How to Look Up Court Records (Free & Paid Options for 2026)

Court records are public by default. The federal system is mostly online. State and county systems range from "everything searchable in one portal" (good: Florida, Texas) to "drive to the courthouse and ask the clerk" (still a thing in parts of the Midwest and Northeast).

Federal court records — PACER

PACER (pacer.uscourts.gov) covers every federal district, bankruptcy, and appellate court. $0.10 per page, capped at $3 per document. Free if you spend under $30 in a quarter. Use the free RECAP browser extension to access already-purchased filings other users have shared.

State court records

Each state has its own portal. The unified-search states (FL, TX, MN, OH, others) let you search all counties at once. Other states (NY, CA, IL) make you pick a county first.

County and municipal records

For misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, and landlord-tenant — go to the county or municipal clerk's website. About 80% are now online.

What you'll see

• Case caption — parties, case number, judge
• Docket — every filing in chronological order
• Documents — usually downloadable PDFs (sometimes restricted)
• Disposition — outcome and any sentence

What you won't see

• Sealed cases (juvenile, expunged, some family law)
• Sensitive personal data (SSNs, minors' names) — redacted by rule
• Grand jury proceedings

The fast way

A people-search aggregator pulls from PACER, state portals, and county clerks in one query. Worth it if you're checking multiple jurisdictions or you don't already know where the case was filed.