legal purposes. Case.net is not a certified copy.
St. Louis County Court Records Search Fields
Case.net does not show every search input on one screen. The portal asks for the search method first, then opens a tailored form. The table below summarizes the field set across the methods most often used for the 21st Judicial Circuit. Field labels can change slightly between Case.net versions; the structure below is taken from the Missouri Courts help pages.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search for Cases by | Dropdown | Yes | Litigant Name, Filing Date, Case Number, Scheduled Hearings & Trials, Judgment Index, Pay By Web. |
| Litigant last name / business | Text | For name search | Exact spelling helps; some protected parties never appear in name results. |
| Litigant first name | Text | Optional | Narrows individual-name searches. |
| Court location / circuit | Dropdown | Often required | Pick 21st Judicial Circuit for St. Louis County. |
| Case number | Text | For case-number search | Enter exactly as printed; no spaces inside the number. |
| Filing date / date range | Date control | For filing-date search | Use the portal date picker. |
| Scheduled hearing date | Date control | For hearings search | Useful for daily docket lookups. |
| Judgment debtor / judgment against | Text | For judgment index | Civil judgment searches. |
| Pay By Web case lookup | Case number / name | For online payment | Not all cases are payable online. |
Types of St. Louis County Court Records
The 21st Judicial Circuit is one court with many divisions. Each division produces its own record types, but the case files all flow into Case.net and the Circuit Clerk's paper archive. The Missouri Courts civic-education page on circuit courts gives the same breakdown that staff use when training new clerks.
The state page covers the same hierarchy that drives every St. Louis County court record: one trial court with internal divisions.
- Civil records - lawsuits, contract claims, personal injury, landlord-tenant, garnishments, mechanic's liens, judgments and Chapter 517 associate-circuit civil cases.
- Criminal records - felony, misdemeanor and ordinance prosecutions with charges, bond, sentence, disposition and law-enforcement agency. Deeper detail on the arrest records page.
- Family records - dissolution, custody, paternity, child support, adult abuse, juvenile and related family-court matters. Some entries are restricted.
- Probate records - estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, mental-health filings and trust matters. See the probate records page.
- Traffic and municipal - county and city traffic citations. Municipal cases appear in Case.net only for divisions using Show-Me Courts. See traffic court records.
- Small claims - civil disputes filed under the small-claims division with a $20.50 filing deposit.
What St. Louis County Court Records Show
A Case.net case sits on three tabs. The Case Header carries identity fields. The Parties & Attorneys tab lists names and counsel. The Docket Entries tab carries the running log of filings, orders and document links. Criminal cases include several extra fields. The table below summarizes the typical public view drawn from the Missouri Courts case information help page.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Unique identifier for the case in the 21st Circuit. |
| Case Description | Short summary of case type. |
| Court Location | Circuit and division holding the file. |
| Filing Date | Date the case was opened. |
| Disposition Date / Type | If closed, the date and outcome. |
| Judge / Commissioner | Assigned officer for pending cases; disposing officer for closed cases. |
| Parties | Party names and roles; attorney names and contact if available. |
| Charges / Cause | Listed charges, statutes and violation codes in criminal matters. |
| Bond Amount | Set bond for pending criminal cases. |
| Docket Entries | Chronological log of filings, motions, orders, hearings and document links. |
| Sentence / Judgment | Sentence in criminal cases; judgment and satisfaction in civil cases. |
| Hearings | Future hearing date, time and courtroom when entered. |
Redacted or restricted items include full birthdates, Social Security numbers, victim and witness identifiers, and the content of sealed or expunged cases.
Public Access Framework for St. Louis County Court Records
Court records run under Missouri Court Operating Rule 2 (COR 2), not the Sunshine Law in Chapter 610. COR 2 sets the rule that court records are presumed open for inspection and copying unless they are confidential by statute, court rule or court order. The remote public-access expansion that took effect July 1, 2023 lets the public view, download and print most public court documents from any device, but only for filings made on or after that date. Older paper documents stay at the Circuit Clerk's office, and courthouse public terminals at the Clayton courthouse continue to read electronic case documents.
Anyone can search Case.net. Anyone can request a certified copy in person or by mail through the Circuit Clerk. ID is not required to search public records, but ID may be required at the counter for fee transactions. Statutory exceptions remain: RSMo § 211.321 restricts juvenile records, RSMo Chapter 453 restricts adoption records, and RSMo § 610.140 closes records that have been expunged by court order.
Note: Case.net is a public information service, not a certified court record. The Circuit Clerk's certified copy is the version accepted for filings, ID verification and other legal use.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential in St. Louis County
Several categories of case material are closed by law. Juvenile court records, including delinquency, abuse and neglect cases, are confidential under RSMo § 211.321 with narrow exceptions for serious offenses or court orders. Adoption records require statutory eligibility or a court order. Mental-health and civil-commitment filings, including 96-hour hold petitions filed through the Probate Division, carry medical and personal information that is not public. Orders of protection involve protected parties whose names may not appear in Case.net name searches even when a case exists.
Expungement orders entered under RSMo § 610.140 close the official court record at every agency named in the order. A petition is filed in the court where the case happened, which in St. Louis County is usually the 21st Judicial Circuit or a municipal division. The St. Louis County Circuit Clerk fee schedule lists a $355.50 deposit for conviction expungement, $105.50 for arrest expungement under RSMo § 610.123 and no deposit for mistaken identity under RSMo § 610.145. Third-party websites may still hold copies of expunged information from before the order; the court file itself is closed.
In-Person Court Record Requests
The Circuit Clerk's office sits inside the Clayton Courts Building. Walk-in visitors can use public terminals to read electronic case documents and can request certified copies at the counter. Bring the case number when possible. Older paper case files are pulled from the clerk's archive on request. Plan extra time for security screening at the main entrance; weapons and sharp items are not allowed and will not be returned.
St. Louis County Circuit Clerk
105 South Central Avenue
Clayton, MO 63105
314-615-8029
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The court's Maps and Directions page recommends parking at the Shaw Park Drive Garage at 232 S. Meramec, one block south of the courthouse, where the Clayton MetroLink station sits. A Google map of the building is below.
For deeper Circuit Clerk detail, the dedicated Circuit Clerk page covers fees, forms, certified copies and request-by-mail rules.