Choose the correct court or agency before you search
Clermont County criminal information is divided mainly between the Common Pleas Court, Municipal Court, Clermont County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Felony cases generally end up in Common Pleas, while Municipal Court handles misdemeanors, traffic matters and preliminary stages of felony cases. The best search therefore depends on what type of record you need.
What kind of Clermont County criminal record are you looking for?
“Criminal record” can mean several different things. Searching the wrong government system can make a record appear to be missing when it is simply maintained somewhere else.
Felony criminal cases
Adult felony indictments, arraignments, motions, pleas, trial activity, sentencing and other Common Pleas criminal proceedings.
Misdemeanor and traffic
Non-traffic misdemeanors, traffic cases and preliminary hearings in felony matters.
Booking and jail information
Current jail custody, booking date, charges, bonds and upcoming court information.
Incident and law-enforcement records
Public records maintained by the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office are requested separately from court files.
Fingerprint criminal history
Ohio’s central computerized criminal-history repository is different from a Clermont County case search.
State prison / supervision
Search people currently incarcerated in Ohio prisons, under Adult Parole Authority supervision or judicially released.
Search Clermont County felony cases in Common Pleas Court
The Clermont County Court of Common Pleas General Division has original jurisdiction over adult felony criminal cases in the county. The Common Pleas Clerk’s Criminal Division maintains felony case files after grand-jury indictments and handles matters such as summonses, warrants, bail bonds, arraignment dockets, court costs, fines and restitution.
Open official Common Pleas Case AccessOpen the official Case Access page
Use the Clermont County Common Pleas Clerk website rather than an unofficial criminal-record directory.
Select Common Pleas Search
The clerk links directly to its public case-management search system.
Search using the strongest identifier available
A case number is generally more precise than a common name. When using a name, compare the defendant details carefully before assuming you found the correct person.
Review the complete docket
Look for the indictment, plea, motions, judgment entries, sentencing entry and final disposition rather than stopping at the first charge shown.
Request a document image when needed
The Common Pleas Clerk maintains an online General Division Image Request Form for specific filed documents.
Clerk contact
Clermont County Common Pleas Clerk of Courts270 East Main Street
Batavia, OH 45103
Criminal/Civil Information Desk: 513-732-7130
Search misdemeanors and traffic cases in Clermont County Municipal Court
Clermont County Municipal Court handles traffic and non-traffic misdemeanor cases. It also conducts preliminary hearings in felony cases before qualifying felony matters proceed to Common Pleas Court.
The Municipal Clerk says its Criminal Division handles offenses that can include theft, domestic violence, menacing, criminal damaging and drug-related offenses within the Municipal Court’s jurisdiction.
Open official Municipal Case AccessOpen Municipal Case Access
Choose the public Criminal-Traffic-Civil search from the Municipal Clerk’s official page.
Search the defendant or case
Use the available name or case-number controls and check identifying details carefully.
Check every listed charge
A Municipal case may contain multiple charges with different outcomes.
Watch for a felony transfer
A felony can begin in Municipal Court but later be indicted and proceed in Common Pleas. Search both systems when a felony is involved.
Why one person can have records in both Clermont County courts
This is one of the most useful local details to understand. A felony complaint can begin in Municipal Court, where an initial appearance or preliminary proceeding occurs, and then continue as a separate indicted Common Pleas case.
| Record type | Where to search first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Felony indictment | Common Pleas | Adult felony cases are within the General Division’s original jurisdiction. |
| Felony complaint before indictment | Municipal + Common Pleas | A felony may begin in Municipal Court and later receive a Common Pleas case number. |
| Misdemeanor | Municipal Court | Municipal Court handles non-traffic misdemeanor cases. |
| OVI / traffic criminal matter | Municipal Court | Municipal Court maintains Clermont County traffic cases within its jurisdiction. |
| Current jail custody | Sheriff inmate search | The jail list is the most direct current-custody source. |
| Ohio statewide fingerprint history | Ohio BCI | BCI is Ohio’s central computerized criminal-history repository. |
Older Clermont County criminal cases may require a manual clerk search
Clermont County publishes unusually clear cutoff dates for its online systems.
Before January 1, 1988
The Common Pleas Clerk says records before January 1, 1988 are located in the Clerk’s Office rather than the public online system.
Before May 1, 1996
The Municipal Clerk says records before May 1, 1996 are located in the Clerk’s Office.
How to get indictments, sentencing entries and other case documents
A docket tells you that something happened; the filed document often tells you exactly what happened. For Common Pleas General Division cases, the Clerk provides an online Image Request Form.
The form asks for:
- requester’s name
- email address
- phone number
- court case number
- docket code
- document date
- description of the requested document
- examples such as sentence or indictment
The Clerk asks users who receive no correspondence within one to two business days after an image-request submission to contact the office at 513-732-7927.
Which document should you request?
Indictment
Useful for seeing the felony charges returned by the grand jury.
Judgment / sentencing entry
Often the most useful document for confirming the conviction and sentence.
Dismissal or final entry
Important when the original charge shown in the case history did not result in conviction.
Search current Clermont County Jail inmates
The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office publishes an official current-inmate list. The Sheriff states that the list is updated at the top of every hour.
Search current Clermont County inmatesThe inmate pages can show information such as:
- name
- date of birth
- sex
- booking number
- booking date
- listed charges
- court case number
- court
- court date
- bond type
- bond amount
Clermont County warrants and wanted-person information
The Sheriff’s Office publishes a Most Wanted page for selected wanted individuals, but that page should not be interpreted as a complete list of every outstanding Clermont County warrant.
Clermont County Most WantedThe Sheriff instructs members of the public who know the location of a listed wanted person to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 513-732-7500 and not attempt to apprehend or approach the person.
If you are checking a possible warrant for yourself
A public “most wanted” list is not enough. Check the relevant court case and contact the court or Sheriff’s Office when confirmation is important. The Common Pleas Criminal Division issues summonses and warrants in felony-indictment cases, while the Municipal Clerk also processes summonses and warrants in cases within its jurisdiction.
Request Clermont County Sheriff’s Office reports and public records
Court records and Sheriff’s Office records are separate. If you need a report, video, correspondence or another record maintained by the Sheriff rather than the court, use the Sheriff’s public-record request process.
Since June 23, 2025, the Sheriff’s Office has used NextRequest to help manage requests. The Sheriff says using NextRequest is optional but encouraged because requesters can submit and track requests and view a public archive of previously fulfilled requests.
Identify the record
Include an incident number, date, location, involved person’s name or other details that help the Sheriff’s Office identify the requested record.
Submit online, by phone, email or in person
The Sheriff’s Office accepts requests through NextRequest, by phone, email or at the Sheriff’s Office.
Specify what you actually need
A narrow request for a specific incident report or item can be easier to process than a broad request for “everything about” a person.
Ask about redactions or exemptions
Some law-enforcement material can contain information that Ohio law requires or permits the agency to withhold.
Request contacts
Phone:
513-732-7555
Email:
sheriffpublicrecords@clermontcountyohio.gov
4470 State Route 222
Batavia, OH 45103
Published request hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
Sheriff’s Public Records pageWhat Ohio’s Public Records Act means for a Clermont County request
Ohio Revised Code 149.43 gives any person rights to qualifying public records maintained by Ohio public offices, subject to statutory exemptions.
Generally no inspection fee
The Ohio Attorney General explains that a public office generally cannot charge a requester simply to inspect qualifying public records during regular business hours.
Actual-cost principle
An office can generally charge the actual cost of copies, media, packaging or delivery. Special statutory fees can apply to particular records.
How quickly must an office respond?
Ohio does not impose one fixed number of days for every ordinary public-record request. The Attorney General explains that records must be made available for inspection promptly, while copies must be provided within a reasonable period of time. What is reasonable depends on the facts, volume, necessary redactions and other circumstances.
Ohio Public Records Act guidanceOhio BCI criminal history is not the same as a Clermont County court search
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) is Ohio’s central criminal-record repository. It maintains fingerprint-based criminal-history information used by law enforcement, courts, employers and authorized agencies.
The Ohio Attorney General states that computerized criminal-history records maintained by BCI are not ordinary public records. An individual can, however, request their own record for review and correction.
Requesting your own Ohio BCI record
The Attorney General currently requires:
- complete name
- current address
- identifying characteristics
- complete set of fingerprints
- signed consent
- required payment
The state BCI fee for an individual’s own criminal-history request is currently $22. A separate local WebCheck provider may charge an additional convenience or service fee.
Ohio BCI personal-record instructionsClermont County Sheriff’s WebCheck service
The Sheriff’s Office provides local electronic WebCheck fingerprinting for eligible Ohio BCI and FBI background checks.
| Service | Published Sheriff fee | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| BCI — State of Ohio | $30.00 | Fingerprint-based Ohio background check. |
| FBI — National | $36.25 | The Sheriff states FBI WebChecks are limited to qualifying official purposes. |
| BCI + FBI | $56.25 | Combined state and authorized national check. |
| Inked fingerprint card | $10 per card | Separate fingerprint-card service at the jail. |
Clermont County Sheriff’s Office
Walk-ins: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
WebCheck questions:
513-732-7557
Bring the completed WebCheck form, valid identification and the required payment. A correct WebCheck reason code is required.
Clermont County WebCheck informationWhat to do if your Ohio criminal-history record is incorrect
The Ohio Attorney General allows people to challenge inaccurate or incomplete information in their computerized BCI criminal history.
The recommended starting point is to obtain your own BCI record, identify the incorrect item and gather supporting documentation.
The Attorney General notes that the source agency may be:
- county sheriff
- local police department
- Municipal Court
- Common Pleas Court
BCI itself warns that it does not maintain the underlying court-document file that would prove the correction. The court or agency that generated the information is often where you need to obtain that evidence.
Search Ohio prison and supervision records
If a Clermont County criminal case resulted in a state-prison sentence, use the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Offender Search.
Ohio DRC Offender SearchThe official search includes people who are:
- currently incarcerated in an Ohio prison
- under Adult Parole Authority supervision
- judicially released
- listed as parole violators at large
You can search using fields such as:
- last name
- first name
- county of commitment
- residential county
- ZIP code
- status
- offender number
- next parole-board hearing month
Clermont County and Ohio sex offender registry search
The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office links to Ohio’s Electronic Sex Offender Registration Network (eSORN) for registered sex-offender information.
The system can be searched by name or geographic location and can display registered offenders within a specified area around an address.
Clermont County sex offender informationSealing or expunging a Clermont County criminal record
Ohio law allows qualifying criminal records to be sealed or, in certain circumstances, expunged. Eligibility depends on the offense, outcome, criminal history, statutory waiting periods and current Ohio law, so the correct current court form is more useful than relying on an old generalized eligibility checklist.
Common Pleas cases
The Clermont County Common Pleas Court currently publishes forms including:
- Application to Seal Criminal Records after Conviction
- Application to Expunge Criminal Record
- Affidavit of Mistaken Identity
Municipal Court cases
Clermont County Municipal Court also publishes forms for:
- expungement of conviction
- sealing of a non-conviction
- sealing of a conviction
- certain offense-specific expungement applications
Criminal appeals from Clermont County go to Ohio’s Twelfth District
Clermont County is part of the Twelfth District Court of Appeals, which serves Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Fayette, Madison, Preble and Warren counties.
The Clermont County Common Pleas Clerk also serves as the local Clerk for Twelfth District appeals arising from Clermont County. The Clerk receives and maintains appellate filings relating to Common Pleas, Municipal, Probate and Juvenile cases.
Court of Appeals Information Desk
Clermont County Clerk of Courts270 East Main Street
Batavia, OH 45103
Phone: 513-732-7927
Federal criminal cases from Clermont County are searched separately
Clermont County is within the Cincinnati-area jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Federal prosecutions do not appear as Clermont County Common Pleas or Municipal Court cases.
Most federal docket sheets and documents in modern federal criminal cases can be searched through PACER.
Search federal cases with PACERWestern Division at Cincinnati
Potter Stewart U.S. Courthouse, Room 103100 East Fifth Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone:
513-564-7500
Clerk’s Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Clermont County criminal-record offices in Batavia
Common Pleas Clerk of Courts
270 East Main StreetBatavia, OH 45103
Criminal/Civil Information:
513-732-7130
Clermont County Municipal Court
4430 State Route 222Batavia, OH 45103
Use this location for Municipal Court and related Clerk services.
Clermont County Sheriff’s Office
4470 State Route 222Batavia, OH 45103
Main phone:
513-732-7500
Map to the Clermont County Common Pleas courthouse
Use this location for felony-court records and older Common Pleas files that are not available through the online case-access system.
Clermont County Common Pleas Clerk of Courts — 270 East Main Street, Batavia, Ohio 45103.
How to understand common Clermont County criminal-case entries
| Term | What it generally means | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint | An accusation filed to begin a criminal matter. | It is not a conviction. |
| Indictment | Felony charges returned by a grand jury. | The Common Pleas case often becomes the key felony record. |
| Arraignment | A proceeding where charges are addressed and a plea is entered. | The case is still unresolved at this stage. |
| Bond | Release conditions or financial security associated with pretrial release. | Bond status does not establish guilt. |
| Dismissed | The charge or case was terminated without a conviction on that dismissed count. | Do not describe a dismissed accusation as a conviction. |
| Guilty | A conviction following a plea or finding of guilt. | Review the final judgment and sentence. |
| No contest | A plea where the defendant does not contest the charge. | The court may still enter a finding and conviction. |
| Community control | Ohio terminology for court-ordered supervision in place of or following confinement in applicable cases. | Check the sentencing entry for the exact conditions. |
| Sealed | Public access to the qualifying record has been restricted by court order under Ohio law. | A previously visible case may no longer appear in an ordinary public search. |
Local search tips that can save time
Search both court systems
This is especially important when the case began as a felony complaint in Municipal Court.
Copy the case number
A case number is the fastest way to move between a jail entry, Clerk docket and document request.
Check the final entry
Do not rely on the initial booking charge or indictment alone when determining the outcome.
Know the online cutoff
Common Pleas before 1988 and Municipal before May 1996 can require manual research.
Use jail search for very recent arrests
The Sheriff updates the current-inmate listing hourly, which can make it useful before a full court record is easy to locate.
Use the image request
When the docket is unclear, request the indictment, sentence or judgment rather than guessing.
Don’t pay for BCI unnecessarily
For a basic local Clermont public court check, the Sheriff itself directs users to the free Clerk case-access systems.
Use ODRC only for state correctional status
A person currently in the Clermont County Jail should be checked through the Sheriff’s inmate system, not only the state-prison locator.
Verify identity
Compare name, date of birth and other available identifiers before assuming a record belongs to a particular person.
Using these records for employment, housing or other background decisions
A free court-record search and a fingerprint-based BCI check are not interchangeable. Employers, licensing bodies, schools, health-care organizations and other regulated users can have specific statutory requirements concerning what background check must be performed and where results must be sent.
The Sheriff’s WebCheck instructions specifically require the correct reason code, and FBI checks are limited to qualifying authorized purposes.
Clermont County criminal-record questions
1. Where can I search Clermont County criminal cases for free?
Use the official Clermont County Common Pleas Clerk Case Access system for felony cases and the Municipal Clerk Case Access system for misdemeanors, traffic matters and other Municipal Court cases. The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office itself recommends these free Clerk systems for local public-record checks.
2. Which court handles felony criminal records in Clermont County?
The General Division of the Clermont County Court of Common Pleas has original jurisdiction over adult felony criminal cases and maintains cases arising from grand-jury indictments.
3. Which court handles Clermont County misdemeanor cases?
Clermont County Municipal Court handles traffic and non-traffic misdemeanors and also conducts preliminary hearings in felony cases.
4. How far back do Clermont County online criminal records go?
The Common Pleas Clerk says records before January 1, 1988 are maintained in the Clerk’s Office rather than the online search. Municipal Court says records before May 1, 1996 are located in its Clerk’s Office.
5. How do I find someone currently in the Clermont County Jail?
Use the official Clermont County Sheriff’s Jail Inmate Search. The Sheriff says the current inmate listing is updated at the top of every hour and can show booking, charge, bond, case-number and court information.
6. Can I request Clermont County Sheriff’s reports online?
Yes. The Sheriff’s Office uses NextRequest for online public-record requests and also accepts requests by phone, email and in person. NextRequest has been used by the Sheriff’s Office since June 23, 2025.
7. Can I get an Ohio BCI background check in Clermont County?
Yes. The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office provides WebCheck services. Its current published fees are $30 for an Ohio BCI check, $36.25 for an authorized FBI check and $56.25 for both, subject to change.
8. How do I find an old Clermont County criminal case not shown online?
Contact the appropriate Clerk of Courts for a manual records search. Older Common Pleas records before January 1, 1988 and Municipal Court records before May 1, 1996 are specifically identified by the county as in-office records.
9. Can a Clermont County criminal record be sealed or expunged?
Ohio law permits qualifying records to be sealed or expunged in certain circumstances. Clermont County Common Pleas and Municipal Court both publish current forms. Eligibility depends on the specific case, offense, outcome and current Ohio law.
10. Where do I search federal criminal cases involving Clermont County?
Federal criminal cases are searched through the federal judiciary rather than Clermont County Clerk systems. Clermont County is within the Cincinnati-area jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and public electronic case access is generally provided through PACER.
Official sources used to verify this guide
- Clermont County Common Pleas Clerk — Case Access
- Clermont County Common Pleas Clerk — Criminal Division
- Clermont County Court of Common Pleas
- Clermont County Municipal Clerk — Case Access
- Clermont County Municipal Clerk — Criminal Division
- Clermont County Sheriff — Jail Inmate Search
- Clermont County Sheriff — Public Records Request
- Clermont County Sheriff — WebCheck
- Clermont County Sheriff — Most Wanted
- Clermont County Sheriff — Sex Offender Information
- Ohio Attorney General — Requesting Your Own Criminal Records
- Ohio Attorney General — Public Records Act
- Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction — Offender Search
- Clermont County Clerk — Twelfth District Appeals
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio — Federal Court Records