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Indiana public records: who holds what

In Indiana, deeds are recorded by the County Recorder; birth and death certificates come from the Local health department / Indiana Department of Health, Division of Vital Records; and requests for other government records fall under the Access to Public Records Act (APRA). Below: who holds every other record, what copies cost and the official link for each office.

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. Who holds what in Indiana
  2. Public records law in Indiana
  3. How Indiana organizes its records
  4. Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps
  5. Counties in Indiana
  6. Warnings from official sources
  7. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  8. Official directories
  9. Sources

Who holds what in Indiana

The office that keeps each record, and the fee the law or the office sets for a copy. Open a record type for the full rules, ordering steps and older records.

RecordWho holds itCopy fee
DeedsCounty Recorder in each of Indiana's 92 counties (deeds, mortgages, plats, liens, military discharges, assumed business names)1$1.00 per page for copies 11 x 17 inches or smaller; $5.00 per page for larger copies (IC 36-2-7-10), statewide statutory recorder fee2
Property recordsCounty (or township) assessor sets assessed value; county auditor applies deductions, exemptions and other adjustments and sends certified net assessed values to DLGF; DLGF reviews budgets and converts them into tax rates; county auditor and treasurer calculate, generate and mail tax bills3—
Court recordsState judicial branch; three kinds of trial courts: circuit courts, superior courts, and city/town courts. Records are kept by the county Clerk of the Circuit Court.4Clerk document fee: not more than $1 per page for a copy; $1 per certificate (certification under seal) (IC 33-37-5-1 etc.)5
Marriage recordsClerk of the Circuit Court in the county that issued the license (certified copies)6—
Divorce recordsClerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the divorce (dissolution) was granted7Clerk copy fee max $1/page; $1 per certification5
Birth certificatesIndiana Department of Health, Division of Vital Records (state records from October 1907) and local health departments where the birth occurred (faster)8State (IDOH): $10.00 first certificate, $4.00 each additional copy in the same order; fees non-refundable; third-party online/phone processing fees extra; IDOH does not accept cash9
Death certificatesIDOH Division of Vital Records (state records from 1900) and local health department where death occurred8State (IDOH): $8.00 first certificate, $4.00 each additional copy in same order9
Probate and willsClerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the estate case is heard (filed wills and estate documents)6—

Public records law in Indiana

Access to Public Records Act (APRA) (IC 5-14-3) Read the law10

This law covers records that agencies hold, such as a county office's correspondence or a property file. Recorded deeds, vital records and court files usually have their own rules, set out in each record section.

Who can ask
Any person, including corporations and non-residents of Indiana; since July 1, 2026 agencies may prioritize Indiana residents and civic/journalistic/academic/personal requests and delay out-of-state and automated requests11
Response time
Agency must respond (not necessarily produce) within 24 hours if the request is made in person, by phone, or for enhanced access; within 7 calendar days if mailed, faxed or emailed. Records must then be produced within a reasonable time. No response in time = deemed denial.11
Copy fees
No fee to inspect or to search/review. Local (non-state) agencies: fee schedule set by the fiscal body; copies may not exceed the greater of $0.10/page black-and-white or $0.25/page color, or actual cost; certification max $5 per document. State agencies: uniform copying fee set by the Indiana Department of Administration, not more than the greater of the average cost of copying or $0.10 per page; reasonable fee for nonstandard sizes. Law-enforcement recording copy max $150.11
If a request is refused
Formal complaint to the Public Access Counselor within 30 days of the denial (counselor issues a non-binding advisory opinion within 30 days), and/or lawsuit in the circuit or superior court of the county where the denial occurred; fees/costs generally awarded to a prevailing plaintiff only if the counselor was contacted first11
What is exempt
Mandatory exceptions (IC 5-14-3-4(a)): records confidential by state or federal law or court rule, trade secrets, confidential financial info, transcripts and exam scores, patient medical records, autopsy photos/recordings, Social Security numbers. Discretionary (4(b)): law-enforcement investigatory records, attorney work product, deliberative material, personnel-file items, security information, etc. Confidential records (except adoption) generally open after 75 years.11
Official guide
in.gov/pac/files/pac-handbook.pdf (Indiana uses a Public Access Counselor, not the Attorney General, for open-records guidance)11
More on the Access to Public Records Act (APRA)
Response time in person
24 hours after any employee receives the request (in person, by telephone, or enhanced access)11
Fees no search
No fee to inspect or to search for/examine/review a record11
Fees supplemental
From July 1, 2026: agencies may charge a supplemental fee for out-of-state and automated requests, tied to actual cost, max $0.25/page or $25/hour of staff time (IC 5-14-3-8(n)); may be waived in the public interest10
Who can request priority
Agencies may give priority to Indiana residents and to requests for civic, journalistic, academic or personal use (requester must state the purpose to get priority); may delay out-of-state and automated requests (IC 5-14-3-8.1)10
Request format
Request must identify the record with reasonable particularity; agency may require a written request on its form11
Portals
From July 2026 agencies may use electronic request portals with CAPTCHA, address verification and Indiana-residency checks (IC 5-14-3-3.3), and may deny suspected data-scraping or phishing requests10
Going to court
Civil action to compel disclosure in circuit or superior court of the county where denial occurred (IC 5-14-3-9)11
No lists required
Agency need not create a list that does not exist11
Litigation denial
From July 2026 an agency may deny a request made by a party to pending or ongoing litigation that duplicates a discovery request that party made in the litigation (IC 5-14-3-4(e))10

How to write a public records request

How Indiana organizes its records

  • Township assessors. Property assessment may be done by a county or township assessor11
  • 2026 APRA changes (HEA 1360). From July 1, 2026, agencies may screen requests via portals, prioritize Indiana residents, charge out-of-state/automated supplemental fees and deny suspected data-scraping/phishing requests10
  • Faster vital records locally. Local health departments issue birth/death certificates faster than the state office9
  • Clerk of the Circuit Court handles marriage licenses. Marriage licenses and copies come from the county Clerk of the Circuit Court, not a county clerk/recorder or health department12

Other records: background checks, voters, businesses, maps

Criminal history checks

State repository
Indiana State Police Central Records Division: Limited Criminal History (Indiana-only name/DOB search of felony and misdemeanor arrests); fingerprint-based national check also offered13
Fee
Online: $15.70 per search by credit card (non-subscribers), $15.00 for IN.gov subscribers, $7.00 for government agencies; charged even for 'No Records Found'14
By mail
Mail request form with money order payable to State of Indiana to ISP, Criminal History Limited Check, P.O. Box 6188, Indianapolis, IN 46206-6188 (mail fee not stated on the current page; State Form 8053 R11/4-14 lists $7.00 for its listed request categories)13
Who may order
No eligibility list is stated for the online name search. The ISP mail form (State Form 8053, R11/4-14) requires a stated reason for the search, lists qualifying purposes (e.g., employment application, licensing, public office candidacy, volunteering with children) and requires the requester to affirm under penalty of perjury that the report will be used only as stated; misuse is a Class C infraction (IC 10-13-3-27)15
Online fee schedule
Online fee: $15.00 per record (subscribers), $15.70 per record (credit card)16
More about criminal history checks
Mail form fee
State Form 8053 (R11/4-14) states 'The cost is $7.00' for a mailed Limited Criminal History request (certified check or money order); the current ISP page does not state the mail fee, so confirm with ISP before relying on it15
Coverage
Records maintained since the mid-1930s14
Courts note
mycase.in.gov is not a complete criminal history6

Sex offender registry

Official registry
icrimewatch.net/indiana.php (Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry, linked from IDOC)18
Agency
Indiana Department of Correction, Sex & Violent Offender Registry division17

Inmate and jail lookups

State prisons
IDOC Offender Locator (facility assignment and DOC number)19
County jails
Statewide county-jail offender locator at public.indianajail.gov, linked by the Indiana courts17
Records
Records of an incarcerated person require an Authorization of Release form; send by mail or email20

Voter records

Public or restricted
Voter registration records are generally public records under APRA, except declinations, the registration-agency identity, Address Confidentiality Program participants, and proof-of-citizenship documents; full SSN redacted21
County requests
Requests for SVRS data at a county voter registration office use State Form VRG-24; requester agrees not to use it for commercial solicitation21
Statewide file
Statewide file from the Indiana Election Division: certain persons (e.g., major parties) may buy the unrestricted file for $5,000 per calendar year; others may get a restricted copy (DOB, gender, etc. redacted)21
Check your registration
IndianaVoters.in.gov (official voter portal)22

Business names (DBA)

At the county
Sole proprietorships and general partnerships using a name other than their real name file an assumed business name with the County Recorder in each county where situated23
County citation
IC 23-0.5-3.4 (as cited by Hamilton County Recorder)24
At the state
Entities registered with the Secretary of State (corporations, LLCs, LPs, LLPs, nonprofits) file assumed names with the Secretary of State through INBiz, not at the county23
Search portal
INBiz (inbiz.in.gov), Indiana Secretary of State business portal with Business Search25

Liens and UCC filings

UCC filings
Indiana Secretary of State is the UCC filing office; paper filing $4 (1-2 pages) or $8 (3+ pages); paper search $5 per debtor name; no statutory fee for electronic filing/search26
UCC filing office
Filing office = Indiana Secretary of State26
Agricultural liens
Agricultural liens are filed with the county recorder26
Real property liens
Mechanics', HOA, sewer, federal and other real-property liens are recorded with the county recorder2
Judgment liens
Court judgments become liens on real estate via the clerk's judgment docket ($3 to record transcript of judgment)5

GIS and parcel maps

State GIS portal
IndianaMap (indianamap.org), the state GIS portal linked by the Indiana Geographic Information Office; also Data Harvest hub27
Parcel data
IndianaMap links the state Data Harvest download for parcels, boundaries, streets and address points (dataharvest.gio.in.gov/pages/data-access); parcel data originate with counties28

Historical and genealogy records

State archives
Indiana State Archives (IARA), 6440 E. 30th St., Indianapolis, IN 46219; (317) 591-5222; [email protected]29
Holdings
Original federal and state land-office sales, some county probate and marriage records transferred by counties, court records, naturalization, military records1
State library
Indiana State Library Genealogy Collection (one of the largest family-history collections in the Midwest); Indiana Legacy marriage indexes are covered under marriage.statewideIndex30
Vital history
State did not require births/deaths to be recorded until 1882; state recording from 190731

Counties in Indiana

23 counties with a full guide

Each guide lists the office for every record type, the official online searches, copy fees, phones and hours.

All 92 counties

Names in bold open our guide. Names with an arrow go to the county's own website, where the US Census Bureau lists one and it opened when we checked.32

Warnings from official sources

  • Deed Processing Notice mailers. Companies mail official-looking notices offering deed copies for $86; recorder copies cost $1 per page (Howard County Recorder)33
  • Only authorized online vendor for IDOH vital records. VitalChek is the only IDOH-authorized online ordering vendor; other sites are not authorized (Indiana Department of Health)9
  • Calls or messages asking for money about inmate records. Government agencies will not ask for payment or personal information through the jail portal or by unsolicited contact about an inmate record; do not respond and report it to local law enforcement (Indiana County Jail Public Portal (INjail))34

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Indiana office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Official directories

Lists that name the office in every county.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 39 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Land Records (Search Archives Holdings)Indiana Archives and Records Administration
  2. Accounting and Uniform Compliance Guidelines Manual: County RecordersIndiana State Board of Accounts
  3. Citizen's Guide to Property TaxIndiana Department of Local Government Finance
  4. About the Indiana Judicial BranchIndiana Judicial Branch
  5. Indiana Trial Court Fee ManualIndiana Supreme Court, Indiana Office of Court Services
  6. How to Request Public RecordsIndiana Judicial Branch
  7. Vital Records: MarriagesIndiana Department of Health
  8. About Vital RecordsIndiana Department of Health
  9. Vital Records: Order CertificatesIndiana Department of Health
  10. Overview of Changes to the Access to Public Records Act (APRA), HEA 1360 / P.L. 97-2026Indiana Office of the Public Access Counselor
  11. Handbook on Indiana's Public Access LawsIndiana Office of the Public Access Counselor
  12. Apply for a Marriage LicenseIndiana Judicial Branch
  13. ISP: Get Limited Criminal HistoryIndiana State Police
  14. Limited Criminal History FAQIndiana State Police / IN.gov
  15. State Form 8053 Limited Criminal History & Fee ExemptionIndiana State Police
  16. Indiana State Police - Limited Criminal History SearchIndiana State Police / IN.gov
  17. Public RecordsIndiana Judicial Branch
  18. IDOC: Sex & Violent Offender RegistryIndiana Department of Correction
  19. Indiana Department of Correction
  20. IDOC: Offender RecordsIndiana Department of Correction
  21. 2026 Indiana Voter Registration GuidebookIndiana Election Division
  22. Indiana Election DivisionIndiana Secretary of State / Election Division
  23. How do I file an Assumed Business Name (DBA)?IN.gov State Information Center
  24. Assumed Business Name (DBA)Hamilton County Recorder, Indiana
  25. INBiz homeIndiana Secretary of State
  26. Indiana Secretary of State UCC Administrative RulesIndiana Secretary of State
  27. Indiana Geographic Information OfficeIndiana Office of Technology - GIO
  28. IndianaMap: Indiana's Geospatial Open Data PortalIndiana Geographic Information Office (linked from in.gov/gis)
  29. Ordering Records from the ArchivesIndiana Archives and Records Administration
  30. GenealogyIndiana State Library
  31. Census & Vital Records (Search Archives Holdings)Indiana Archives and Records Administration
  32. Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
  33. Deed Scam AlertHoward County Recorder, Indiana (hosted on in.gov/counties)
  34. INjail: Indiana County Jail Public PortalIndiana county jails portal, linked by Indiana Judicial Branch
  35. Directory of Courts & Clerks in IndianaIndiana Judicial Branch
  36. Local Courts: Trial Courts & Clerks by CountyIndiana Judicial Branch
  37. Indiana Counties DirectoryIN.gov
  38. Local Health Department MapIndiana Department of Health
  39. County Specific InformationIndiana Department of Local Government Finance