New Hampshire court records are open to the public by default, and most of them can be searched for free through the state Judicial Branch’s online portal. How you get to a specific record depends on which court heard the case, how old it is, and whether any confidentiality rules apply. Recent cases sit in the electronic system. Older ones live on paper at the courthouse where the case was filed.
Searching Court Records Online
The New Hampshire Judicial Branch runs an electronic system called the Odyssey eCourt Public Access portal. It covers the Superior Courts and all three divisions of the Circuit Court: District, Family, and Probate. You can browse case dockets without paying anything and without creating an account. The docket is the running summary of a case, so it shows every filing, hearing date, motion, and ruling.
The portal lives at odypa.nhecourt.us/portal. You can search by a person’s name, a case number, or a date range. The Judicial Branch suggests using the “Smart Search” button and then opening “advance filtering options” to narrow by court location and case type. If you want Superior Court criminal cases, filter by “Superior Court” under location and set the case type before running the search. The same approach works across the other courts.
Viewing the actual documents filed in a case, rather than just the docket entries, requires a free registered account. You can also view files at public kiosks in courthouses around the state. The portal is the fastest route for anything recent, but cases filed before the statewide electronic rollout are not there.
Which Court Handled the Case
Knowing which court heard a case narrows your search and tells you what will and won’t be visible. New Hampshire splits its trial courts into the Superior Court and the Circuit Court, with the Circuit Court further divided into three specialized divisions.
- The Superior Court handles felony criminal cases and civil disputes. It has exclusive jurisdiction over civil matters where claimed damages exceed $25,000, and it hears jury trial requests in civil cases with claims of at least $1,500.
- The Circuit Court, District Division handles misdemeanors, violations (including motor vehicle offenses), small claims of $10,000 or less, landlord-tenant disputes, stalking cases, and civil matters up to $25,000.
- The Circuit Court, Family Division handles divorce, child custody, child support, domestic violence protective orders, and other domestic relations matters. The existence of a case is public, but much of what’s inside the filings is restricted.
- The Circuit Court, Probate Division handles wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, and adoptions. Most probate records are open, though adoption records and similar categories are confidential.
All of these show up in the Odyssey portal for electronically filed cases. The New Hampshire Supreme Court, which hears appeals and constitutional questions, keeps its own records; for those, you may need to contact the Supreme Court Clerk’s office directly.
Records That Are Confidential or Sealed
Not every case file is available for public inspection. The Judicial Branch publishes Guidelines for Public Access to Court Records that carve out exceptions to the general presumption of openness. Once a record is sealed, it stays closed unless a court specifically orders otherwise.
Juvenile records carry the strongest protection. All case records related to juvenile delinquency are confidential under state law, with access limited to the parties, their attorneys, and specific agencies. Those files are kept entirely separate from the public case system. Abuse and neglect proceedings involving children are treated the same way.
Family Division cases sit in a middle zone. You can confirm that a divorce or custody case exists, but sensitive material inside the filings is often protected. Financial affidavits and child-related information typically receive confidentiality treatment under the rules governing confidential documents.
Domestic violence cases have their own layer. When someone files for a protective order under RSA 173-B, they complete a Domestic Violence Confidential Information Sheet. That sheet stays private and cannot be disclosed to anyone, including the defendant, without court approval. The protective order itself may appear in court records, but the personal safety information behind it stays sealed.
Older and Archived Paper Records
Cases filed before New Hampshire’s electronic transition exist only on paper. Those files are stored at the specific courthouse where the case was heard, not in any central archive. To view one, contact the clerk’s office at the relevant Superior Court or District Court and arrange a time to inspect the file in person.
When you ask, request both the docket books and the paper case file. Both formats often exist for the same case, and one may contain material the other lacks, such as maps, handwritten notations, or oversized documents. Probate records are held by the Register of Probate, deeds by the Register of Deeds, and naturalization records by the Superior Court.
Divorce Certificate vs. Divorce Decree
Divorce records confuse more people than almost any other court record, because two different documents exist and they do different things. A divorce certificate is a one-page document from the Division of Vital Records Administration that confirms a divorce happened. It has basic information and no details about property, custody, or support. A divorce decree is the full final judgment from the court, including any orders on alimony, child support, property division, and parenting plans.
Which one you need depends on what you’re doing with it. To change your name or remarry, the divorce certificate is enough. You can get one from the Division of Vital Records, a city or town clerk, or the court that granted the divorce. Some town websites say you need a certified decree to remarry, but that is not the case. If you need to register custody orders in another state or enforce a support obligation, you need the actual decree from the Superior Court or Family Division.
Fees for Copies, Certified Documents, and Transcripts
Viewing records through the online portal or at a courthouse kiosk is free. Fees apply when you need paper copies, official certified documents, or transcripts.
- Standard copies cost $0.50 per page for all copied material except transcripts.
- Certified copies cost $10.00 for the certification, plus the $0.50 per page copying charge. These carry an official stamp confirming authenticity for use in other legal proceedings.
- Authenticated probate copies cost $40.00 each.
- A record search fee of $6.50 per name applies when the clerk’s office has to search based on limited information. The clerk may waive this fee for certain requestors.
These fees apply in both the Circuit Courts and the Superior Courts.
Court transcripts have their own pricing based on turnaround. Standard 45-day service is $3.40 per page, 30-day service is $3.85 per page, and expedited 14-day service is $4.40 per page. Transcript requests go through the court where the hearing took place.