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Pick the Columbus-area record system by the case stage

A Columbus address is not enough to identify the custodian. Start with the Franklin County Municipal Court Search Records when the matter is a misdemeanor, traffic/criminal case, or an early felony filing. If a felony was bound over, follow it into the Franklin County Common Pleas General Division instead of treating the municipal entry as the final outcome.

Question Official route What to capture
Misdemeanor or municipal-stage case Municipal Court case search Case/ticket number, filing date, charge and disposition entry
Felony after bindover Common Pleas criminal records Common Pleas case number, judgment/sentencing or dismissal entry
Your statewide BCI history Ohio BCI personal review Fingerprint-based repository record; not the same as a county docket

A bindover can create two case trails without creating two convictions

A felony may first appear in Municipal Court and later continue in Common Pleas. Keep both case numbers. A municipal docket that closes because the case was transferred or bound over does not establish dismissal, and counting both court references as two convictions can be a serious interpretation error.

Important

Use the later source-court disposition

For a consequential decision, obtain the judgment, sentencing entry, dismissal entry or other final filing from the court that ultimately resolved the prosecution.

Copy and certification costs depend on which court holds the file

Office/product Published cost or rule Practical use
Common Pleas ordinary copies 10¢ per page under the Clerk public-records policy Useful for source documents when certification is not required
Common Pleas certified copy $1 per document on the current General Division fee schedule Use when a recipient requires clerk authentication
Municipal Court public-record copies Municipal policy lists 5¢ per page and $1 certified copies Confirm the current charge when ordering because the policy PDF can be revised

For Common Pleas requests, the Franklin County Clerk public-records policy says routine current court files and case-management data are available for inspection/copying from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday except official holidays. A request does not have to be written, the requester generally does not have to identify themself or state a purpose, and the Clerk charges 10¢ per paper page but no charge for records furnished by email or fax; mailed copies add actual postage/supplies. The Clerk also provides an online Public Records Request Form and publishes its main contact at 373 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, 614-525-3600. For Municipal Court, use the linked criminal/traffic clerk/search route tied to the case number rather than the Common Pleas request form.

Ohio BCI is a different product, and the personal-review fee is $22

Ohio BCI computerized criminal-history records are not ordinary public records. The Ohio Attorney General personal-review instructions let an individual request their own history for accuracy review with identifying information, a complete set of fingerprints, signed consent and a $22 payment to the Treasurer of State of Ohio. A WebCheck provider may add its own convenience or fingerprinting fee.

If the BCI history appears wrong, the Attorney General directs the person to collect supporting proof and contact the agency that supplied the disputed information—often the sheriff, police department, municipal court or common pleas court. BCI does not keep the source court documents needed to prove every correction.

Verification

Missing results need a source check, not a “no record” conclusion

  • ✓
    Re-run the court search with the case or ticket number when available; name-only matches are easier to confuse.
  • ✓
    If a municipal felony entry shows transfer/bindover, continue in Common Pleas.
  • ✓
    If the matter is sealed or otherwise restricted, public online absence is not proof the case never existed.
  • ✓
    For a repository mismatch, save the source-court disposition and use the BCI challenge route rather than editing a search result yourself.

Related Record Guides

Sources

Sources and official access routes