Alaska CourtView Recent Filings: Name, Case Number, and Ticket Searches

To track recent filings in Alaska’s CourtView system, use the Alaska Court System’s Recent Filings and Case Dispositions reports on the Trial Courts page for a statewide daily snapshot, or run a name or case-number search at courts.alaska.gov with a narrow date range to pull up new activity tied to a specific person or matter. The portal is free, requires no account, and covers every Superior and District Court in the state.¹

The Recent Filings and Dispositions Reports

If your goal is to see what’s newly moving through the trial courts rather than to look up one specific case, skip the search box and go straight to the “Recent Filings & Case Dispositions” quick link on the Trial Courts page. The criminal cases filed report updates daily at 9:00 p.m., and separate reports track criminal dispositions.¹

These reports give you a statewide view of new criminal filings and case terminations without running name-by-name searches. That makes them the right tool for reporters, researchers, or anyone monitoring court activity in general rather than chasing a particular defendant or dispute.

Running a CourtView Search for Recent Activity

For a specific person or case, start at the Alaska Court System’s “Search Cases” page and follow the trial court link. You’ll land on a search screen with three tabs: case number, party name, and ticket or citation number.²

Name Searches With a Date Filter

Name search is where most people begin, and the date filter is what makes it useful for recent filings. The system caps results at 500 cases, so a common last name entered on its own will hit the ceiling and can hide what you’re actually looking for. Setting a date window of 30 or 60 days is the most reliable way to isolate recent filings tied to a person.²

A few practical habits help. Search with a first initial rather than the full first name to catch variations. Try nicknames as a separate search (Bob for Robert, for instance). If the spelling of a last name is uncertain, enter the first several letters only. Typing “Christ” will pull up Christensen, Christiansen, Christianson, and other variants.²

Case Number Format

If you already have a case number, this is the fastest search. Enter it with leading zeroes and dashes exactly as formatted, and use a five-digit sequence number. A case filed in the Third Judicial District in Anchorage in 2012 would appear as 3AN-12-00001CR. A wrong format returns no results even when the case exists.²

Ticket or Citation Number

For a traffic citation or similar ticket, the third tab lets you search using the citation number directly, which sidesteps name-matching entirely.³

What You’ll See, and What You Won’t

CourtView is a docket index, not a document archive. For each case you can see the running log of activity: motions filed, judicial assignments, payments received for fines or bail, documents filed, and civil judgment information. Seeing a docket entry does not always mean you can open the underlying document.²

The case types indexed include criminal (CR) felonies and misdemeanors, civil (CI) lawsuits, domestic relations (DR) divorces and dissolutions, small claims (SC), traffic, and probate (PR).²

Several case types never appear because they are confidential by law: juvenile delinquency, child in need of aid (CINA), adoptions, mental health commitments, alcohol commitments, emancipations, and minor settlements. If you’re looking for one of those, CourtView will not have it.²

Alaska court records are public by default under Administrative Rule 37.5, but a judge can restrict access to specific documents or an entire file under Rule 37.6. When only certain documents are sealed, the case still shows on CourtView with a visible docket, but those documents will not open. When a whole case is sealed, it drops from the public index entirely.⁴

One more reason a recent case might be missing: Alaska Statute 22.35.030 requires the court system to remove a criminal case from CourtView 60 days after an acquittal on all charges, or after a dismissal of all charges that wasn’t part of a plea deal in another case. A criminal matter that doesn’t turn up may have been cleared and pulled from public view.⁵

Getting Actual Copies of Filings

When you need the documents behind a docket entry, submit form TF-311 (Instructions and Request for Records) in person or by mail to the clerk of the court where the case was filed. Requests are not handled by phone. On the form, choose plain, certified, or exemplified copies, and pick a delivery method (email, U.S. mail, fax, or in-person pickup). Plain copies are the default if you don’t indicate a preference.⁶

A standard request takes about two weeks. Larger requests or ones that require staff research take longer. Copies of confidential records go only to parties in the case, and you must show photo ID at the clerk’s counter.⁶

Fees, in effect since May 2023:

Plain copies: $5 for the first document, $3 for each additional document (per document, not per page)
Certified copies: $10 for the first document, $3 for each additional
Records research: $30, with a one-hour minimum charged when court staff must look up your request

The research fee is the one worth avoiding. Submitting a request without a case number triggers the $30 minimum automatically, so a quick CourtView search to grab the case number first is the simplest way to keep the charge off your invoice.⁷

1
Alaska Court System. Trial Courts – Alaska Court System
2
Alaska Court System. CourtView Online Information
3
Alaska Court System. Search Cases – Alaska Court System
4
Alaska Court System. TF-800 Request to Make Case Records Confidential or Sealed
5
Justia. Alaska Statutes Title 22 Chapter 35 Section 22-35-030 – Records Concerning Criminal Cases Resulting in Acquittal or Dismissal
6
Alaska Court System. Instructions for Requesting Records (TF-311)
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Alaska Court System. Filing Fees and Fee Waiver – Alaska Court System