Search Perry County Court Records
Perry County court records are searched online through Indiana MyCase, the public case search used by Odyssey courts across Indiana. The Indiana Judicial Branch Perry County page links its "Search court cases" option to MyCase and also links local rules, e-filing, statistics, and district information. MyCase is the best first stop for public, non-confidential Perry Circuit Court case information, but it is not the official court record. The official case file remains with the court and the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk.
The most reliable search starts with a case number, citation number, party name, attorney name, or filing-date range. Name searches need care because MyCase validation rules are strict. A first or middle name requires a last name. Date of birth cannot be searched without a last name. Case number, citation number, and cross-reference number are separate search fields, so only one should be entered in the case-number search mode.
- Open MyCase public search and choose By Case, By Party, or By Attorney.
- Use the case number or citation number when known, or enter a party last name with optional first name and date filters.
- Select Perry Circuit Court or narrow by case category, status, or filing date if the filters appear.
- Review the case summary, parties, hearings, financial entries, and linked public documents.
- Contact the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk for certified copies, missing documents, older records, or official balances.
The Indiana Judicial Branch Perry County page is one official launch point for local court resources.
That state page matters because it connects Perry County users to MyCase, e-filing, local rules, and Judicial District 25 from one official court source.
Perry County Court Search Fields
MyCase search fields are more than a simple name box. The system separates case, party, and attorney searches, and it applies format rules that can block a search if fields are combined in the wrong way. Perry County users looking for court records should treat the portal as a structured court index, not a broad web search.
| Field | Type | Required | Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search mode | Tab | Yes | Choose By Case, By Party, or By Attorney. |
| Case Number | Text | One case field | Wildcard only at the end, and value must start with a letter or number. |
| Citation Number | Text | For ticket lookup | Use for traffic and infraction citations. |
| Last Name | Text | For person search | Required when first name, middle name, or date of birth is used. |
| Business Name | Text | Alternative | Do not combine with a person last name in ordinary public searches. |
| Court | Dropdown | No | Select Perry Circuit Court when available. |
| Case Status | Filter | No | Search all, open, or closed cases when that option appears. |
Perry County Circuit Court Structure
Perry County has a compact local court structure. The State Court Structure Map in the research file identifies the primary trial court as Perry Circuit Court, and Perry local rules state that the Perry Circuit Court is the only court of record for Perry County, Indiana. That means a local user should not look for a separate county court, district court, justice court, or stand-alone probate court for ordinary Perry County trial-level matters.
Perry County is in Indiana Judicial District 25 with Daviess, Dubois, Knox, Martin, Pike, and Spencer counties. The local court sits within Indiana's broader system of trial courts, the Indiana Court of Appeals, the Indiana Supreme Court, and the Indiana Tax Court. Appeals from Perry Circuit Court usually move into the state appellate system, while federal cases go to the Southern District of Indiana.
Local case flow: Filing or charge in Perry Circuit Court > clerk case record > hearings and orders > judgment, sentence, or dismissal > Indiana Court of Appeals if appealed.
| Court or office | Official | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Perry Circuit Court | Judge Lucy Goffinet; Magistrate Karen Werner | Only court of record for Perry County trial-level cases. |
| Perry County Circuit Court Clerk | Clerk Joan Hess | Maintains court records, court monies, permanent records, marriage licenses, and elections. |
| Perry County Prosecutor | Prosecutor Samantha Hurst | Files felony, misdemeanor, traffic, infraction, juvenile, and child-support matters for the State. |
| Sheriff and Detention Center | Sheriff Dave Faulkenberg per sheriff site | Handles custody, jail roster, bonds, tax warrants, tips, and jail services. |
The Perry County Circuit Court page gives the local court address, staff, judge, magistrate, probation resources, and court services.
The court page is useful for local contacts that do not appear inside a MyCase case summary, including probation and court staff references.
Perry County Court Offices
The main courthouse and government center is at 2219 Payne Street in Tell City. Perry Circuit Court, the Circuit Court Clerk, the Prosecutor, Probation, and county government offices use that same address. The sheriff and detention center are nearby at 2211 Herrman Street. That local layout is important because many records tasks are split by office even though the buildings are close to each other.
Perry County Courthouse
2219 Payne Street
Tell City, IN 47586
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Central
Perry County Court Record Types
Perry County court records include civil cases, criminal prosecutions, family matters, probate files, traffic and infraction cases, small claims, evictions, and judgment records when those matters are filed in Perry Circuit Court. The Circuit Court Clerk keeps the official court record, while MyCase provides a public online view for many cases. Some public records have linked documents online. Others show only the case summary, with the full filing available from the clerk if public access rules allow release.
The prosecutor page confirms that Perry County prosecutes felony and misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic and other infraction violations, juvenile adjudications, child support, and victim assistance matters. The clerk page confirms the office keeps court records, permanent records, court case monies, marriage licenses, and elections. The sheriff site separately handles current inmates, bonds, tax warrants, accident reports, mail, phone time, visitation, commissary, and property release.
- Civil records: complaints, appearances, motions, orders, judgments, satisfaction entries, and financial assessments.
- Criminal records: charging information, initial hearing, bond, motions, pleas, disposition, sentence, probation, and fines.
- Family records: divorce, custody, support, paternity, and protective-order matters with privacy limits.
- Probate records: estates, wills, guardianships, trusts, inventories, accountings, and orders.
- Traffic records: citations, infractions, court dates, dispositions, payment status, and failure-to-appear entries.
The Perry County Circuit Court Clerk page identifies the clerk's court-record duties and public-facing services.
The clerk page helps separate online lookup from official copy requests, marriage-license work, and court money handled at the clerk counter.
What Perry County Court Records Show
A Perry County court record may be a full case file, a public case summary, a docket-style chronological case summary, or a certified copy issued by the clerk. MyCase results can show case number, court, case caption, case category, filing date, status, parties, attorneys, hearings, docket entries, financial entries, and some documents. The exact fields vary by case type and access level.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Indiana Odyssey or MyCase identifier used to locate the case. |
| Court | Perry Circuit Court for local trial-level filings. |
| Case Style | State v. defendant, plaintiff v. defendant, estate caption, or family case caption. |
| Chronological Case Summary | Hearings, filings, orders, notices, continuances, judgments, sentencing, and financial events. |
| Documents | Linked public documents when available, with some records requiring clerk contact. |
| Financial | Fines, costs, credits, payments, and balances that may need clerk confirmation. |
Note: MyCase balances may lag behind the clerk's official financial record after payments, interest, or new charges.
Perry County Court Public Access
Indiana court records are governed by the Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records and by public-records law, including IC 5-14-3, the Access to Public Records Act. Public access does not mean every document is online or that every case file is open. The better rule for Perry County court records is this: search MyCase first, then contact the clerk when the record is missing, older, not linked, certified, or financially sensitive.
Access rules also explain why some details are redacted. Juvenile records, adoption records, mental-health filings, protected-person information, sealed records, expunged records, and personal identifiers can be withheld or excluded. The Indiana Office of Court Services also maintains an excluded court records list for categories that are not available through ordinary public access.
Key statutes and rules: IC 5-14-3 governs Indiana public records, Access to Court Records Rule 5 protects confidential case information, and IC 35-38-9 governs many criminal expungement petitions.
Restricted Perry County Court Records
Restricted Perry County court records include juvenile delinquency and CHINS matters, adoption files, some mental-health proceedings, sealed or expunged criminal records, protected-order identifying information, and documents with confidential personal identifiers. MyCase states that public cases that are not confidential, sealed, or expunged can be searched. A missing result may mean the record is confidential, sealed, too old for online access, filed under a different name or number, or held in a non-court office.
Expungement is a court petition, not a clerk-counter copy request. A person must identify whether the record is an arrest with no conviction, a dismissed charge, a conviction, or a juvenile matter because eligibility and effect differ under Indiana law. Perry County users can search MyCase for the known case number, then ask the Circuit Court Clerk about filing or copy procedures. Clerk staff can give the same procedural information to both sides, but they cannot give legal advice.
Perry County Jail Records
Perry County jail and sheriff records are not the same as court case records. The county sheriff page lists the sheriff and detention center at 2211 Herrman Street, and the operational sheriff site links current inmates, bond posting, accident reports, tax warrants, visitation, phone time, commissary, and property release. The current inmate list is a roster, not a historical arrest database.
Custody lookup begins with the Perry County current inmate list. If a person is not listed, call the detention center at 812-547-2441, check Indiana VINE for custody notifications, and use the IDOC Offender Locator if the person may have been sentenced to state prison. For jail-only topics such as mail, visits, commissary, phone time, and property, use the sheriff site rather than MyCase.
The Perry County government sheriff page is one official county source for sheriff and detention-center location information.
Sheriff office details are useful when a court user needs custody, bond, warrant, or jail-service information outside the clerk's case file.
Perry County Warrant Records
No official Perry County active arrest-warrant search page was located on the sheriff website. Warrant checks therefore use a fallback chain. Search MyCase for case-related bench warrant or capias activity, check the current inmate roster for custody entries that show warrant-related charges after booking, and call the sheriff or court before relying on any online absence. A sealed warrant or active investigation may not be released through public channels.
Tax warrants are different. The sheriff site has a tax-warrant page that sends payment users to IndianaWarrants.com or to cashier's check, certified check, or money order payable to Sheriff of Perry County. Disputes over tax-warrant amounts go to the Indiana Department of Revenue at 317-232-2165. That process is not the same as resolving an arrest warrant, bench warrant, or criminal capias.
Perry County Traffic Records
Perry County traffic and infraction records begin in MyCase when they are filed as court cases. The prosecutor page says the Perry County Prosecutor prosecutes traffic and other infraction violations of state law, and local rules make Perry Circuit Court the county's only court of record. Search by citation number when the paper ticket is available. If MyCase does not show the ticket, call the Circuit Court Clerk with the citation details.
| Record | Where to access | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Court traffic case | MyCase or clerk | Citation, case number, court date, disposition, fines, and failure-to-appear entries. |
| Driver record | Indiana BMV | Driving history, citations, violations, suspensions, points, and reinstatement issues. |
| Crash report | Sheriff and BuyCrash | Accident report, separate from the court ticket and driver record. |
The Indiana BMV driver record page explains the state driver-history file that can be affected by court traffic cases.
State and county context helps explain why one local court and one clerk office handle so many Perry County records tasks.
Perry County Marriage and Probate
Marriage licenses are handled by the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk. Indiana's statewide marriage-license instructions set the resident and nonresident fee amounts, the 60-day license validity period, and the family information collected for genealogy reporting. Divorce records are not the same kind of record as marriage licenses. Divorce cases are court cases in Perry Circuit Court, searched in MyCase and requested officially from the clerk.
Probate matters are handled through the Probate Division of Perry Circuit Court, not a separate probate courthouse. MyCase may show public estate, guardianship, trust, or related probate case information. Older files and certified copies require the clerk. Guardianship, adoption, minor, medical, and financial details may be restricted or redacted.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person appointed to carry out estate duties under a will or court order.
- Intestate
- A death without a valid will controlling estate distribution.
- Guardianship
- A court matter appointing a person to act for a minor or protected adult.
The Indiana marriage-license page provides statewide application and fee rules used with the local clerk.
Prosecutor information also connects to family support enforcement, juvenile adjudications, traffic infractions, and criminal cases filed in Perry Circuit Court.
Perry County Court Record Fees
Perry-specific plain-copy and certified-copy fees were not located in official sources, so those amounts should be confirmed with the Circuit Court Clerk before a request is mailed or brought to the counter. Some fee information is available from state marriage instructions and Perry local rules. The key point is to separate known fees from items that require clerk confirmation.
| Item | Amount | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage license, Indiana resident applicant | $25 | Indiana Judicial Branch marriage-license instructions. |
| Marriage license, both out-of-state applicants | $65 | Indiana Judicial Branch marriage-license instructions. |
| Certified marriage-license copy | $4 | Indiana Judicial Branch marriage-license instructions. |
| Indigent transcript page cap | $4.50 per page | Perry local rules. |
| Minimum transcript fee | $40 | Perry local rules. |
| Substance Abuse Court program fee | $50 per month | Perry local rules. |
Perry County Specialty Courts
Perry local rules document a Substance Abuse Court program and a Juvenile Drug Court program. People directed to participate in the Substance Abuse Court program must pay $50 per month plus additional costs, including drug screens. People directed to participate in the Juvenile Drug Court program must pay $240 plus additional costs, including drug screens. No official current stand-alone Perry County page was located for adult drug court eligibility, phases, graduation data, veterans court, mental health court, or reentry court.
Probation details provide more local context. The Perry County Circuit Court page links probation resources, and the public monthly probation check-in form asks about work, residence, prescriptions, medical or mental-health concerns, substance use, law-enforcement contact, fee payment, counseling, completed terms, and problems to discuss with the probation officer. Those details show how case records, treatment supervision, and court compliance can connect after a criminal or juvenile case is filed.
Perry County Court History
Official state sources say Perry County was organized in 1814 and named for War of 1812 naval officer Oliver Hazard Perry. Tell City is the county seat and largest city in current state and census profiles. The modern court and clerk operate from 2219 Payne Street, and local rules updated in 2017 preserve the current one-court-of-record structure for Perry County.
The clerk's role also has constitutional roots. Indiana's Constitution establishes the Clerk of the Circuit Court, and the Perry clerk page explains that the office maintains judgments, orders, decrees, pleadings, motions, evidence, rulings, child-support records, court costs, money judgments, and permanent court records. That is why official copies come from the clerk even when a public index appears online.
The STATS Indiana Perry County profile gives county seat, organization, square miles, population, and rank details.
The county profile supports the local records picture: a small Ohio River county with centralized court and sheriff access points.
Perry County Court Records FAQ
Can Perry County court records be searched online? Yes. Public, non-confidential Perry Circuit Court case information is searched through MyCase. Official records, certified copies, older files, and some documents still require the Circuit Court Clerk.
Is Perry Circuit Court the same as a district court? No. Perry County's primary trial court is Perry Circuit Court. The research map resolves the trial-court page as Circuit Court, and local rules say it is the only court of record in the county.
Where are certified court copies requested? Certified court copies come from the Perry County Circuit Court Clerk at 2219 Payne Street in Tell City. Call 812-547-3741 to confirm fees and request details before mailing payment.
Does Perry County publish an active warrant list? No official active arrest-warrant list was located. Use the sheriff, MyCase, and court or clerk channels to verify warrant questions.
Are jail roster records court records? No. The jail roster is a sheriff custody record. Court charges and case outcomes are tracked through Perry Circuit Court and MyCase after filing.