Fulton County Court Records Search
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Fulton County, Indiana, sits in the north-central part of the state, with Rochester as the county seat. Civil disputes, criminal prosecutions, family law matters, and probate filings all run through the Fulton County Courthouse, where the county's judicial offices keep and maintain those records. Whether you're trying to verify the outcome of a criminal case, research an estate, or file a small claims action, knowing how the court system here is structured will save you time and effort.
Records held by Fulton County's courts fall under two overlapping frameworks: the Indiana Access to Public Records Act and the Indiana Supreme Court's Rules on Access to Court Records. Together, these rules define which filings are open to the public, which must stay confidential, and what steps you need to follow to get copies.
How to Look Up a Court Case in Fulton County?
Indiana offers a free, statewide online search system that makes finding most court cases fairly straightforward. If you're just getting started, IndianaStateCourts.us can orient you to Indiana's judicial structure and point you toward official case search resources.
The main online tool is the Indiana Judicial Branch's MyCase portal, operated by the Office of Judicial Administration. MyCase indexes public cases from both the Fulton County Circuit Court and Fulton County Superior Court. You don't need an account to search — just use one of the following:
- Party name — enter a last name or a business name
- Case number — enter the full case number if you have it
- Citation number — applicable for traffic and infraction cases
- Cross-reference number — used in some older case filings
For a fuller explanation of how searches work and which documents are viewable online, the Indiana Judicial Branch's MyCase help page covers what case types appear publicly and explains how protection order cases are handled separately through a dedicated Protection Order Search portal.
One important caveat: MyCase shows public information only. Confidential, sealed, and expunged cases won't appear in search results. For older cases or documents that haven't been digitized yet, you'll need to visit the Fulton County Clerk of Courts in person.
Fulton County Clerk of Courts
Address: 815 Main Street, Rochester, IN 46975
Phone: (574) 223-2911 / (574) 223-4824
Fax: (574) 223-8304
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Clerk's staff can locate case files, prepare certified copies, and confirm current financial balances on judgments. They cannot provide legal advice. If you're representing yourself, the Indiana Judicial Branch's Self-Service Legal Center offers forms and procedural guides that may help.
Are Court Records Public in Fulton County?
Indiana generally treats court records as public documents. Both the Access to Public Records Act (Indiana Code 5-14-3) and the Indiana Rules on Access to Court Records establish a baseline presumption that judicial records are open to inspection. The Fulton County Clerk of Courts is the official keeper of those records and must provide access consistent with both frameworks.
That said, Rule 5 of the Access to Court Records Rules identifies specific categories excluded from public access. As amended and effective July 1, 2026, those exclusions include:
- All mental health commitment cases filed under Indiana Code 12-26
- Case records declared confidential by federal or state statute
- Cases or records sealed by specific court order
- Pre-trial investigative records such as search warrants unrelated to a pending criminal proceeding
- Paternity records created between July 1, 1941 and July 1, 2014
- Medical records compiled by a treatment provider and attached to a court file
- Guardian ad litem reports, parenting coordinator reports, and custody evaluation reports
- Photographs or recordings depicting uncovered genitals or sexual conduct involving living individuals
Personal identifiers are also routinely redacted from public documents under Rule 5(C). Complete Social Security numbers, full account numbers, and personal identification numbers must be removed unless essential to the case's disposition. Victim and witness contact information — addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth — in criminal, juvenile, and civil protection order proceedings are similarly excluded.
Expunged records are a bit more nuanced. Pending expungement cases and denied expungements typically remain searchable on MyCase. Once an expungement is granted, the case may be removed from public access depending on the type granted and the order entered by the court.
Fulton County Criminal Court Records
Criminal cases in Fulton County are divided between the Circuit Court and the Superior Court based on the nature of the charge and assigned caseload. Felony charges — Level 1 through Level 6 — are prosecuted in the trial courts, as are Class A and Class B misdemeanors. The Circuit Court is presided over by Judge Christopher A. Lee (Room 315), and the Superior Court by Judge Gregory Heller (Room 216), both located at the Fulton County Courthouse.
Fulton County Courthouse — Trial Courts
Address: 815 Main Street, Rochester, IN 46975
Circuit Court (Room 315): (574) 223-4824
Superior Court (Room 216): (574) 223-4824
Criminal case records include charging informations, arrest warrants, plea agreements, sentencing orders, and probation conditions. These documents are generally public under Indiana law unless sealed by court order or temporarily withheld pending arrest under Rule 5(E). Final orders and judgments in criminal cases are available as online documents through MyCase.
For arrest-related inquiries, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office is the right contact. The Sheriff's Office handles jail operations, the security of court facilities, and criminal investigations throughout the county.
Fulton County Sheriff's Office
Address: 815 Main Street, Rochester, IN 46975
Phone: (574) 223-2911
Current inmate listings and jail information are maintained through the Fulton County Sheriff's Office Jail Division, which offers a mobile app for accessing inmate commissary status, inmate listings, and related information.
If you're looking to clear a prior criminal record, Indiana's Second Chance Law provides an expungement process. Once an expungement is granted, the Clerk of Courts updates the case record accordingly. The Fulton County Clerk of Courts can confirm whether an expungement has been processed for a given case number.
Fulton County Civil Court Records
Civil litigation in Fulton County covers contract disputes, personal injury claims, landlord-tenant matters, and money judgments. The Circuit and Superior Courts share jurisdiction over these matters, with small claims handled as a separate division within those courts.
Indiana's small claims jurisdiction extends to money disputes up to $10,000 under Indiana Code 33-29-2-4, as updated effective January 1, 2025. Small claims proceedings are designed to be informal and don't require attorney representation, though parties may choose to hire counsel. Filing fees vary by county and claim amount; the Indiana Small Claims Manual published by the Indiana Judicial Branch offers detailed procedural guidance. The Indiana Small Claims Rules were also updated effective January 1, 2025, including amendments affecting corporate representation requirements.
Civil case records filed in Fulton County can be searched through MyCase. Orders in civil cases are among the document types available to the public through the online portal. For complete filings — including complaints, answers, motions, and exhibits — contact the Clerk of Courts directly.
Copy and Certification Fees (Clerk of Courts):
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Regular copy | $1.00 per page |
| Certified copy | $3.00 per document |
Property-related civil records — deeds, mortgages, liens, and UCC filings — are handled by the Fulton County Recorder's Office rather than the Clerk of Courts.
Fulton County Recorder's Office
Address: 125 East 9th Street, Suite 120, Rochester, IN 46975
Phone: (574) 223-2914
Fax: (574) 223-4734
Recorder: Deb Bock
Copy fees at the Recorder's Office are $1.00 for documents 11" x 17" or smaller, $5.00 for larger documents, and $5.00 per certification. The office also offers online records access through its Online Records Search portal, which uses the Tapestry platform at $8.75 per search plus $1.00 per printed page. Property tax assessment data is maintained by the Fulton County Auditor's Office at 125 East 9th Street, Suite 108, Rochester, IN 46975, Phone: (574) 223-2912
Fulton County Family Court Records
Divorce, legal separation, child custody, child support, and domestic relations matters are filed in the Circuit and Superior Courts. The Fulton County Clerk of Courts processes these filings and maintains the resulting case files. Basic case information — filing dates, parties, and case status — is searchable through MyCase for non-confidential family cases.
Divorce proceedings in Indiana require residency in the county for at least three months before filing. The Clerk's office can confirm current filing fees at the time of submission. The Indiana Judicial Branch's public records page links to relevant forms and self-help resources for family law matters.
Certified copies of divorce decrees are available from the Clerk of Courts at $1.00 per page and $3.00 for certification. These certified copies are most commonly needed to confirm the dissolution of a marriage for legal or administrative purposes.
Marriage licenses are processed by the Clerk of Courts at 815 Main Street. Applicants start the process at the Indiana State Marriage License website, which collects preliminary information before the in-person visit, after which the Clerk issues the license. Marriage records dating to 1836 are held by the Clerk, and certified copies of marriages from 1958 to the present can also be obtained from the Indiana State Department of Health Vital Records Division. Certified copies of the actual marriage certificate, however, are only available from the issuing county's Clerk.
Parenting time disputes and modifications are subject to Indiana's Parenting Time Guidelines, a link to which is maintained on the Clerk of Courts page.
Certain family court records carry confidentiality protections. Guardian ad litem reports, parenting coordinator assessments, and custody evaluations are excluded from public access under Rule 5(B)(13) of the Access to Court Records Rules. Protection order cases are not searchable through MyCase at all — those records are accessible only through the separate Protection Order Registry portal.
Fulton County Probate Court Records
Probate jurisdiction in Fulton County rests with the Circuit and Superior Courts. These courts administer estates, supervise the appointment of guardians and conservators, and oversee the formal opening of wills. The Clerk of Courts maintains all probate filings, including petitions for estate administration, inventories of assets, accounting submissions, and final settlement orders.
Filing a Will for Deposit
Under Indiana Code 29-1-7-3.1, a testator may deposit a will with the Fulton County Circuit Court Clerk during their lifetime. The process works as follows:
- Bring the original will to the Clerk of Courts at 815 Main Street, Rochester
- Pay the $25.00 deposit fee (waived in limited circumstances for court program participants)
- The Clerk seals the will in an envelope, provides a receipt, and indexes it alphabetically by the testator's name
- The deposited will does not receive a standard case number unless assigned a Court Business Record designation
A will deposited under this statute is not a public record during the testator's lifetime under Indiana Code 5-14-3. The Clerk will only release it to the testator directly, to a person holding written authorization from the testator, or to a court with estate jurisdiction after the testator's death.
Estate Claims
Creditors submitting claims against an open estate must include the court case number and the full name of the decedent. Claims are submitted in triplicate to the Clerk's probate division:
Fulton County Clerk, ATTN: Probate
815 Main Street, Rochester, IN 46975
Phone: (574) 223-2912
Preliminary probate case details can be found through MyCase. Complete records — petitions, inventories, and settlement documents — require an in-person visit or a written request to the Clerk's office. Copy fees remain $1.00 per page and $3.00 per certified document.
Vital Records Related to Probate
Birth and death certificates are frequently needed in probate proceedings to establish identity, relationship, and date of death. In Fulton County, the local Vital Records division of the Fulton County Health Department maintains certified birth and death records from 1882 to the present.
Fulton County Health Department — Vital Records
Address: (Contact the Health Department by phone at (574) 223-2881; Hours 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
Vital Records Fee Schedule:
| Record Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Birth Certificate | $10.00 per certified copy |
| Death Certificate | $15.00 per certified copy |
| Genealogy Search (1–5 records) | $10.00 |
| Genealogy Search (over 5 records) | $20.00 |
| Paternity Affidavit | $25.00 (by appointment) |
| Homebirth Filing | $35.00 |
Personal checks are not accepted. Payment by credit or debit card can be arranged by calling the Health Department. Certified birth certificates for records less than 75 years old require the requester to provide proof of relationship to the registrant and a valid government-issued ID.
For statewide vital records not held locally, the Indiana State Department of Health Vital Records Division maintains death records from 1907 to present, with phone orders available at (866) 601-0891.
For genealogical research, probate and marriage records dating back to 1836 are housed with the Clerk of Courts, making the county office a valuable resource for historical estate and family research that extends well before statewide vital records registration began.