How to Search Howard County Court Records
Howard County directs public court-date and case lookups to Indiana MyCase. MyCase covers public, non-confidential court information from Odyssey courts, including Howard County. The Howard Circuit Court page warns that court-date information is a convenience drawn from official court minutes, that confidential cases such as juvenile and paternity matters are not included, and that a filing may exist before it appears in the minutes. For that reason, a MyCase result should be checked against the court, the attorney, or the Howard County Clerk before a hearing or certified-copy request.
Source view: the Indiana MyCase public case search is the main online entry point for Howard County court records.
The MyCase portal is useful for case numbers, party names, hearing dates, CCS entries, and some public documents, but the official record remains with the court that maintains the file.
- Start at MyCase or use the county's Court Date Lookup path.
- Choose the most precise search mode: case number, party name, attorney, or citation.
- When searching by name, add Howard County, court, date-of-birth, filing-date, or case-type filters if available.
- Open the matching result and compare the county, court, filing date, party name, charge, or case type.
- Read the chronological case summary for hearings, filings, orders, disposition, payments, and status.
- Call or visit the Howard County Clerk if a document is missing, older, not online, or needed as a certified copy.
- Expect no public online result, or only limited information, for sealed, juvenile, adoption, mental-health, and granted expungement matters.
| MyCase search field | Best use in Howard County |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Use when the Indiana cause number is known. |
| First and Last Name | Use party names, then narrow common names by county and date. |
| Attorney | Find public cases connected to counsel. |
| Citation | Search traffic tickets and eligible citation records. |
| Court or County | Choose Howard County when the portal offers a county filter. |
| Case Type or Date Range | Separate criminal, civil, probate, family, traffic, and small-claims results. |
Inside the Howard County Court System
Indiana does not use a county district court as the main trial court. Howard County is served by the Howard Circuit Court, Howard Superior Courts I, II, III, and IV, and a magistrate/referee structure. The county is in Judicial District 8 with Cass, Fulton, and Miami counties. Appeals from Howard County trial courts move to the Court of Appeals of Indiana, with the Indiana Supreme Court as the court of last resort for state-law issues.
Source view: the Indiana court-system overview explains the statewide hierarchy of Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Tax Court, and local trial courts.
The statewide structure explains why Howard County has Circuit and Superior Courts rather than a county district court, so searches work best when the local court name is checked against MyCase and the clerk's records.
| Court or office | Room and phone | Main researched work |
|---|---|---|
| Howard County Clerk, Debra C. Stewart | Room 202, 765-456-2000 | Filings, marriage licenses, child-support histories, traffic payments, fines, fees, judgments, and certified-copy routing. |
| Howard Circuit Court | Room 310, 765-456-2202 | Original county court, general civil and criminal jurisdiction, and exclusive juvenile jurisdiction. |
| Howard Superior Court I | Room 216, 765-456-2200 | Criminal drug and domestic-violence docket, Adult Drug Court, Domestic Violence Program, and Re-entry Court. |
| Howard Superior Court II | Room 304, 765-456-2201 | General civil and criminal jurisdiction, Mental Health Diversion, and Veterans Court. |
| Howard Superior Court III | Room 216, 765-456-2220 | Driving offenses, traffic infractions, small claims, and most non-drug misdemeanors. |
| Howard Superior Court IV | Room 300, 765-456-2900 | General civil and criminal jurisdiction, with operations dating to January 6, 2006. |
Case movement: filing or charging decision › Howard Circuit or Superior Court assignment › hearings and CCS entries › orders, judgment, disposition, or sentence › post-judgment activity or appeal to the Court of Appeals of Indiana.
Howard County Courthouse in Kokomo
The main courthouse address is Howard County Courthouse, 104 N. Buckeye St., Kokomo, IN 46901. The present courthouse opened in 1936 after a fire destroyed the earlier courthouse, and official local material notes its Art Deco and style moderne character. Howard Circuit Court dates to 1844, when the county was organized, so the building is both the current records hub and the historical center of local court administration.
Source view: the official Howard County home page anchors the county government site used to reach court, clerk, public-records, and payment links.
The county government site is useful for reaching local office pages, but court case searches and many payments route to Indiana statewide court systems.
Howard County Clerk
104 N. Buckeye St., Room 202
Kokomo, IN 46901
765-456-2000
Fax: 765-456-2267
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Howard Circuit Court
104 N. Buckeye St., Room 310
Kokomo, IN 46901
765-456-2202
Fax: 765-456-2016
Howard County Sheriff's Office
1800 W. Markland Ave.
Kokomo, IN 46901
765-457-1105
Sheriff Jerry Asher
What the Clerk Can Help You Get
Howard County uses a unified clerk structure. Clerk Debra C. Stewart's office accepts new court filings across case types, issues marriage licenses, takes child-support payments, provides child-support histories, accepts traffic-ticket payments, and accepts payment of fines, fees, and judgments. The clerk is also the main fallback when MyCase does not show a document, when a user needs a certified copy, or when a will, divorce decree, or estate document is not online.
Source view: the Howard County Clerk page lists clerk duties, office contact details, court-related links, and forms.
The clerk page is the local place to confirm office hours, form links, traffic-payment questions, and copy or certification needs before mailing a request.
| Item | Amount or source note |
|---|---|
| Marriage license for Indiana resident couple | $25.00 if one or both applicants are Indiana residents. |
| Marriage license for out-of-state residents | $65.00 when both applicants are out-of-state residents marrying in Indiana. |
| Additional document fee | Some clerk offices charge an additional $4.00 document fee; verify Howard County collection with the clerk. |
| Certified marriage-license copy | $4.00 each, according to Indiana Judicial Branch marriage-license guidance. |
| Viewable Driver Record | Free through Indiana BMV, not a clerk record. |
| Official Driver Record | $4.00 through Indiana BMV, not a clerk record. |
| Court copy or certification | Howard County-specific copy schedule was not located in the clerk page text. Confirm before mailing payment. |
| Civil, probate, and small-claims filing fees | Use the Indiana Trial Court Fee Manual and clerk confirmation. A Howard County fee sheet was not located in the researched page body. |
Public Access Laws and Restricted Records
Indiana court records begin from a public-access rule, but the practical answer depends on the case type, document type, and status of the record. MyCase is available for public, non-confidential case information. Official copies, older files, certified records, and documents that are not posted online still route to the Howard County Clerk or the court maintaining the record. Criminal-history and arrest records are law-enforcement records, while filed criminal cases are court records.
Source view: the Indiana public-records hub connects users to case search, court documents, marriage records, driver records, public-record request guidance, and other statewide record tools.
The public-records hub helps separate court records from driver records, marriage lookup, offender tools, and other state systems that are often confused with county court files.
Key authority in plain English:
Indiana Code 5-14-3 is the Access to Public Records Act and generally requires public agencies to permit inspection and copying unless an exception applies.
Indiana Access to Court Records Rule 4 says court records are public unless a rule, statute, case law, or court order excludes them.
Indiana Access to Court Records Rule 5 lists records and information excluded from public access, including many juvenile, mental-health, medical, personal-identifying, and sealed materials.
Indiana Administrative Rule 9 governs court records, fees, remote access, and administrative procedures for court-record handling.
Indiana Code 35-38-9 covers expungement, while Indiana Code 31-39 covers juvenile record confidentiality.
Records by Case Type
Civil records can include complaints, appearances, summons returns, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, and transcript-of-judgment entries. Criminal court records are files created after the prosecutor files charges and can include charging information, bond orders, no-contact orders, pleas, trial settings, dispositions, sentencing orders, probation terms, and restitution. Traffic records often connect to Superior Court III, while the BMV driver record is a separate state driving-history product.
- Family and divorce records: Divorce case information may appear in MyCase, but certified divorce decrees are not available online and must be requested from the clerk.
- Probate records: Wills, estate administration, guardianships, inventories, creditor claims, accountings, and final reports may be docketed, but not every document is online.
- Juvenile records: Howard Circuit Court has exclusive juvenile jurisdiction, and many juvenile records are confidential.
- Protection orders: MyCase help states that protection-order cases are not found through ordinary MyCase search because protected-person identifying information is excluded from online public access.
- Cause number
- Indiana's case number, usually encoding county, court, year, case type, and sequence.
- CCS
- The chronological case summary, which is the docket/event log for filings, hearings, orders, and status changes.
- Disposition
- The outcome of a charge or case, such as dismissal, judgment, plea, conviction, or other final action.
- Expungement
- A statutory process under Indiana law that can restrict public access to eligible arrest, charge, or conviction records.
- Probate
- The court process for estates, wills, guardianships, trusts, creditor claims, inventories, and final distribution.
Specialty Courts and Community Supervision
Howard County has several local problem-solving programs. Superior Court I handles a primarily criminal drug and domestic-violence docket and houses Adult Drug Court, the Domestic Violence Program, and Re-entry Court. Superior Court II has Mental Health Diversion and Veterans Court. Circuit Court has a Juvenile Problem Solving Program, while juvenile probation and the Robert J. Kinsey Youth Center operate in the broader juvenile services system.
Source view: the Indiana Judicial Branch Howard County page links Howard County local rules, case search, e-filing, court statistics, and official county court information.
State and local court pages together show both the record-search infrastructure and the local courtroom assignments that make Howard County different from a generic Indiana county.
Sheriff, Inmates, Warrants, and Court Cases
The Howard County Sheriff's Office is at 1800 W. Markland Ave., Kokomo, IN 46901, phone 765-457-1105. Sheriff Jerry Asher's site has current inmates, active warrants, sheriff public records, tips, daily bulletin, sex offender links, crash report links, and a Howard County Sheriff's Office mobile app by OCV. Jail custody and active-warrant lists are law-enforcement records. Filed criminal charges, hearings, pleas, and dispositions are court records searched through MyCase.
Source view: the Howard County Sheriff's Office home page provides the local sheriff record channels and app links.
Use Howard County inmate records for current custody lookup and Howard County warrant records for the active warrant list, then use MyCase for the underlying court case when public.
Traffic Tickets and Court Payments
Howard Superior Court III is the important local court for traffic because the county page assigns it all driving offenses, all traffic infractions, all small-claim cases, and all misdemeanor cases except drug misdemeanors. Traffic records can include citation number, court date, violation, fine, cost, plea or admission, disposition, and BMV reporting. DUI or OWI is a criminal case, not just a simple infraction.
Source view: Indiana ePay is the statewide payment portal used for eligible traffic citations and court payments.
Online payment is only available for eligible citations or cases. If the driver must appear, wants to contest, needs an extension, or has a CDL concern, the clerk or Superior Court III should be contacted before payment.
Marriage, Divorce, and Probate Records
Marriage licenses are issued by the Howard County Clerk. Indiana's statewide marriage lookup can help locate many marriage-license records from 1993 forward, but certified marriage-license copies come from the clerk in the county where the license was issued. Divorce case information can be searched in MyCase, while certified divorce decrees are not available online and must be requested from the clerk. Probate matters are handled in Howard County's trial-court system through the clerk, not by a separate probate clerk.
For probate, start with MyCase if the estate or guardianship is public, then use the clerk for official copies, certified documents, wills that are not online, and older estate materials. Guardianship medical evidence, minor information, account numbers, confidential reports, and some related filings may be restricted under Access Rule 5.
Howard Circuit Court Source
Source view: the Howard Circuit Court page describes the original county court, general jurisdiction, juvenile jurisdiction, filing routes, MyCase court-date lookup, and local rules.
The Circuit Court source is especially important for juvenile jurisdiction, e-filing rules for attorneys, pro se filing options, and the reminder that public court-date information should be verified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is MyCase the official Howard County court record?
No. MyCase is the public online access point for non-confidential case information and some documents, but the official record is maintained by the court. For a certified copy, an older document, a will, a divorce decree, or a document not posted online, contact the Howard County Clerk in Room 202.
Which Howard County court handles traffic and small claims?
Howard Superior Court III is the local court identified for all driving offenses, all traffic infractions, all small-claim cases, and most non-drug misdemeanor cases. Traffic payments may be available through ePay, but appearance requirements and contested tickets should be confirmed with the clerk or court.
Why does a case not appear online?
The case may be confidential, sealed, juvenile, adoption-related, mental-health-related, granted expungement-related, too new to appear in the minutes, older than the online document set, or filed under a different name or cause number. The clerk or court can confirm the correct access route.