Lake County, Indiana Court Records

Lake County court records are the official paperwork and electronic entries for the county’s trial courts. These files document the actions and events in a legal proceeding. They include filings, motions, orders, judgments, docket entries, and related case files. Court records exist to preserve an accurate history, support due process, and serve as an official reference for the parties, the court, and the public, if access is granted.

In Lake County, the Clerk of the Circuit/Superior Court (also known as the Lake County Clerk) is the primary recordkeeper. The Clerk keeps all case papers made and filed in the county courts. The Lake County Clerk also issues certified copies and provides other record services.

Lake County court records are created and maintained under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA) and Indiana Supreme Court access rules (Administrative Rule 9/Access to Court Records Rule). The APRA provides general access to government records but allows for statutory exemptions. The Access to Court Records Rules specifically guide court records. These rules govern how Indiana courts and their clerks manage access to court files and documents. They also define which records must be restricted, which can be released, and how to request or access excluded records with specific procedures.

In Lake County, court records may overlap with other public record systems, but they are not the same. The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) Division of Vital Records keeps vital records. Some services are handled through local health departments. Law enforcement agencies create and maintain arrest reports, incident reports, booking logs, and jail custody records. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana manages federal court records for Lake County. These are accessible through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records).

Are Lake County Court Records Public?

Yes. Most Lake County court records are generally public, unless they are excluded from public access under statewide court rules and specific statutes. Indiana’s statewide Rules on Access to Court Records provide general access to a court record unless a rule or law makes it confidential.

Case types that are generally accessible to the public in Indiana trial courts, including Lake County, include civil cases (e.g., contracts, torts, small claims, and most property disputes), criminal cases (many adult criminal prosecutions and related filings), and family/domestic relations matters, such as divorce, custody, or support cases (sensitive identifiers and financial data may be excluded, or redacted under the access rules). In contrast, information that may be inaccessible to the public under Indiana’s access rules, "Records Excluded From Public Access" provision, is:

Juvenile matters (e.g., delinquency and many juvenile proceedings)
CHINS (Children in Need of Services) and TPR (Termination of Parental Rights) cases (treated as confidential case types)
Adoption proceedings
Mental health/commitment proceedings
Some paternity records (historic window): Indiana’s rules classify as confidential those created after July 1, 1941, and before July 1, 2014.
Expunged or sealed cases

What Information is Available in Lake County Court Records?

In Indiana, Lake court records usually include the following main parts: the Chronological Case Summary, the case file, Records of Judgments and Orders (RJO), and Indexes. Across these components, a typical Lake County court record may display information, such as:

party names;
case number and caption;
filing dates and hearing/event history;
motions, pleadings, and service records;
court orders and final judgments;
fee assessments and receivables;
whether the case is pending or decided.

Lake County Court Records Search

Online access

Anyone can search public (non-confidential) case information via Indiana’s statewide MyCase portal. This is the primary public-facing online search tool for Lake County trial court cases in the state’s Odyssey case management system. Although most documents are available for free online, availability may vary by case type, document type, and age of the case.

Note: Only public cases are searchable on MyCase. Protection order cases, confidential, sealed, or expunged cases, and juvenile paternity cases (filed before July 1, 2014) are not available on the platform.

In-person access

For cases or documents that are unavailable online, requesters may typically submit a record request for certified copies in person to the Lake County Clerk (Circuit/Superior Court Clerk). Requesters may access information on the relevant courthouse locations, including the Courts Building in Crown Point, and office hours via the Lake County Clerk’s page.

Note: The Clerk’s Office accepts major credit cards (except American Express) for in-person transactions only. The Office expects requesters to provide a valid ID that matches the name on the card and charges a 3% convenience fee for card payments.

Mail and phone requests

Before mailing a written request, applicants may call the Lake County Clerk’s contact numbers to confirm whether the record is public and releasable, the copying and certification fees, acceptable payment methods, and other details. Subsequently, the requester may mail in a written request, containing (as applicable):

Full names of parties
Case number (if you have it) and case type (civil, criminal, family, etc.)
The document(s) they want (e.g., complaint, final judgment or decree, sentencing order)
Whether they need certified copies
Their contact details, in case staff need clarification.

Requesters should include a self-addressed stamped envelope since Lake County’s published local probate and guardianship rules state that self-addressed stamped envelopes should be included when matters are filed by mail.

Since Lake County does not appear to have a published "copy request by mail" procedure on its main clerk page, it is best to call the clerk’s office to ask which payment forms are accepted for the specific record type.

Fees for Court Records in Lake County

In Lake County, court fees are typically influenced by the type of copies the requester seeks (plain or certified), how they request them (in person or by mail), and which office holds the record (e.g., court clerk, recorder, or health department). According to Indiana’s statewide fee rules and Lake County’s published schedules, some of the court fees that requesters may encounter are as follows:

Copies of Lake County Court Case Records (Clerk’s Office)

Document- copy fee (most civil, criminal, family, probate, etc.): Up to $1.00 per page for preparing a transcript or copy of a record.

A certified copy (a copy authenticated under seal): $3.00 certification fee per document (in addition to copy charges).

Online Access Fees (MyCase) and Bulk/Subscription-Type Access

MyCase public access: Free for searching and viewing public (non-confidential) case information.
Bulk data or compiled information (commercial or high-volume access): Indiana publishes a fee structure (e.g., per-case charges for "file drop" distributions and an hourly rate for some one-time data requests) for bulk court data access.

Land or Real-estate Record Copies (Recorder’s Office)

Court-related documents, such as judgment liens or certain filings recorded against real property, may appear in the Recorder’s records. The record custodian fee schedule stipulates the following fees:

Copies 11" Ã— 17" or smaller: $1.00 per page
Copies larger than 11" Ã— 17": $5.00 per page
Certification of document: $5.00

Vital Records Fees

Marriage license (Lake County Clerk - Marriage Office)

Marriage license: $25 cash (county resident), $65 cash (non-Indiana resident), available at the Clerk’s Marriage Office.

Birth and death certificates (Lake County Health Department - Vital Records Division)

Certified birth certificate: $20.00 per copy
Certified Death Certificate: $20.00 (and other listed services)

State-level vital records (Indiana Department of Health)

Birth certificate: $10 (first copy) and $4.00 for each extra copy in the same order.
Death certificate: $8 (first copy) and $4.00 for each extra copy in the same order.

Lake County Courthouse Locations

Listed below are the primary official locations for trial court matters in Lake County (Lake Superior/Circuit Court operations), as well as the typical divisions and case types handled at each location:

Crown Point -Lake County Government Complex/Courts Building (Main)

2293 N. Main Street

Crown Point, IN 46307

Main phone: (219) 755-3000

Clerk (Courts Building, 1st Floor) phone: 219-755-3533

Divisions and cases handled: Houses most Superior Court divisions, including several criminal divisions, county divisions, and civil divisions.

Hammond Courthouse

232 Russell Street

Hammond, IN 46320

Phone: 219-931-3440 (Main line for Hammond courthouse)

Divisions and case types typically handled: County Division Room 4 lists traffic and criminal case types (e.g., misdemeanors, some F6 felonies only, infractions, ordinance violations, expungements) and also references civil case types handled by a magistrate. Civil Division, Room 5, lists civil case types and handles matters such as name changes, protective orders, and probate court matters.

East Chicago Courthouse

3711 Main Street

East Chicago, IN 46312

Phone: 219-398-2442

Divisions and case types typically handled here: Houses theSuperior Court Civil Division Room 2 (East Chicago), which includes probate-related resources (e.g., guardianship procedures).

Gary Courthouse (Robert D. Rucker Courthouse)

15 West 4th Avenue, Gary, IN 46402

Phone directory: 219-881-6000 (Main line)

Phone: (219) 881-6065 (Gary Clerk phone)

Divisions and case types typically handled here: Superior Court Civil Division Room 4 (Gary) oversees a broad general civil docket (e.g., personal injury and property damage, medical negligence, real estate, mortgage foreclosures, contract disputes, probate matters, protective orders, name changes, debt collection). The Gary Clerk page also indicates it supports juvenile and child support case types (e.g., juvenile paternity, domestic relations, court business) and small claims case types (e.g., small claims, evictions, civil collections).

Lake County Juvenile Justice Complex (Crown Point)

3000 W. 93rd Avenue

Crown Point, IN 46307

Phone: (219) 660-6900

Divisions and case types typically handled here: Houses the Superior Court - Juvenile Division.

Criminal Records Access in Lake County

In Lake County, interested parties may request state-level criminal history checks through the Indiana State Police (ISP), not Lake County courts. As the state’s central repository for criminal records, the ISP operates the Limited Criminal History (LCH) Search, which provides an official report covering Indiana felonies and Class A misdemeanor arrests. Requesters should note that this is an official statewide criminal-history report, which differs from a docket sheet or certified court records obtained from a county courthouse.

In contrast, requesters may obtain public (non-confidential) local criminal case records through the statewide online portal MyCase. Anyone may search public case information and (in many cases) view documents online. However, availability typically depends on the case or document type and the case’s age.

Individuals seeking documents that are unavailable online or certified copies may submit a record request in person to the Lake County Clerk of the Circuit/Superior Court, the custodian of records.

Lake County Probate Records

Lake County probate records comprise court files and office records used to administer a deceased person’s estate and to protect people who need help making decisions. Lake County probate records typically consist of estate records, wills, and probate filings, such as lodged wills, petitions to open an estate, orders appointing a person representative, inventories, creditor notices or claims, accountings, and closing documents. Probate documents may also include guardianship or conservatorship filings, such as petitions, physician or capacity-related reports (when required), orders appointing a guardian or conservator, and periodic reports to the court. Trusts are not always filed with the court, but probate proceedings may include trust-related filings (e.g., petitions for trust administration or for disputes when the court’s involvement is required).

Requesters may view some newer non-confidential probate case information (and sometimes documents) online via Indiana’s public case portal. However, historical cases or more complete documents may require an in-person visit to review or request copies. Requesters should note that certain probate-related matters or documents may be confidential, restricted by law, or sealed by court rule.

Lake County Family Court Records

In Lake County, family court records comprise cases involving divorce, legal separation, custody, parenting time, paternity, child support, and related post-decree matters. In Indiana, court records are typically public unless a court rule, statute, or court order makes them confidential.

For online access, requesters usually can search public, non-confidential family case information via MyCase. This means that family, civil, criminal, and appellate records that are not confidential may appear on the portal. However, document availability varies by case, and some filings are not posted online. Family case types that are typically unavailable in public search tools include divorce, custody, paternity, and support matters. Likewise, marriage certificates and divorce decrees are not available online. Eligible requesters may request certified copies from the clerk in the county where the case was handled.

When a family-law document is not available on MyCase, requesters may contact the clerk’s office in the county where the case was heard to inspect records (when allowed) or request copies of certain documents. In Lake County, the office address of the Clerk of the Circuit/Superior Court in Lake County (main office) is:

Lake County Clerk (Circuit/Superior Court Clerk)

2293 North Main Street

Courts Building, 1st Floor

Crown Point, IN 46307

Phone: (219) 755-3533

For certified copies, contact the Lake County Clerk with the case details, identify the document needed, and request certification if required. This is particularly necessary for divorce decrees and other official family-court documents that are not posted online.

Federal Court Records in Lake County

At the federal level, Lake County falls under the authority of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. This is the federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases connected to Lake County are filed and heard. The District Court for the Northern District of Indiana differs from Lake County’s state courts.

Individuals seeking federal case files and dockets may access them online through PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). This portal provides electronic public access to federal court records and allows subscribers to search for cases filed in the court.

Alternatively, interested parties may contact or visit the Clerk’s Office at 5400 Federal Plaza, Hammond, IN 46320 for assistance with accessing case files, obtaining copies, and addressing general procedural questions.