Lucas County Clerk of Courts

About the Lucas County Clerk of Courts

J. Bernie Quilter is the Lucas County Clerk of Courts. He was sworn in on April 15, 1999, succeeding Harry Barlos, and has been re-elected in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. Among his early achievements, Quilter launched a searchable online docket for Common Pleas records that drew more than one million hits in its first year. That commitment to online access has continued into 2026, when the office migrated General Division case information into Tyler Technologies systems: re:SearchOH and Justice Case Access.

The Clerk serves as custodian for all appellate, civil, felony criminal, and domestic relations court filings in Lucas County. The office accepts new filings, maintains docket entries, issues certified copies, processes payments, and keeps the official case record from filing through final judgment. Beyond pure court functions, the Clerk runs Auto Title and Watercraft transactions at the downtown office and four branch offices, operates the county Imaging Lab, and oversees the Central Records Center, which holds records for 38 county departments and agencies.

The courthouse sits on the block bounded by Adams, Erie, Jackson, and Michigan Streets in downtown Toledo. If your case prefix is CR, LR, or MS, you are at the right building. DR and DM cases are domestic relations. CL cases belong to the Sixth District Court of Appeals at One Constitution Avenue, not the same floor as the Clerk.

What the Lucas County Clerk of Courts Does

The Clerk is the keeper of court records, not a legal advisor. Staff can provide forms, accept filings, process payments, and direct you to the right division. They cannot give legal advice. The office handles a wide range of official functions beyond just accepting court papers.

• Maintains docket entries and journal entries for appellate, civil, felony criminal, and domestic relations cases.
• Issues certified copies of filed documents and journalized orders on request.
• Accepts and processes court costs, restitution, and fines through division-specific payment portals.
• Processes Auto Title and Watercraft title transactions at the downtown office and four branch locations.
• Serves as a U.S. Passport Acceptance Agent for applicants who need to apply or renew through a federal acceptance facility.
• Operates the Lucas County Imaging Lab, which images official documents for multiple county agencies.
• Manages the Central Records Center, which stores more than 47,000 boxes and 26,000 rolls of microfilm for 38 county departments, offices, and agencies.

The Auto Title division uses a separate phone line: 419-213-4489. The Civil File Room is 419-213-4083. The Criminal Division direct line is 419-213-4480, and the Criminal File Room is 419-213-4483. Domestic Relations date inquiries go to 419-213-6901; copy requests go to 419-213-6902.

Online Dockets and Search Portals

As of a January 6, 2026 notice posted by the Clerk, General Trial Division case information is now provided through two Tyler Technologies products. Both require a free account, and the same login credentials work across either system once the account is created.

The Clerk's Online Dockets page is the best place to start. It lists the current active links and explains the January 2026 transition. The legacy General Division docket link will be phased out as data becomes fully available in Justice Case Access. If an older link stops working, return to the Online Dockets page for the updated portal address.

The Tyler General Division public portal at portal-ohlucas.tylertech.cloud/portal is the legacy entry point for General Trial Division records. The screenshot below shows how the portal appears when you first load the page.

That portal handles General Division civil and felony criminal cases. Do not use it for Domestic Relations payments or case lookups; the Clerk warns the portals must not be cross-used.

Justice Case Access gives more case detail for Lucas General Division records, including financial information and party addresses. The search interface for Lucas County cases is shown here.

Justice Case Access pulls more information than the older docket view, which makes it the better choice when you need financial history or full party-address data for a General Division case.

For date-based criminal docket review, the General Division interactive criminal docket calendar at lcapps.co.lucas.oh.us/scrolling/scroller.aspx lets you pick a date and see what is scheduled. The calendar is shown below.

The criminal docket calendar is date-driven. You select a date to see the scheduled General Division criminal docket for that day. It does not replace a full case search but is useful when you already know a hearing date and want to confirm the schedule. Domestic Relations cases use a separate system; see the court dockets page for those search fields.

Note: A case appearing on a docket does not mean every filed document is downloadable. Some records require a portal account, a copy request to the Clerk, or an in-person inspection during office hours.

How to Request a Certified Copy from the Clerk

A certified copy carries the official court seal and is accepted in legal proceedings, background checks, and government applications where a plain printout is not. Certified copies come from the Clerk division that holds the file. Civil and felony copies come from the Clerk's main office; domestic relations copies are handled through the Domestic Relations division.

1. Identify the case number and division. Use your case number prefix as a guide. CR, LR, and MS go to the General Division Criminal or Civil File Room. DR and DM go to Domestic Relations at 419-213-6902. If you do not have a case number, call the file room with the full party name and a date range, and staff will locate the file.
2. Call or visit the correct file room. For criminal cases, the Criminal File Room is at 419-213-4483. For civil cases, call the Civil File Room at 419-213-4083. Domestic Relations copies use 419-213-6902. You can also appear in person Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 700 Adams Street. The Criminal Division is on the 3rd floor.
3. Describe the document you need. Give the case number, the names of the parties, and the type of document, such as a final judgment entry, sentencing order, or complaint. If you need a journal entry, the Clerk Criminal FAQ says it takes one to three days after a hearing for the Journal Clerk to receive the original from the courtroom. Plan around that delay when timing is tight.
4. Pay the copy fee. Criminal Division copies run $0.10 per page per the Clerk Criminal FAQ. General public-records copies under the 2025 policy are $0.05 per page. Confirm the applicable rate for your division before submitting payment. Payment may be made in person by cash, money order, or bank certified check, or by major credit card through the appropriate online portal.
5. Receive your copy. In-person requests are fulfilled at the counter. Mail requests should include a self-addressed stamped envelope and sufficient payment. The office may require advance payment for larger or complex requests; ask about the timeline when you submit.

For a journal entry in a criminal case, the FAQ specifically says to contact the Criminal Division at 419-213-4480 and ask for the Journal Clerk, then provide your name and case number. Do not use the General Division payment portal for Domestic Relations cases, and do not use the Domestic Relations portal for General Division cases. The Clerk's warning is direct: using the wrong portal can prevent payment from being recorded against the correct case.

Public Records Request: What to Include

The Lucas County Clerk's 2025 public-records policy implements ORC 149.43. Under that policy, you do not need a specific form, and you are not required to submit a written request, identify yourself, or state why you want a record. The request must only reasonably identify the records you seek. If the office asks for your name or contact information, it must first tell you that the information is optional and is only requested to help locate or deliver the records.

That said, a clear request gets faster results. Include the items below to give staff what they need to find and produce the file without follow-up calls.

Denials and redactions must come with an explanation and the legal authority for withholding the record. If a request is partly denied, the office must release the portions that are not exempt. If you receive a denial without a reason, ask the office to cite the specific statute or rule that applies.

Note: The Clerk's Records Center at 419-213-4892 stores records internally for county offices and is not set up to process general public records requests. Contact the office that created the record, not the Records Center, when requesting documents.

Lucas County Clerk Copy Fees

Different fee schedules apply depending on which division handles the request and how the copy is delivered. The 2025 Clerk public-records policy and the Clerk Criminal FAQ each list separate rates. Do not assume one rate applies everywhere.

Court costs and restitution are paid through the correct online payment portal rather than by the copy-fee schedule. The General Division portal and the Domestic Relations portal are separate. A case number is mandatory for either portal; an incorrect or missing case number can prevent the payment from posting to your case. In-person payment options include cash, money order, bank certified check, or major credit cards.

For sealing or expungement, the Clerk FAQ says a felony conviction requires a minimum three-year wait after probation and a misdemeanor requires one year. All court costs and restitution must be paid before filing. Ohio sealing and expungement law under ORC 2953.32 has changed over the years, so confirm current eligibility rules with the Clerk or an attorney before filing the $50 application.

Central Records Center and Imaging Lab

The Lucas County Central Records Center is one of the less-known functions of the Clerk's office. It stores and manages records for 38 county departments, offices, and agencies, currently holding more than 47,000 boxes and 26,000 rolls of microfilm. The Center fulfills internal county-department requests, processes retention schedules, and arranges destruction of records whose retention periods have ended.

The Imaging Lab operates alongside the Records Center, scanning official documents for county agencies so that paper files can be digitized and stored. Both operations are internal-service functions. Members of the public who want court records or county records should contact the office that created those records, not the Records Center. Its phone is 419-213-4892 for county department inquiries.

Payment Portals and Division Phone Routing

The Clerk operates separate payment portals for the General Division and Domestic Relations. Each portal accepts costs, fines, and restitution only for the cases it covers. Using the wrong portal for a case can mean the payment does not post correctly. When paying online, have your case number ready before you start. The case number is mandatory, and missing it may prevent the payment from being applied to your account.

Phone routing matters just as much as portal routing. Here is the direct-line reference for common Clerk inquiries.

If you do not know your case number, call with the full name of both parties and a rough date range. Staff can search by name and locate the file. For a journal or court order, allow one to three days after the hearing date for the paperwork to travel from the courtroom to the Journal Clerk's desk before calling to request a copy.

Related Records: Marriage and Probate

Marriage records are not kept by the Clerk of Courts. They belong to Lucas County Probate Court. The Records Center page makes this split clear: marriage licenses go to Probate, divorce records go to Clerk Domestic Relations. If you are looking for a marriage license or a certified copy of a marriage certificate, the Probate Court Marriage License Bureau at 419-213-4361 is the right call, not the Clerk.

The Lucas County Probate Court homepage at lucasprobate.org is where estate, guardianship, adoption, civil commitment, and marriage license matters are handled. The screenshot below shows the Probate Court's official site.

Probate handles probate, guardianship, and marriage through its own case access portal and online forms. The Clerk of Courts does not process marriage license applications or marriage copy requests.

Marriage license instructions and fees are published by Probate at lucasprobate.org/departments-marriage-license. The page, shown below, explains fees, ID requirements, prior-marriage documentation, and no-waiting-period rules for Lucas County.

Marriage license copies are mailed from Probate. They cannot be emailed or faxed. Allow about three weeks from submission for a certified copy or abstract to arrive. For full probate case access, see the Probate Records page. For marriage and divorce records together, see Marriage and Divorce Records.

Legal Help and Self-Help Resources

Clerk staff can hand you a form and tell you which division handles your case. They cannot advise you on whether to file, how to respond to a charge, or what a court ruling means for your situation. If you need legal guidance, several local resources serve Lucas County residents.

• Toledo Bar Association Lawyer Referral: 419-242-2000. Referrals to local attorneys by practice area.
• Legal Aid of Western Ohio: 419-724-0460. Civil legal help for income-eligible residents.
• Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE): 419-255-0814. Civil rights and legal aid services.
• Ohio Legal Help: statewide self-help information, court forms, and guided interviews for common legal matters.

Public defenders in Lucas County are assigned by the judge of each court, not by a single county office. If you have a criminal case in Common Pleas and cannot afford an attorney, the judge handles that assignment at your first appearance. For Maumee Municipal Court, the public defender line is 419-897-7082. Do not call the Clerk's office expecting a public defender referral; the Clerk is the record-keeper, not the defense office.

For broader public records questions outside of court filings, the Ohio Attorney General's Sunshine Laws guidance covers your rights under the Public Records Act and how to escalate a denial. Sealing and expungement forms are available from the Clerk, but consulting an attorney before filing is advisable because Ohio law has changed and the judge retains discretion to deny even an eligible application.

Related Lucas County Record Searches

The Clerk of Courts handles appellate, civil, felony, and domestic records. Other record types live with separate offices. Use the links below to reach the right page for what you need.

For case-level searches and docket entries, see Lucas County court records. For scheduled hearings and docket calendars, see court dockets. For felony filings handled by the Court of Common Pleas, see Court of Common Pleas. For arrest and booking records held by the Sheriff, see arrest records. For broader county and administrative records under Ohio's Public Records Act, see public records. Marriage records are a Probate Court function and are covered on the Marriage and Divorce Records page alongside divorce records kept by Clerk Domestic Relations.