Cleveland splits its court clerk work between two separate offices that share the same downtown building but handle completely different cases. The Clerk of Courts in Cleveland you need depends on what kind of matter you have: the Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk handles traffic tickets, evictions, misdemeanors, and civil cases up to $15,000 within the city and the Village of Bratenahl, while the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts handles felonies, larger civil lawsuits, divorces, and appeals for the entire county. File in the wrong office and your paperwork goes nowhere.
Which Clerk Handles Your Case
The Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk is the office most residents interact with. It processes traffic citations, minor misdemeanors, city ordinance violations, evictions, and civil lawsuits where the amount in dispute is $15,000 or less.1Justia Law. Ohio Revised Code 1901.17 – Monetary Jurisdiction Small claims fall under the same cap. The office also handles the first stages of felony charges before they move up to Common Pleas, and it runs a separate Housing Court docket for building code and property maintenance cases. Its jurisdiction covers Cleveland and the Village of Bratenahl.2Cleveland Housing Court. Property Owners Every fine, bond, and court cost ordered by the Municipal Court flows through this clerk.
The Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts is the record keeper for the Court of Common Pleas and the Eighth District Court of Appeals.3Cuyahoga County Government. Clerk of Courts Its reach is the whole county. The General Division of Common Pleas handles all felony criminal cases and major civil lawsuits, including complex contract disputes and significant personal injury claims. The county clerk also manages the Domestic Relations Division docket, which covers divorce, dissolution, custody, and parental rights. Domestic Relations sits at the Old Courthouse, 1 Lakeside Avenue, Room 35, while the General Division is inside the Justice Center at 1200 Ontario Street.4Cuyahoga County. Clerk of Courts Contact Directory
If your matter is a felony charge, a civil claim above $15,000, a divorce, or an appeal from a lower court, it belongs with the county clerk. If it’s a traffic ticket, an eviction, or a smaller civil dispute within Cleveland, it belongs with the Municipal Court Clerk.
Finding a Case Record Online
Each office runs its own docket system. A case filed in Municipal Court will not show up in the county’s search, and vice versa. If you’re not sure which court handled a case, check both.
The county clerk’s online docket is at cpdocket.cp.cuyahogacounty.gov. You pick a search category first — Civil/Domestic, Criminal, or Court of Appeals — then search by case number, party name, or, for foreclosures, a submitted e-filing complaint number.5Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts. Search Selection and Entry
Domestic violence cases and civil stalking protection order cases are blocked from online access entirely. Federal law and direction from the Domestic Relations and Common Pleas courts require this. To get information on those case types, visit the clerk’s office in person or call the docket line at (216) 443-7950.5Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts. Search Selection and Entry The clerk also cautions that the online database may not include every filed document, so only in-person records should be treated as fully accurate.6Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts. Conditions of Use
The Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk maintains its own online portal for traffic, criminal, and civil dockets. Search by case number or by the full name of a party. If you only have partial information, try the name search first.
Filing Documents
At Cuyahoga County Common Pleas, attorneys must file electronically for most case types. The exceptions are narrow: cognovit actions, foreign judgments, petitions for civil stalking protection orders, replevin cases, and certificates for qualification of employment. If you’re representing yourself, e-filing is optional. You can file by mail, commercial carrier, or in person at the clerk’s office, and the office keeps public access terminals for people who want to e-file without their own computer.7Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Local Rules – 39.0 Electronic Filing of Court Documents
When you file a new case electronically, the required filing fee deposit must be submitted with the initial filing. The system will not process an unfunded new case submission.
The Municipal Court Clerk accepts filings in person at the Justice Center, 1200 Ontario Street. For current filing requirements and fee amounts for traffic, criminal, or civil cases, call the clerk’s office at (216) 664-4790.
Paying Fines and Court Costs
Both offices accept in-person payments at the Justice Center. Standard methods include cash, check, money order, and credit or debit cards. The Municipal Court also offers online payment for fines and court costs, with a small processing fee on online transactions.
If you owe money on a county court case, call the right division: civil at (216) 443-7950, criminal at (216) 443-7999.8Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Contact Us
Passport Applications at the County Clerk
The Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts is an authorized passport acceptance facility for the U.S. Department of State. You can submit a new passport application (Form DS-11) at the clerk’s office without an appointment. The service runs Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on the first floor of the Justice Center at 1200 Ontario Street. Passport photos are available on-site for $10.9Cuyahoga County. Passports
Bring proof of U.S. citizenship (a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or previous full-validity passport), a valid photo ID like a driver’s license, and photocopies of both documents on white paper. The acceptance agent reviews your application and transmits it to the State Department, which issues the passport. The passport fees go to the State Department; the clerk’s execution fee and any photo fee are paid at the office.
What the Clerk’s Office Does Not Handle
Two services people often expect from a clerk of courts live elsewhere in Cuyahoga County.
Vehicle titles are handled by the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer’s Auto Title Division, not the Clerk of Courts.10Cuyahoga County. Auto Title Division11Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4505.09 – Certificate of Title Fees The main Auto Title office is at 2079 East 9th Street, 3rd Floor, with satellite locations in Bedford, Mayfield Heights, North Olmsted, and Parma. Court-ordered titles still go through Common Pleas.
Notary public registrations and renewals are no longer handled by the county clerk. Since September 2019, all notary matters in Ohio are handled by the Ohio Secretary of State.12Cuyahoga County. Notary Changes
Sealing a Criminal Record
Ohio law allows some criminal records to be sealed, which hides them from most public background checks. You file the application with the clerk of the court that handled the original case: a Municipal Court conviction goes through the Municipal Clerk, a Common Pleas felony conviction through the County Clerk.
The waiting period after you complete your sentence depends on the offense:13Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2953.32 – Sealing of Record of Conviction
- Minor misdemeanor: six months after final discharge.
- Misdemeanor or fourth- or fifth-degree felony: one year after final discharge.
- Third-degree felony (one or two convictions): three years after final discharge.
- Soliciting improper compensation: seven years after final discharge.
Not every offense qualifies. Ohio bars sealing for traffic offenses (including OVI), first- and second-degree felonies, violent felonies, most sex offenses, domestic violence convictions above the fourth-degree misdemeanor level, and any offense where the victim was under 13.13Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 2953.32 – Sealing of Record of Conviction Third-degree felonies also become ineligible if you have too many other convictions. The filing fee is $50 for conviction records, with no fee for sealing a non-conviction record such as a dismissed case. If you can’t afford the fee, you can ask the court to waive it by filing an affidavit of indigency.
Addresses and Phone Numbers
Both main clerk offices sit in the Justice Center at 1200 Ontario Street, Cleveland, OH 44113, but they handle different cases and answer different phones.
- Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk: (216) 664-4790.14Bratenahl Village, OH. Court Personnel / Locations
- County Clerk, Civil Division (Justice Center, 1st Floor): (216) 443-7950.8Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Contact Us
- County Clerk, Criminal Division (Justice Center, 2nd Floor): (216) 443-7999.8Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Contact Us
- County Clerk, Domestic Relations (Old Courthouse, 1 Lakeside Avenue, Room 35): (216) 443-7955.4Cuyahoga County. Clerk of Courts Contact Directory
- Passport Services (Justice Center, 1st Floor): Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., no appointment needed.9Cuyahoga County. Passports
- Auto Title (Fiscal Office, not the Clerk): 2079 East 9th Street, 3rd Floor.10Cuyahoga County. Auto Title Division
Records held by the clerk’s office are public unless Ohio or federal law specifically exempts them.3Cuyahoga County Government. Clerk of Courts For anything that isn’t available online, a phone call or in-person visit to the right division is the way to get it.