Franklin County, Ohio Criminal Records Search: Cases & Public Records
Franklin County, Ohio Criminal Records Search: Cases, Court Dockets & Public Records
To search Franklin County Ohio criminal records, use the Clerk of Courts’ Case Information Online system for Common Pleas felony cases or the Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk’s search for misdemeanor, traffic and initial felony proceedings.
Both searches offer free access to qualifying public case information. For an official Ohio criminal-history background check, follow the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) process rather than relying on court dockets alone.
Official Franklin County and Ohio sources reviewed: October 16, 2026.
Common Pleas General Division
Use the Franklin County Clerk of Courts CIO portal to find felony criminal cases, dockets, orders, filings and related Common Pleas case information.
How to search Common Pleas →Franklin County Municipal Court
Search criminal misdemeanors, traffic cases, related environmental cases and initial felony filings handled in Municipal Court.
How to search Municipal Court →Franklin County Sheriff
Look up current inmates, charges, case numbers, court dates and visitation locations through the Sheriff’s Office.
Open the custody lookup guide →Ohio BCI Background Check
Learn how to request your own Ohio computerized criminal-history record or complete an authorized fingerprint-based check.
See official BCI instructions →Where Can You Find Franklin County Criminal Records?
Franklin County maintains court records through different elected clerks and judicial offices. The type of offense and the court handling the proceeding determine where you should search.
| What you need | Official source | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Felony criminal court case | Franklin County Common Pleas Clerk — CIO | Felony filings, court dockets, case documents and dispositions. |
| Misdemeanor or traffic criminal case | Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk | Misdemeanor, traffic and initial felony court proceedings. |
| Certified judgment or docket copy | Clerk of the court holding the original case | Official copies, orders, dispositions and certified records. |
| Current jail inmate | Franklin County Sheriff’s Office | Current custody, charges, case numbers and court dates. |
| Ohio criminal-history background check | Ohio Attorney General — BCI / WebCheck | Authorized fingerprint-based background checks. |
| State prison or supervision record | Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction | Qualifying prison, release and APA supervision information. |
| Federal criminal case | PACER — Southern District of Ohio | Federal prosecutions and federal court docket records. |
How to Search Franklin County Common Pleas Felony Cases
The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, General Division handles felony criminal cases. Its Clerk of Courts maintains the official criminal docket and the online Case Information Online (CIO) service.
CIO provides public records for Common Pleas General Division criminal and civil matters, Domestic Relations cases and the Tenth District Court of Appeals. It is not the Municipal Court’s separate search system.
What to do after opening CIO
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Read the terms and accept the conditions.
The portal first displays a Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy page. Review it and continue using the agreement control.
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Choose a name search or case search.
The search page provides Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial, Court and case-number fields.
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Use the court selector.
Select the appropriate General Division criminal court option where available. Do not use a Domestic Relations or civil search when you need a felony case.
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Search by name when the case number is unknown.
Enter the person’s last and first name. You can narrow results using the Court dropdown and additional options if necessary.
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Use the case-number components if known.
CIO identifies the code CR for Criminal, MI for Criminal Miscellaneous and EP for Expungements. Use the case year, case code and number as required by the form.
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Review the matching case.
Open the case and check the docket entries, court, party information, filing dates, hearings, motions, orders and disposition.
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Verify the official record if needed.
The Clerk states that CIO information is a copy, not the official court record. Consult the original file or request certified documents for an authoritative record.
CR means Criminal; MI means Criminal Miscellaneous; EP means Expungements; and AP refers to Appeals. These are different record categories, so choose the one matching your case.
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 525-3621 Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
How to Search Franklin County Municipal Court Criminal Records
The Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk maintains a separate case-search service for misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic matters, environmental offenses and certain initial felony proceedings.
Its public search page is particularly useful because it explains exactly which fields are required and how to narrow searches that return multiple matches.
Step-by-step Municipal Court lookup
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Open Search Records.
Visit the Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk’s official case-search page.
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Use one valid starting identifier.
The search requires one of the following: a case number, ticket number, both first and last name, or a company name.
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Enter the person’s complete name.
If you do not have a case number, use Last Name and First Name. The Clerk specifically says a name search requires both fields.
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Use extra fields to narrow results.
Optional fields include Middle Name, Date of Birth, Party Type, Case Type, Case Year and Case Status. Only include information that is accurate.
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Check the date format.
If entering a date of birth, use MM/DD/YYYY, not hyphens. For the case year, use the four-digit year.
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Click Perform Search.
Review the returned cases, distinguishing criminal cases from traffic or civil filings.
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Open the appropriate docket.
Check charges, court dates, judgments, sentences, dismissals and any subsequent action.
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Contact the Criminal/Traffic Division when necessary.
For official documentation, court-date questions or records not adequately explained online, contact the Municipal Court Clerk with the case number.
What the Municipal Court case-number codes mean
Municipal Court criminal and traffic case numbers use a year, a case-type code and a numeric sequence. For example, the Clerk’s official help identifies categories such as CR A, CR B, TR C, TR D and TR P.
Enter the code and case number exactly as the search form expects. Do not assume Municipal Court codes follow the same format as CIO’s Common Pleas case numbers.
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: (614) 645-8186
The Clerk lists its Criminal Department call center as available daily from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Confirm building access or counter hours before visiting.
What Should You Check Before Relying on a Criminal Case Result?
A court search might show a criminal complaint, arrest-related filing, hearing or charge. These events do not automatically establish guilt or a criminal conviction.
Complaint or charge
A criminal allegation or charge is not a final finding of guilt. Check later docket entries to find out how the court handled it.
Bindover
An initial felony proceeding may begin in Municipal Court and move to Common Pleas. Check for a later felony case under the same person’s name.
Dismissal or acquittal
A charge may be dismissed or the defendant found not guilty. Look at the disposition for each charge, rather than the case caption alone.
Conviction and sentence
Review the court’s judgment entry, sentence and later modifications to understand the result. Certified documents can be obtained from the maintaining court.
If a felony began in Municipal Court
Search the Municipal Court docket first to identify the preliminary filing, arraignment, case number or bindover. Then search CIO for the later Common Pleas criminal case. This two-system check can reveal why the Municipal Court docket lacks the final felony judgment.
How to Get Certified Franklin County Criminal Court Records
If you need an official judgment, final disposition, docket, sentencing order or another certified criminal court document, contact the clerk of the court that holds the original case.
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Identify the correct court.
For a felony Common Pleas case, contact the Franklin County Clerk of Courts General Division. For a Municipal Court case, contact the Municipal Court Criminal/Traffic Department.
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Collect the case details.
Write down the full defendant name, case number, case year, division and specific document you want.
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Ask whether a plain copy is sufficient.
If your purpose is personal research, an ordinary copy may be enough. Some legal or administrative tasks require a certified copy.
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Confirm fees and delivery.
Ask about per-page charges, certification fees, electronic copies, mail delivery and available in-person inspection.
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Check for later court action.
Ask for any amended judgment, sentence modification or subsequent order that could change your understanding of the outcome.
Franklin County Clerk of Courts public-record policy
The Common Pleas Clerk’s published public-record policy states that ordinary paper copies are calculated at 10 cents per page, and documents furnished by email or fax under that policy carry no copy charge. The Clerk’s General Division fee schedule separately lists a $1 certified-copy fee per document.
These are published line items rather than a guaranteed total for every request. Ask the Clerk whether page charges, certification charges or other applicable fees will be combined.
Franklin County Criminal Records Search Fees
| Record or service | Published cost | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Common Pleas CIO case search | Free online lookup | Public case information is a copy, not the official court record. |
| Municipal Court case search | Free online lookup | Search by valid case, ticket or name fields. |
| Common Pleas paper records copy | $0.10 per page | Published public-record copy rate. |
| Common Pleas certified copy | $1 per document | Confirm applicable additional page charges. |
| Common Pleas exemplified copy | $4 per document | Different from an ordinary certified copy. |
| Ohio BCI personal criminal-history record request | $22 state fee | Fingerprints, consent and identity requirements apply. WebCheck vendors may charge extra. |
| Common Pleas sealing/expungement filing for conviction | $50 listed filing fee | Eligibility and the applicable case type determine the filing process. |
| Municipal Court sealing/expungement filing for qualifying conviction | $50 listed filing fee | The Clerk lists no filing fee for applications involving dismissed cases or not-guilty findings. |
| County sheriff inmate search | Free public lookup | Not a complete criminal-history report. |
Fees reviewed October 16, 2026. Fingerprinting providers, court orders and specific document requests may have additional costs. Confirm current charges with the official office.
Franklin County Sheriff Inmate and Current Booking Information
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has a public inmate-information search for current county custody. It is different from the court docket systems.
The Sheriff’s Office says the lookup can display:
- Current inmates
- Current charges
- Current case numbers
- Current location for visitation
- Scheduled court dates
How to use the sheriff inmate lookup
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Open the Sheriff’s Inmate Information page.
Use the official Franklin County Sheriff’s Office service page.
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Select Search Inmate Information.
This launches the Sheriff’s current inmate-search service.
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Search by the supported identifiers.
Use the name or other fields available on the current search screen.
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Record the court case number.
If the inmate result provides a case number, use it to locate the relevant court docket.
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Verify bond information through the court.
The Sheriff’s Office specifically directs users to the Clerk of Courts for bond information.
How to Get an Official Ohio BCI Criminal Background Check
Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation is the state criminal-history repository. The Ohio Attorney General explains that computerized BCI criminal-history records are not generally public records and can be released only through authorized processes.
An individual can request their own record to review accuracy and completeness. Employment and licensing checks must follow the requirements associated with their authorized purpose.
Requesting your own criminal-history record
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Open Ohio Attorney General’s criminal-record instructions.
Visit the official Requesting Your Own Criminal Records page.
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Review the identification requirements.
The state lists identifying information, fingerprints and signed consent among the requirements.
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Arrange fingerprint submission.
Use an authorized WebCheck provider or another state-approved fingerprint process for your purpose.
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Pay the applicable charges.
The Attorney General lists a $22 state fee for requesting your own record. An electronic fingerprinting provider may add a convenience or service fee.
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Follow the destination and release rules.
For an employer, school or licensing board, provide the correct recipient and Ohio Revised Code purpose where required.
The Ohio BCI Civilian Background Unit can be reached at (877) 224-0043 for background-check questions.
Other Criminal Public Records Connected to Franklin County
Ohio prison and post-release records
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has a public Offender Search. Search by name, offender number, status or County of Commitment.
Select Franklin under County of Commitment to narrow results, noting that commitment county is not necessarily the person’s current residential county.
Open Ohio DRC Offender Search ↗Franklin County registered sex offenders
The Sheriff’s Offender Compliance Unit links to the official registered offender search and public notification resources.
Use this registry for qualifying registration information, not as a complete criminal-history database.
Open Sheriff’s Registry Resources ↗Tenth District Court of Appeals
Appeals from Franklin County courts may be handled by Ohio’s Tenth District Court of Appeals. The Clerk’s CIO system includes appellate case information.
Search under the appellate case category or contact the Appeals Division.
Search Appeals through CIO ↗Federal criminal prosecutions in Columbus
Federal criminal cases filed in Columbus are handled within the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division. Use PACER, not CIO or Municipal Court search.
Search Federal Court Cases ↗Why a Franklin County Criminal Records Search Might Return No Results
If one portal returns nothing, do not immediately assume no case was filed. Check the court level, filing county, name format and possibility that the case moved between courts.
| Search problem | Possible reason | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Felony not found in Municipal Court | Case may have been bound over to Common Pleas | Search the person’s name in Common Pleas CIO. |
| Misdemeanor missing from CIO | CIO is not the Municipal Court criminal-search system | Use the Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk’s search. |
| Municipal name search gives an error | Only one name field may have been entered | Use both first and last name, or a case or ticket number. |
| Too many Municipal Court matches | Common name or overly broad search | Add Case Year, Case Type or other accurate optional criteria. |
| CIO is temporarily inaccessible | Maintenance, downtime or connection issues | Use the Clerk’s official website and contact the General Division for help. |
| Record does not show final disposition | Case may be pending, incomplete, transferred or subject to later orders | Contact the maintaining court for the final record. |
| Old, sealed or juvenile record missing | Access restrictions, retention rules or limited online coverage | Ask the proper records custodian about legally permitted access. |
| Need a fingerprint-confirmed criminal history | County docket searches are not Ohio BCI checks | Follow the Ohio Attorney General’s BCI/WebCheck instructions. |
Sealed, Expunged, Dismissed and Incorrect Franklin County Criminal Records
A criminal case can remain visible in public court records unless an applicable law, court order or sealing process restricts it. Ohio has statutory rules governing sealing and expungement, but eligibility depends on the person’s criminal history, charge, outcome, timing and other legal factors.
The Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk provides sealing and expungement forms and states that the filing fee for certain conviction applications is $50. It also states there is no filing fee for applications involving dismissed cases or cases ending in a not-guilty finding.
The Common Pleas Clerk separately lists its own sealing/expungement filing fee. Use the court where the case is filed rather than submitting an application to the wrong Clerk.
If an Ohio BCI record appears incorrect, the Attorney General advises gathering proof and contacting the agency responsible for reporting the disputed information, which may be a police agency, sheriff, Municipal Court or Common Pleas Court.
Legal and Identity-Matching Precautions
Criminal public records can contain inaccurate, incomplete or easily misunderstood information. An online case result should be treated as a lead to an official record, not an automatic determination about the person.
Arrest is not conviction
A person’s arrest, booking, complaint or felony charge does not establish guilt. Check the disposition and later orders.
A name match is not enough
People can share names and even dates of birth. Fingerprints offer stronger identity confirmation through authorized BCI procedures.
Respect restricted records
Sealed, expunged, juvenile and other legally restricted records should not be treated as available merely because an older third-party page displays information.
FCRA and regulated screening
Employment, housing and similar eligibility decisions may involve the Fair Credit Reporting Act and additional legal rules. This website does not furnish consumer reports.
Franklin County, Ohio Criminal Records Search FAQs
1. How can I search Franklin County Ohio criminal records for free?
2. Where do I search Franklin County felony criminal cases?
3. Where do I find Franklin County misdemeanor records?
4. Can I search Franklin County criminal cases by name?
5. Why can a Franklin County felony appear in two court systems?
6. How do I obtain certified Franklin County criminal court records?
7. How much does a certified Franklin County Common Pleas court copy cost?
8. Where can I search current Franklin County jail inmates?
9. Is a Franklin County court search the same as an Ohio BCI background check?
10. Why is a Franklin County criminal record missing from online search?
Official Franklin County Criminal Records and Ohio Background Check Links
The following sources are maintained by Franklin County courts, county government, the Ohio Attorney General, state corrections authorities or the federal judiciary.
- Franklin County Clerk of Courts — Case Information Online (CIO)
- Common Pleas General Division — Criminal Records
- Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk — Search Records
- Municipal Court — Criminal/Traffic Department
- Franklin County Clerk of Courts — Contact Directory
- Franklin County Common Pleas Clerk — Public Records Request
- Common Pleas General Division — Fee Schedule
- Franklin County Sheriff’s Office — Inmate Information
- Franklin County Sheriff’s Office — Offender Compliance Unit
- Ohio Attorney General — Requesting Your Own Criminal Records
- Ohio Attorney General — WebCheck Providers
- Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction — Offender Search
- PACER — Federal Court Records