Indiana
Indiana Court Records: How to Search MyCase and How Sealing Works
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 10, 2026). · 4 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Indiana searches court records through a single statewide tool, MyCase, drawing on the Odyssey case management system used by most courts across the state. It is one of the more consolidated systems covered in this guide, though a few categories of cases are excluded from it entirely.
Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
This guide is part of a broader look at court records by state; for the mechanics of federal versus state versus county searches generally, see how to look up court records and are court records public.
MyCase: Indiana's Statewide Case Search
MyCase is Indiana's public case-search portal, and the state's own description is direct about how it works: "Case information available on MyCase comes from courts that use the state's Odyssey case management system, which is most courts across the state." The coverage rule is straightforward: "All public cases, cases that are not confidential, not sealed, and not expunged, can be searched on MyCase." Many documents are available to view free of charge, though paying online through the site is narrower than the search itself: Indiana Courts states that "online payments may be made for (1) traffic tickets in some Indiana courts and (2) criminal fees in Lake County Circuit & Superior Courts."
Two named exclusions matter for readers to know about. Protection order cases do not appear on MyCase at all, regardless of whether they would otherwise be public, which is a deliberate safeguard for people who have filed for protection from an abuser. Indiana runs a separate official search for that category, the statewide Indiana Protection Order Registry, which covers publicly accessible information about protective orders and no contact orders filed in Indiana courts, with orders filed statewide beginning July 1, 2009 included in the database; it shows only the most recent order information when a case has more than one. Pre-2014 juvenile paternity records are also excluded from MyCase. Indiana's own disclaimer for the site states that "information displayed on this site is not to be considered or used as an official court record and may contain errors or omissions. Accuracy of the information is not warranted," so any result should be treated as a starting point, not a certified record.
What's Public and What's Restricted
Indiana's Rules on Access to Court Records begin from a presumption of openness. Rule 4 states that "a Court Record is accessible to the public except as provided in Rule 5." Rule 5 then defines what is excluded from public access at two levels. Some case types are excluded entirely, including cases declared confidential by statute or another court rule, mental health cases under Indiana Code Title 12, Article 26, certain investigative matters unrelated to a pending criminal proceeding, and paternity records created between 1941 and 2014. Within cases that are otherwise public, specific documents can still be confidential, such as records protected by federal or state privilege, medical and mental health treatment records, substance abuse records, sexually explicit images or recordings, and guardian ad litem or custody evaluation reports. Certain personal details must also be redacted from public filings, including Social Security numbers and account numbers, the names of child witnesses in sex offense cases, and the addresses, birthdates, and phone numbers of witnesses or victims in criminal, juvenile, or protection order cases. Rule 5 is explicit that a court has only two ways to exclude a record that would otherwise be accessible: sealing it in accordance with the Indiana Access to Public Records Act, which Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.5 conditions on a noticed public hearing plus findings of fact and conclusions of law, or entering an order excluding the record from public access under the specific requirements of Rule 6. An agreement between the parties is not one of them.
Sealing and Expungement in Indiana
MyCase's own coverage rule confirms that Indiana treats "sealed" and "expunged" as separate categories excluded from public search, alongside "confidential" cases. Indiana's expungement law sets out its own eligibility rules and waiting periods by offense type and case outcome, and this page does not attempt to restate them; see Indiana expungement laws for that detail.
Certified Copies and Courthouse Access
A certified copy of an Indiana court document comes from the clerk of the specific court where the case was filed, not from a statewide office. Contact that clerk directly to confirm the current fee and process, since these are set at the court level rather than published in one central location.
Using Indiana Court Records the Right Way
MyCase is well suited to checking your own case, confirming a hearing date, or general research, but it is not a background-check tool, and its own disclaimer warns against treating the results as an official record. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, criminal convictions are exempt from the seven-year reporting-window limit that applies to arrests and most civil judgments, meaning a conviction can appear on a consumer report indefinitely; only an Indiana sealing or expungement action removes it from a compliant background report. The FTC's 2023 settlement with TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate, over marketing public-records reports for tenant and employee screening without following federal background-check law, is a reminder that a portal search is not a substitute for an FCRA-compliant background check when housing or employment is on the line.
Disclaimer
This article explains how Indiana court records are organized and searched. It is general legal information, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a licensed legal or background-screening professional. Portal features and fees change without notice; verify current details directly with Indiana Courts or the relevant clerk. Consult an Indiana-licensed attorney for advice about a specific case.
Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free way to search Indiana court records online?
Yes. MyCase provides free public search covering most courts across the state through the Odyssey case management system, and many documents are available to view at no charge.
What court cases are not on MyCase?
Protection order cases are excluded entirely, regardless of whether they would otherwise be public, along with pre-2014 juvenile paternity records. Cases that are confidential, sealed, or expunged also do not appear. For protective orders and no contact orders, Indiana runs a separate statewide Protection Order Registry at mycourts.in.gov, covering orders filed statewide beginning July 1, 2009.
Is MyCase the official court record?
No. Indiana's own disclaimer states that information on MyCase is not to be considered or used as an official court record and may contain errors or omissions, so its accuracy is not warranted.
What is excluded from public access under Indiana's court records rules?
Indiana starts from Rule 4, under which a court record is accessible to the public except as provided in Rule 5. Rule 5 then excludes entire case types such as mental health cases and certain paternity records, and specific documents within otherwise public cases, such as medical records and guardian ad litem reports. Certain personal identifiers must also be redacted from public filings.
How do I get a certified copy of an Indiana court document?
Contact the clerk of the specific court where the case was filed. Fees and procedures are set at the court level rather than published in one central statewide location.
Can I use MyCase to screen a tenant or job applicant?
Not on its own. A do-it-yourself search is not built for that purpose, and convictions do not age off a report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Screening for housing or employment should go through an FCRA-compliant consumer reporting agency.
Updates
Corrected the scope of MyCase online payments to the courts Indiana actually names, added a pointer to the statewide Protection Order Registry for the protection-order cases MyCase excludes, and stated the Rule 4 public-access presumption and the two ways a court may exclude a record.
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Indiana Code, TITLE 5. STATE AND LOCAL ADMINISTRATION
§ 5-14-3-5.5Sealing certain records by court; hearing; noticeIn force
Sec. 5.5. (a) This section applies to a judicial public record. (b) As used in this section, "judicial public record" does not include a record submitted to a court for the sole purpose of determining whether the record should be sealed. (c) Before a court may seal a public record not declared confidential under section 4(a) of this chapter, it must hold a hearing at a date and time established by the court. Notice of the hearing shall be posted at a place designated for posting notices in the courthouse. (d) At the hearing, parties or members of the general public must be permitted to testify and submit written briefs.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-07-29 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at iga.in.gov
Cited in 5 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2021
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Bobrow v. Bobrow (Indiana Court of Appeals 2004, 810 N.E.2d 726)“…ed confidential under section 4(a), it must hold a hearing. Ind.Code § 5-14-3-5.5(a), (c). At the hearing, the parties or…”
- Bailey v. Indiana Newspapers, Inc. (Indiana Court of Appeals 2008, 895 N.E.2d 321)“…the authority of a court to seal court records pursuant to Ind.Code § 5-14-3-5.5. [20] (I) Obtaining Access to Inform…”
- In Re TB (Indiana Court of Appeals 2008, 895 N.E.2d 321)“…the authority of a court to seal court records pursuant to Ind.Code § 5-14-3-5.5.[ [20] ] (I) Obtaining Access to Info…”
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
United States Code Title 15
§ 1681cRequirements relating to information contained in consumer reportsIn forcecited in 61 of our articles
Except as authorized under subsection (b), no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information: Cases under title 11 or under the Bankruptcy Act that, from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication, as the case may be, antedate the report by more than 10 years. Civil suits, civil judgments, and records of arrest that, from date of entry, antedate the report by more than seven years or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever is the longer period. Paid tax liens which, from date of payment, antedate the report by more than seven years. Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years. Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-16 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov
Cited in 383 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (2017) addressed the FACTA truncation rule in 1681c(g) and affirmed dismissal for lack of Article III standing, treating material risk of harm as a fact question. Edward Seamans v. Temple University (2014) held the seven-year window in 1681c(a)(4) is extended for an education loan only until that loan is repaid.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 2017, 872 F.3d 114)✓A shopper sued two stores whose receipts printed the first six digits of his credit card number; the Second Circuit affirmed dismissal for lack of standing, seeing no clear error in the finding that those digits show only the card issuer, not a material risk of identity theft.
- Edward Seamans v. Temple University (Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2014, 744 F.3d 853)✓A defaulted university loan kept appearing on a borrower's credit reports after he repaid it because the school never reported the delinquency date; the Third Circuit held the Higher Education Act suspends section 1681c(a)(4)'s aging-off rule only until repayment.
- Gonzales v. Arrow Financial Services, LLC (Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 2011, 660 F.3d 1055)✓A debt buyer offered to settle health club debts over seven years old, saying that if it was reporting the account the bureaus would be told it was settled; the Ninth Circuit, treating those debts as unreportable under section 1681c(a)(4), called that implication misleading.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: How Long Does a Felony Stay on Your Record? (2026), Background Check Laws by State (2026 Guide), Alabama Background Check Laws (2026 Guide)
Sources and References
- Indiana Courts, MyCase(in.gov).gov
- Indiana Office of Judicial Administration, Odyssey Case Management System(in.gov).gov
- Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records, Rule 5, Records Excluded from Public Access(rules.incourts.gov).gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute, 15 U.S.C. 1681c, Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports(law.cornell.edu)
- Federal Trade Commission, FTC Says TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate Deceived Users About Background Report Accuracy, Violated FCRA(ftc.gov).gov
- Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records, Rule 4, General Access to Court Records(rules.incourts.gov)
- Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records, Rule 6, Prohibiting Public Access to Court Records(rules.incourts.gov)
- Indiana Courts, Protection Order Registry Public Search(mycourts.in.gov)
- Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.5, Sealing certain records by court; hearing; notice(iga.in.gov)