Clackamas County Court Records
Public encounters or interactions with the judicial system in Clackamas County, Oregon, prompt the creation of court records. When citizens or residents file complaints/petitions in a court of law or become subject to criminal prosecution for an offense, the resultant legal proceedings are documented from start to finish (in paper or electronic format) by the local courts.
A court record constitutes the official account of a court's proceedings. It reveals the involved sides, the causative action, the events that transpired (such as the filing of motions or scheduling of hearings), and the court's findings. Consequently, court records are important to different groups, including the public, researchers, historians, judiciary, legal practitioners, and the media. Such parties can examine court records to obtain information about a court case (for example, a pending hearing's date and location), find legal precedents, research the law, or track case activity.
The court clerks or administrators in Clackamas County serve as the official custodians of court records (Oregon Revised Statutes 7.110).
Are Court Records Public in Clackamas County?
Yes. Under Oregon's Public Records Law (ORS 192.311 to 192.513), every person has the legal right to access court records maintained by the Clackamas County courts, except as otherwise provided by law (in ORS 192.338, 192.345, and 192.355).
Accordingly, certain court records are exempt from public inspection or copying. Examples include records containing Social Security and financial account numbers, juvenile court records, adoption records, mental health records, and sealed court records.
Where to Conduct a Clackamas County Case Lookup
Individuals looking to conduct a Clackamas County case lookup have the following options:
- The presiding court's physical location
- The records custodian's office.
- Online case access portals provided by a court or independent party.
How to Conduct a Clackamas County Case Records Search
Members of the public conducting a Clackamas County case records search can generally review physical or electronic records.
Paper Case Records Search
One dependable method for reviewing a Clackamas County case record is to visit the local presiding courthouse (where a case was filed or heard) during regular business hours. Clackamas County has the following courts:
- A circuit court
- A juvenile court (a circuit court department)
- A justice court, and
- Municipal (city) courts
Each court has different procedures for searching or requesting case records. As such, it is important to contact the custodian's office beforehand to learn how to find court records in person and obtain other relevant guidelines. Besides an in-person search, it may be possible to conduct a case search in writing by mail, email, or fax.
Case in point: Persons conducting a case records search in the Clackamas County Circuit Court (admittedly the only court part of Oregon's unified state court system in Clackamas County) can visit the local courthouse in Oregon City within normal business hours. Research for case records maintained on or after December 4, 2015, occurs in the court's Records Center (Room 12) on public viewing stations at no charge. However, if requesting records before December 2015, the requester should call the records department at least three days in advance, as those records are stored off-site.
An individual can also submit a completed Copy Request Form by mail or email to have the circuit court administrator search and issue copies of the desired case records. The costs for copies are 25 cents per page (for regular copies), $5 per certified copy, and $10 for an exemplified copy. Documents can be received by pick up at the Records Center, mail, or email.
Mailing address:
Clackamas County Circuit Court
807 Main Street
Room 12
Oregon City, OR 97045
Email:
CLAPublic.Records.Request@ojd.state.or.us
Additional mail order guidelines are available on the court's website. Also, persons interested in ordering audio recordings (or FTR Recordings) should review the Audio Transcript Requests page.
Note: All paper case records search requesters must provide details that can identify the case in question. Usually, this is a case party's name, the case number, or the document type (if applicable).
Online Case Records Search
Among the courts in Clackamas County, only the circuit court has an online case search option. Persons wanting to conduct a case records search in the circuit court can access the OJD Records and Calendar Search or OJCIN Online portal.
However, the OJD Records and Calendar Search portal only provides basic case information and court calendars. Individuals who need detailed case records can opt for a paid subscription to OJCIN Online. Either way, confidential or protected case records cannot be obtained through these portals.
Clackamas County Civil Court Case Records
A civil court case record includes complaints, motions, affidavits, exhibits, recordings, and associated papers, documents, or materials filed or generated from a civil court proceeding.
In Clackamas County, civil case records are maintained by the civil courts that presided over the related disputes or claims. As such, persons can visit a presiding civil court to request case records from its custodian's office, or they may utilize other methods prescribed previously to obtain Clackamas County civil court case records.
Clackamas County Criminal Court Case Records
Criminal court case records are the official documentation of felony or misdemeanor charges brought to the criminal court system. Members of the public can generally view or copy criminal case records in Clackamas County, except when a law or court order limits access. Criminal court case records are available through the criminal courts (which may be the justice, circuit, or a municipal court), depending on the court that handled a case.
How to Get Court Records Online for Free
Individuals can access the Oregon Judicial Department's (OJD) Records and Calendar Search website, as explained, to obtain Clackamas County court records for free. However, only limited case information is available from the OJD portal. Persons requiring complete court records can either subscribe to OJCIN Online or visit/mail the applicable courthouse.
Some third-party aggregator websites also furnish users with court records at no cost, but usually, the retrievable data is limited. Users may be prompted to subscribe or pay a one-time fee for all-round access. A third-party website may be an adequate starting point for the court records search process. Still, it is good practice to vet acquired records against official repositories for completeness and accuracy.
Courts in Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County Circuit Court
Clackamas County Courthouse
807 Main Street
Oregon City, OR 97045
Phone: (503) 655-8447
Clackamas County Juvenile Court
2121 Kaen Road
Oregon City, OR 97045
Phone: (503) 655-8342
Fax: (503) 655-8448
Clackamas County Justice Court
11750 Southeast 82nd Avenue
Suite D
Happy Valley, OR 97086
Phone: (503) 794-3800
Fax: (503) 794-3808
Municipal Courts in Clackamas County
Canby Municipal Court
Canby Civic Building
222 Northeast 2nd Avenue
Canby, OR 97013
Phone: (503) 266-4027
Fax: (503) 263-0019
Estacada Municipal Court
475 Southeast Main Street
Estacada, OR 97023
Phone: (503) 630-8289
Gladstone Municipal Court
Gladstone Civic Center
18505 Portland Avenue
Gladstone, OR 97027
Phone: (503) 656-5225 ext. 3
Fax: (503) 557-2761
Happy Valley Municipal Court
16000 Southeast Misty Drive
Happy Valley, OR 97086
Phone: (503) 783-3848
Johnson City Municipal Court
16120 Southeast 81st Street
Johnson City, OR 97267
Phone: (503) 655-9710
Lake Oswego Municipal Court
Lake Oswego City Hall
380 A Avenue
3rd Floor
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Phone: (503) 635-0217
Fax: (503) 697-6570
Milwaukie Municipal Court
City Hall
10501 Southeast Main Street
Milwaukie, OR 97222
Phone: (503) 786-7543
Fax: (503) 786-7528
Molalla Municipal Court
Molalla Civic Center
315 Kennel Avenue
Molalla, OR 97038
Phone: (503) 829-7711
Fax: (503) 829-3676
Oregon City Municipal Court
1234 Linn Avenue
Oregon City, OR 97045
Phone: (503) 905-3675
Fax: (503) 657-1303
Sandy Municipal Court
Sandy City Hall
39250 Pioneer Boulevard
Sandy, OR 97055
Phone: (503) 668-5533
West Linn Municipal Court
West Linn City Hall
22500 Salamo Road
West Linn, OR 97068
Phone: (503) 656-4263
Fax: (503) 742-8599
Wilsonville Municipal Court
29799 Southwest Town Center Loop East
Wilsonville, OR 97070
Phone: (503) 570-1587
Fax: (503) 682-1015
