How to Search Court Records Online for Free

You can search most court records online for free. Federal cases are available through PACER, and the majority of states publish case dockets through their judiciary portals or county clerks of court — no paid background-check service required. The trick is knowing whether your case is federal or state, and going straight to the official source.

Court records are presumptively public. They document civil suits, criminal cases, bankruptcies, family matters, and judgments. Below is the step-by-step process professionals use.

Step 1: Decide whether the case is federal or state

Federal courts handle bankruptcy, federal crimes, immigration, patent and antitrust suits, and civil-rights cases. State and county courts handle most criminal, family, probate, traffic, and small-claims matters. This single decision determines which system you search.

Step 2: For federal cases, use PACER

PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is the federal judiciary's official search system. Registration is free, and viewing fees are waived if you accrue less than $30 in a calendar quarter. Search by party name or case number across district, bankruptcy, and appellate courts.

Step 3: For state cases, use the state judiciary portal

Many states run unified statewide case-search portals — Pennsylvania's UJS Portal, New York's NYSCEF, and Washington's court search are good examples. Others route you to the county clerk of court where the case was filed. Searchadex lists the correct portal for each state on our Court Records page.

Step 4: Search with the right identifiers

Use exact spelling of party names and add date ranges to narrow results. A case number returns the single most reliable match. Watch for common-name collisions — confirm the date of birth, address, or attorney where the portal shows it.

Step 5: Open the docket and pull documents

The docket lists every filing and ruling chronologically. Many portals let you download filed documents, sometimes for a small per-page fee (PACER charges $0.10 per page, capped at $3 per document). Viewing the docket itself is almost always free.

Frequently asked questions

Are all court records public? Most are, but juvenile, sealed, expunged, adoption, and certain family-court records are restricted by law and won't appear in public search.

Do court records show a full criminal history? No. Court records show case-by-case outcomes, not a compiled criminal history. A full background check requires a separate statewide criminal-history or FCRA-compliant search.

Is PACER really free? Registration is free and fees are waived under $30 per quarter, so most casual searches cost nothing.

Ready to search? Start with the official portal for your case on the Searchadex Court Records page, and check related Criminal Records and Property Records (for liens and judgments) while you're at it.

Searchadex links only to official government and verified sources. We do not charge for searches and do not resell your data.