The Indiana court structure runs in tiers. Trial courts hear cases first, an intermediate Court of Appeals reviews most of what those trial courts decide, and the Indiana Supreme Court has the final say on state law. A separate Tax Court sits outside that main ladder and handles tax disputes on its own track. Which court your matter belongs in depends on the type of case, the dollar amount, and sometimes the county you’re in.
Trial Courts: Where Cases Start
Trial courts are the ones with witnesses, juries, and judges ruling on the facts for the first time. Indiana’s constitution creates Circuit Courts and lets the General Assembly build out the rest, which is why the state also has Superior Courts, city and town courts, and small claims dockets.1Justia. Indiana Constitution – Article 7
Circuit Courts
Every one of Indiana’s 92 counties has a Circuit Court, though Ohio and Dearborn Counties share one.2Ballotpedia. Indiana Circuit Courts These are general-jurisdiction courts, which means they can hear felonies, major civil cases, probate matters, family law disputes, and appeals from city or town courts.
Circuit Court judges are elected to six-year terms.1Justia. Indiana Constitution – Article 7 In most counties, those elections are partisan, though the method varies from place to place.3Indiana Judicial Branch. Judicial Selection Judges can appoint magistrates to help with heavy caseloads. If your case lands with a magistrate, you generally have the right to ask that an elected judge handle it instead, as long as you request that within the statutory timeframe.
Superior Courts
Superior Courts exist alongside Circuit Courts and share much of the same jurisdiction. The General Assembly creates them based on local demand, so not every county has one, but larger counties often have several divisions. Superior Courts handle a mix of civil, criminal, and family cases, and many host specialty dockets.
Most Superior Court judges are elected in partisan races to six-year terms, but selection varies by county. In Lake, Marion, and St. Joseph counties, judges are appointed through local nominating commissions using the same merit-selection framework as the appellate courts. In Allen and Vanderburgh counties, Superior Court elections are nonpartisan.4Ballotpedia. Judicial Selection in Indiana
One specialty worth knowing about is Indiana’s Commercial Court docket, available in participating counties for complex business disputes. Cases eligible include fights over business governance, trade-secret and non-compete agreements, securities violations, commercial insurance coverage, intellectual property, and mergers or acquisitions. Parties can also consent to move a case into the Commercial Court even when it doesn’t neatly fit those categories.5Indiana Courts. Indiana Commercial Court Rules
City and Town Courts
City and town courts handle lower-level matters: local ordinance violations, traffic infractions, and misdemeanors. City courts also have limited civil jurisdiction for small-dollar disputes, with the cap depending on the city’s size and location. Not every municipality has one; the courts exist only where local government has created them.
Judges serve four-year terms and, contrary to a common misconception, must generally be licensed attorneys admitted to practice in Indiana.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 33-35-5-7 – Courts Not of Record Judges A narrow statutory exception exists, but the default is that legal training is required. Decisions from city and town courts can be appealed to the county’s Circuit or Superior Court.
Small Claims Docket
Most counties run small claims as a docket inside their existing trial courts rather than in a separate courthouse. Marion County is the exception, with its own township-based Small Claims Court system.
The jurisdictional cap is $10,000. If your claim is worth more, you can waive the excess to stay in small claims, but you lose the right to recover anything above the limit.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 33-28-3-4 – Jurisdiction of Small Claims Docket Typical cases involve landlord-tenant disputes, unpaid debts, and breach of contract, and the procedures are simplified so individuals can represent themselves. Businesses have a wrinkle: corporations, LLCs, and similar entities can send an owner or employee for claims up to $6,000, but anything above that amount requires an attorney.
Problem-Solving Courts
Indiana also operates a network of problem-solving courts inside its trial court system, including drug courts, mental health courts, and veterans courts. Instead of moving people through traditional prosecution and sentencing, these programs combine accountability with treatment. A drug court participant might face regular testing and mandatory counseling in exchange for a reduced sentence or dismissed charges upon completion. The Supreme Court, through the Office of Judicial Administration, certifies and oversees these programs statewide.8Indiana Judicial Branch. About the Office of Judicial Administration Availability and eligibility vary by county and program.
Tax Court
Indiana created a dedicated Tax Court effective July 1, 1986, making it one of the few states with a standalone court for tax matters.9Indiana Judicial Branch. Indiana Tax Court Home It has exclusive jurisdiction over cases arising under Indiana’s tax laws, mainly appeals from final decisions by the Department of State Revenue and the Indiana Board of Tax Review.10Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code Title 33 – 33-26-3-1 Tax Court Jurisdiction Property tax assessment challenges, state tax bill disputes, and denied refund claims all go here.
A single judge presides over the court, selected through the Judicial Nominating Commission process and confirmed by voters in retention elections for ten-year terms. Because there’s only one judge, the Tax Court travels the state to hear cases rather than requiring everyone to appear in Indianapolis. Tax Court decisions skip the Court of Appeals entirely and go directly to the Indiana Supreme Court.11Justia. Indiana Code Title 33 Article 26 Chapter 6 – Appellate Review
Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals is Indiana’s intermediate appellate court, and in practice it hears the vast majority of appeals in the state.12Indiana Judicial Branch. Structure of Indiana Courts It doesn’t hold trials or hear witnesses. It reviews the trial court record and the legal arguments to decide whether the lower court got it right.
Fifteen judges serve on the court, drawn from five geographic districts, and they sit in three-judge panels that rotate every four months.13Indiana Judicial Branch. Judges of the Court of Appeals Judges are selected through the Judicial Nominating Commission, appointed by the governor from three names, and then face retention votes in their district every ten years.14Indiana Judicial Branch. Elections for the Judicial Nominating Commission
Court of Appeals decisions set precedent that trial courts follow unless the Supreme Court later overrules them. If you lose at this level, you can petition the Supreme Court for review, but the Supreme Court is not required to take the case.
Supreme Court
The Indiana Supreme Court sits at the top. It chooses most of its cases, but certain categories are mandatory: criminal appeals where the sentence is death or life without parole, appeals where a trial court has struck down a state or federal statute as unconstitutional, and a handful of other case types spelled out in the appellate rules.15Indiana Courts. Rule 4 – Supreme Court Jurisdiction Everything else reaches the court only if the justices agree to take it.
Five justices serve on the court, selected the same way as Court of Appeals judges. A new justice faces a retention vote at the next general election, and if kept, the term runs ten years before the next retention vote.1Justia. Indiana Constitution – Article 7
Beyond deciding cases, the Supreme Court has exclusive authority over attorney admissions and discipline, judicial discipline and removal, and supervision of every other court in the state.15Indiana Courts. Rule 4 – Supreme Court Jurisdiction
How Appeals Move Through the System
The path is fairly clean. City and town court decisions are appealed to the Circuit or Superior Court in the same county. From there, and for all other trial court decisions, appeals go to the Court of Appeals. If you still disagree after the Court of Appeals rules, you can petition the Supreme Court for transfer, though it accepts only a fraction of what’s brought to it. Tax Court is the exception: its rulings bypass the Court of Appeals and go straight to the Supreme Court.11Justia. Indiana Code Title 33 Article 26 Chapter 6 – Appellate Review
An appeal is not a second trial. The appellate court reviews the record from below and considers whether the trial court made a legal error. New witnesses and new evidence aren’t allowed. That’s why a clean trial record matters so much: the appellate court is limited to what happened in the courtroom the first time around.
Filing and Self-Help Resources
Indiana requires attorneys to file court documents electronically in all trial and appellate courts. Unrepresented individuals are not required to e-file but are encouraged to.16Indiana Judicial Branch. Where E-Filing Is Available, Mandatory, or Coming Soon
For people handling legal matters on their own, the Indiana Judicial Branch runs a Self-Service Legal Center with free tools. The Coalition for Court Access provides downloadable court forms. A separate portal at IN.freelegalanswers.org lets eligible users post legal questions and get answers from volunteer attorneys at no cost. The site also offers a child support calculator and information on protection orders.17Indiana Judicial Branch. Self-Service Legal Center If you’re representing yourself, starting there before your first court date can save real headaches.