Start with the court or agency that actually holds the Maricopa record
Maricopa County criminal records are spread across several systems. Felony cases are generally handled by the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County, misdemeanor and criminal-traffic cases may be in one of the county’s Justice Courts or a city Municipal Court, jail and booking information is maintained by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, and Arizona’s statewide criminal-history repository is operated by the Department of Public Safety.
Maricopa County has more than one criminal-court record system
A common mistake is searching only the Superior Court database and assuming a missing name means the person has no Maricopa County court record. That can fail because misdemeanors and criminal traffic cases may be maintained by a Justice Court or city Municipal Court instead.
| Record you need | Official custodian | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Felony criminal case | Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County / Clerk of Superior Court | Criminal Court Case Information |
| Misdemeanor / criminal traffic | Justice Court or Municipal Court | Court that received the citation or complaint |
| Superior Court document image | Arizona Judicial Branch / Maricopa Clerk | eAccess or Clerk records service |
| Current county-jail custody | Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office | MCSO jail/inmate information |
| Police report | Arresting/investigating police agency | Agency public-record unit |
| Prosecutor-held record | Maricopa County Attorney’s Office | Public Records Request |
| Your Arizona criminal-history repository record | Arizona Department of Public Safety | DPS Record Review |
Search Maricopa Superior Court criminal cases
The Superior Court’s official Criminal Court Case Information system is the best starting point for Maricopa County felony cases.
The system provides three particularly useful record views:
Case history
Search criminal cases and review basic case history and docket information.
Court calendar
Check upcoming or scheduled court activity associated with a criminal matter.
Minute entries
Review qualifying minute entries documenting actions taken during court proceedings.
Search criteria supported by the Superior Court include:
- case number
- first and last name
- initials plus date of birth
- court calendar information
How to search a Maricopa felony case step by step
Open Criminal Court Case Information
Use the Superior Court’s own docket system rather than beginning with an unofficial background-check site.
Search by the strongest identifier available
A known case number is normally more precise than a name. If you do not have the number, search using the supported name or initials-and-DOB options.
Confirm that it is the correct defendant
Compare case number, filing date, charges and other identifiers. A matching name alone is not enough when the name is common.
Read the docket history
Look beyond the initial charge. Review minute entries, hearings, pleas, rulings, dismissal information, sentencing and other case activity.
Use eAccess if you need the filed document
The free docket search provides case information but is not the same thing as viewing or downloading every filed court document.
Order a Clerk copy when official proof is required
For certification or a raised-seal copy, use the Maricopa County Clerk of Superior Court.
How to read a Maricopa criminal docket without misinterpreting it
| Docket item | What it generally means | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| Charge | An offense alleged by the prosecution. | Check final disposition before treating it as a conviction. |
| Minute entry | A court record describing actions or orders from a proceeding. | Read later minute entries because the case may have changed. |
| Arraignment | Formal stage where charges are addressed and a plea is entered. | This is not itself a final disposition. |
| Plea | The defendant’s formal response to a charge. | Check whether a plea agreement or sentencing followed. |
| Dismissed | The charge or case was dismissed. | Do not report the dismissed charge as a conviction. |
| Judgment / sentence | Court’s adjudication and imposed sentence. | Confirm whether later appellate or post-conviction activity changed it. |
Justice Court and Municipal Court criminal records are separate
Maricopa County Justice Courts are limited-jurisdiction courts. They hear misdemeanors, criminal traffic matters and certain preliminary stages of felony cases. They do not maintain the same records database as Superior Court.
Maricopa County Justice Court Case Search
The official Justice Court Case Search supports searches by:
- last and first name
- date of birth
- business name
- Justice Court case number
Maricopa County currently operates 26 Justice Court precincts. Justice Courts explain that their clerks do not perform general background checks; a public-record request should normally identify the specific court and case.
Municipal Courts
City courts maintain their own misdemeanor, criminal-traffic and ordinance cases. For example, Phoenix Municipal Court handles criminal misdemeanors and traffic offenses arising within Phoenix, while Mesa Municipal Court maintains Mesa cases separately.
Phoenix Municipal Court
300 W. Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Phone: 602-262-6421
Published hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Court copies and audio can be requested directly from the court.
Mesa Municipal Court
250 E. 1st Avenue
Mesa, AZ 85210
Phone: 480-644-2255
Mesa offers its own online court case-access and records-request options.
Arizona Public Access Case Lookup can help — but know its limits
The Arizona Judicial Branch operates a statewide Public Access to Court Case Information service covering most Arizona courts.
It can be useful when you are unsure which Arizona court holds the case. However, the Judicial Branch’s unavailable-courts notice explains that some Maricopa courts expose only part of their case population through the statewide system.
How to view Maricopa Superior Court criminal documents online
Case information and actual court documents are different. Arizona’s eAccess provides public online access to many Superior Court criminal documents.
Current eAccess pricing
| Service | Current public-user cost | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Preview first page | Free | Useful for confirming whether you found the right document. |
| Pay-as-you-go document | $10 per document | Registration is required. |
| Purchased document access | Included with purchase | Download or print it within 24 hours of purchase. |
| Electronic certification | Additional fee | Some agencies still require a Clerk-certified raised-seal paper copy. |
Get plain or certified Maricopa Superior Court copies from the Clerk
The Maricopa County Clerk of Superior Court allows public inspection of qualifying records during regular business hours and provides copies for a fee.
| Service | Current Clerk fee | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Inspect qualifying public record | No charge | Review the record before deciding what to copy. |
| Paper / photographic copy | $0.50 per page | Standard Clerk copy. |
| Certification | $35 per document | Used when an official certified copy is required. |
| Exemplification | $70 | Higher authentication using two seals. |
| Authentication | $105 | Three-seal authentication listed in the Clerk fee schedule. |
Official instructions: Maricopa County Clerk — Obtaining Records .
How to find older Maricopa Superior Court records
A record can predate eAccess and still be publicly available. The Clerk provides public-access computers that connect to its Integrated Court Information System and an archival listing called the L-Index.
Public terminals can provide:
- case information
- party information
- docket history
- judgment information
- minute entries
- available scanned documents
- L-Index archival references
- public document printing at qualifying terminals
The Clerk’s current fee schedule lists a $35 research fee per year/source researched when staff research is required, plus applicable copy charges.
Maricopa County jail, booking and mugshot information
Current county-jail custody is maintained by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) , not the Superior Court Clerk.
The MCSO website provides public routes for:
- inmate information
- mugshot viewing
- jail locations
- warrant lookup
- report requests
- inmate contact information
Jail information line: 602-876-0322
How to check Maricopa warrant information
The MCSO website includes a public Look Up a Warrant route. For a warrant associated with a Superior Court criminal case, the case docket can also provide useful case context.
The Superior Court Criminal Department advises a person who missed a hearing and believes a warrant was issued to contact their attorney. If the attorney is unknown, the court’s criminal case search can help identify case information.
Superior Court Criminal Department information: 602-506-8575
Police reports and prosecutor records are separate from the court file
The court docket is not a substitute for the police report that created the case. The arresting or investigating law-enforcement agency normally maintains the incident report, body-camera material, dispatch information and related police records.
Maricopa County Attorney’s Office
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Public Records unit maintains records relating to many felony and misdemeanor prosecutions.
Requests can currently be submitted:
- through the online request system
- by email
- by fax
- by telephone
- by mail or in-person drop-off
Maricopa County Attorney — Custodian of Records
225 W. Madison Street, 3rd Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Public Records phone: 602-506-1974
Phoenix Police records
For incidents handled by Phoenix Police, police reports should be requested from the City of Phoenix, not from Superior Court. The Phoenix Police Public Records and Services Unit currently handles police reports, 911 records and related public-law-enforcement records.
Phoenix also offers a local Letter of Clearance for a person requesting a search of their own Phoenix Police arrest/criminal records. It does not represent a statewide or federal search.
Arizona DPS criminal-history records are not a public people-search database
The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Central State Repository is the state’s official criminal-history repository under A.R.S. § 41-1750.
Arizona law does not allow DPS to provide an unrestricted public name-based criminal-history search for private citizens who simply want another person’s statewide record.
Use court records
Search Superior Court, Justice Court and Municipal Court public records instead of expecting DPS to provide another person’s statewide rap sheet.
Use DPS Record Review
A person may request their own Arizona criminal-history information to review its accuracy and completeness.
How to review your own Arizona criminal history
Start online or obtain the Record Review Packet
DPS allows the record subject to begin through its Public Services Portal or request the Record Review materials.
Provide fingerprints
DPS uses fingerprints to positively identify the person whose repository record is being reviewed.
Submit the required record-review information
Follow DPS instructions carefully so the request can be matched with the correct repository record.
Review the mailed response
DPS currently states that a response is mailed within 15 days after it receives a completed Record Review Packet.
Challenge inaccurate information if needed
Record Review exists specifically to let the subject inspect and challenge the accuracy or completeness of the Arizona record.
Arizona Department of Public Safety
2222 W. Encanto Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85009
Central State Repository: 602-223-2000
Option 2 → Option 3 for statewide criminal records
Maricopa criminal appeals go to Arizona Court of Appeals Division One
Arizona Court of Appeals Division One has jurisdiction over appeals originating from Maricopa County. Its public appellate docket provides access to active criminal appellate cases.
The Division One system allows searches and indexes involving:
- active criminal appeals
- appellate case number
- party-case index
- lower-court case number
- attorney-case index
- court calendar
- decisions and forthcoming opinions
- current docket activity
Why some Maricopa court records are not publicly available
Arizona Supreme Court Rule 123 governs public access to Arizona judicial records. Most qualifying court records are public, but sealed, confidential or legally restricted material cannot be viewed simply because someone requests it.
Examples of restrictions can include:
- sealed criminal records
- juvenile records
- mental-health records
- protected personal information
- records closed by statute
- records restricted by court order
- sensitive information redacted from an otherwise public document
- records removed under retention schedules
Arizona criminal-record sealing under A.R.S. § 13-911
Arizona law allows qualifying people to petition the appropriate court to seal records relating to an arrest, criminal charge, conviction and sentence.
A petition may be available when a person:
- was convicted and completed the terms of the sentence
- was charged and the case was dismissed
- was found not guilty
- was arrested but no charge was filed
Current statutory waiting periods after qualifying completion
| Offense classification | Current statutory period |
|---|---|
| Class 2 or Class 3 felony | 10 years |
| Class 4, 5 or 6 felony | 5 years |
| Class 1 misdemeanor | 3 years |
| Class 2 or Class 3 misdemeanor | 2 years |
| Qualifying petty offense / specified vacated offense | Immediately, subject to statute |
Eligibility depends on the actual case, offense, sentence and current Arizona law. The petition generally belongs in the court that handled the matter, with special rules for arrests that never resulted in charges.
Arizona Courts sealing formsA set-aside is not the same thing as sealing the record
Arizona also has a post-conviction set-aside process under A.R.S. § 13-905. Users often confuse it with sealing.
A.R.S. § 13-905
A qualifying person may ask the court to set aside a judgment of guilt after completing the sentence, subject to eligibility rules. The record is not automatically made invisible to the public merely because it is set aside.
A.R.S. § 13-911
A qualifying sealing order restricts public access to the covered criminal case records under the statute.
Arizona also has a separate marijuana-record expungement process
Arizona Proposition 207 created a special expungement process under A.R.S. § 36-2862 for certain marijuana-related arrests, charges and convictions involving conduct that occurred before November 30, 2020.
Qualifying categories include specified low-level marijuana possession, cultivation and paraphernalia offenses. This process is legally different from a general set-aside or record-sealing petition.
Where to inspect or obtain Maricopa Superior Court records in person
Public records maintained by the Clerk can be inspected without charge at designated Clerk locations. Most public records are accessible through public terminals.
| Location | Address | Records access |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Center | 601 W. Jackson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 | Full public-record inspection and copy services. |
| Southeast Court Complex | 222 E. Javelina Ave., Mesa, AZ 85210 | Public-record access; some services may be limited. |
| Northwest Regional Court Center | 14264 W. Tierra Buena Lane, Surprise, AZ 85374 | Public-record access; some services may be limited. |
| Northeast Regional Court Center | 18380 N. 40th Street, Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ 85032 | Public-record access; some services may be limited. |
| South Court Tower | 175 W. Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 | Adult criminal filing counter and criminal payments. |
The Clerk currently publishes regular record-service hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding applicable holidays.
Clerk phone: 602-372-5375 or 602-37-CLERK
Map: Maricopa County Clerk public-record access in downtown Phoenix
The Customer Service Center at 601 W. Jackson Street is a practical destination when you need in-person inspection or copies of qualifying Superior Court public records.
Maricopa County Clerk of Superior Court — Customer Service Center
601 W. Jackson Street
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Phone: 602-372-5375
Maricopa criminal-record search tips that save time
Felony? Start with Superior Court
Don’t begin with a municipal court if the case is a felony prosecution.
DUI can be in a lower court
Justice Courts hear DUI and other misdemeanor/criminal-traffic matters.
City police often means city court
A Phoenix or Mesa misdemeanor can remain in that city’s Municipal Court rather than Superior Court.
Docket is free; document may not be
Use the free case history first before paying eAccess to download the underlying document.
Preview eAccess first page
The free first-page preview can help confirm that you selected the correct document before paying.
Old case? Use the L-Index
Clerk public-access terminals include archival listings that can help locate older records.
Recent arrest? Search jail first
Custody information can appear before a newly filed Superior Court case is easy to locate.
DPS is not a public name search
Use DPS Record Review for your own repository record, not to look up another person’s statewide history.
Check the appeal
Division One may show whether a Superior Court conviction or sentence was later challenged.
Maricopa County criminal records: frequently asked questions
1. How do I search Maricopa County felony criminal cases?
Use the Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County Criminal Court Case Information system. It allows searches by case number, name, or supported initials-and-date-of-birth criteria and provides case history, calendars and minute entries.
2. Are Maricopa Superior Court criminal cases free to search?
The Superior Court criminal docket search is available online without a per-case search charge. Downloading actual court documents through Arizona eAccess or obtaining Clerk copies can involve fees.
3. Where do I search a Maricopa misdemeanor or DUI case?
The case may be in a Maricopa County Justice Court or a city Municipal Court. Justice Courts hear misdemeanors, DUI and criminal traffic matters, while Municipal Courts handle qualifying city cases.
4. Can I download Maricopa felony court documents online?
Many public Superior Court criminal documents filed on or after July 1, 2010 can be accessed through Arizona eAccess. Pay-as-you-go document downloads currently cost $10 per document, subject to eligibility and access restrictions.
5. How much does a certified Maricopa Superior Court copy cost?
The Clerk currently lists a $35 certification fee per document in addition to applicable copy charges. Standard copies are currently listed at $0.50 per page.
6. Where can I find someone in a Maricopa County jail?
Use the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office jail and inmate information resources. The MCSO jail-information line is 602-876-0322.
7. Can I search another person’s statewide Arizona criminal history through DPS?
No unrestricted public DPS name-search service is provided for that purpose. DPS allows the subject of an Arizona criminal-history record to request a fingerprint-based Record Review to check their own record.
8. Can a Maricopa criminal record be sealed?
Arizona law allows qualifying people to petition the appropriate court to seal eligible arrest, charge, conviction and sentencing records under A.R.S. § 13-911. Eligibility and waiting periods depend on the offense and case history.
9. Is setting aside an Arizona conviction the same as sealing it?
No. A set-aside under A.R.S. § 13-905 and sealing under A.R.S. § 13-911 are separate legal procedures with different effects on the public record.
10. Where do I search a Maricopa criminal appeal?
Maricopa County criminal appeals from Superior Court generally go to Arizona Court of Appeals Division One. Division One provides public active-case docket and index information.
Official sources used for this Maricopa County guide
- Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County — Criminal Court Case Information
- Maricopa County Superior Court — Criminal Department
- Maricopa County Justice Courts — Case Search
- Maricopa County Justice Courts — Request Records
- Arizona Judicial Branch — Public Access Case Lookup
- Arizona Judicial Branch — eAccess
- Maricopa County Clerk of Superior Court — Obtaining Records
- Maricopa County Clerk — Electronic Court Records
- Maricopa County Clerk — Current Filing and Copy Fees
- Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office
- Maricopa County Attorney — Public Records Requests
- Arizona Department of Public Safety — Criminal History Records
- Arizona Court of Appeals Division One — Case Information
- Arizona Courts — Criminal Law Forms, Set Aside and Sealing
- Arizona Courts — Proposition 207 Marijuana Expungement
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-911 — Criminal Record Sealing
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 39-121 — Inspection of Public Records