To get a copy of a criminal case file, you have to request records from two different places: the court clerk (or PACER, for federal cases) holds the official court documents, and the law enforcement agency that investigated the case holds the police reports and evidence records. Each side has its own process, fees, and rules about what it will release.
Know Which Court and Case Number You Need
Criminal cases are prosecuted where the alleged crime happened, and whether the case was federal or state depends on the charges. Drug trafficking across state lines, bank robbery, tax fraud, and immigration offenses are federal. Assault, burglary, DUI, and most drug possession cases are state.
Find the case number before you do anything else. Every court assigns one when charges are filed, and it is the fastest way to pull the correct file. If you don’t have it, most courts let you search by the defendant’s name. For federal cases, the PACER Case Locator runs a nationwide party search across every federal district, appellate, and bankruptcy court.1PACER: Federal Court Records. Search by National Index For state cases, many counties have online portals with name search, though features vary widely.
Getting Federal Court Documents Through PACER
PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) is the federal judiciary’s online system for case documents from every federal district, bankruptcy, and appellate court. If the case was prosecuted in federal court, PACER is where you start.
Register and Understand the Fees
A free account is required. You register through the PACER Service Center’s registration wizard.2Public Access To Court Electronic Records (PACER). Registration Wizard Access costs $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document regardless of length.3PACER: Federal Court Records. Pricing Frequently Asked Questions If your total charges stay at $30 or less in a calendar quarter, the fees are waived.4United States Courts. Electronic Public Access Program – FY 2026 That covers a fair number of docket sheets and key filings at no cost.
Search and Download
If you know the district court, log into PACER and go straight to that court’s electronic filing system. If you don’t, use the Case Locator to search the national index by party name, with filters for region and date. The national index updates once daily, and newly filed cases appear on the Case Locator within about 24 hours.5PACER Case Locator. PACER Case Locator
Once you find the case, the docket report lists every document filed. Click an entry to view and download it. Sealed or restricted entries will show on the docket but won’t be available for download. For technical issues, the PACER Service Center is at (800) 676-6856.
Getting State and County Court Documents
State courts handle the vast majority of criminal cases, and each one runs its own system. Start by identifying the clerk’s office for the county where the case was prosecuted. Many counties have online portals where you can search by name or case number to pull docket information, and some let you view and download filings electronically. Others only give you enough to identify the case before you have to submit a formal request.
For physical copies, contact the clerk’s office directly. Most require a request form with the case number and a description of the documents you want. Requests can usually go in person, by mail, or through an electronic system where one exists. Per-page copy fees and certification charges vary. Non-certified copies typically run from a few cents to about a dollar per page, with certified copies carrying an additional flat fee. If you need a certified copy with a court seal for use in another legal proceeding, say so when you submit the request.
Older files come with a wrinkle. Clerks routinely move physical files to off-site storage after a period of years, and retrieval takes longer. For a case from a decade or more ago, ask whether the file has been archived and how much lead time is needed to pull it.
Getting Older Federal Cases From the National Archives
Closed federal cases eventually transfer to the National Archives and Records Administration for long-term storage. If the case predates electronic filing or has been retired from the court’s active system, NARA may be your only source. NARA no longer offers on-site review of court records at its Federal Records Centers, so requests go through online ordering or mail.6National Archives. Obtaining Copies of Court Records in the Federal Records Centers
To order online, go to NARA’s Order Reproductions page, select “Court Records,” then “Criminal,” and follow the prompts. You can request the entire case file or select specific pre-identified documents like the indictment, judgment, and sentencing order.7U.S. National Archives & Records Administration. Criminal Case Files For mail orders, download NARA Form 92 (Criminal Cases Form) and send it to the records facility listed on the form.
NARA charges a minimum order fee of $20, even for a small request. Certified copies cost an additional $15 for each set of up to 150 pages certified, plus $2.50 per seal impression.8National Archives. NARA 1653-S1 Records Reproduction Fee Schedule Procedures Certified copies are not delivered digitally; NARA sends paper.
Getting Police Reports and Investigative Records
Police reports, detective notes, forensic lab results, and evidence logs are not part of the court file. They sit with the law enforcement agency that handled the investigation, and getting copies takes a separate request under public records law.
Federal Agencies and FOIA
For federal agencies like the FBI, DEA, or ATF, use the Freedom of Information Act. The FBI accepts requests through its online eFOIPA portal or by mail.9Federal Bureau of Investigation. Requesting FBI Records Include as much identifying information as possible: the subject’s full name, aliases, date of birth, Social Security number if known, and a description of the specific incident or investigation. Vague or overly broad requests get denied.
For records about another living person, the agency won’t release them without that person’s written consent, unless disclosure is required by law. For records about someone deceased, provide proof of death such as a death certificate or obituary.
FOIA has a specific exemption for law enforcement records. Agencies can withhold investigative files if release would interfere with an ongoing investigation, compromise a fair trial, reveal confidential sources, expose law enforcement techniques, invade someone’s privacy, or endanger anyone’s safety.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 552 In practice, records from closed cases are more readily available than records from active ones.
State and Local Police
Every state has its own public records law covering local police departments, sheriff’s offices, and state agencies. The framework is similar: submit a written request describing the records you want, and the agency must respond within a set number of business days. Most states allow exemptions for open investigations or information that would compromise safety or privacy. Fees for incident and arrest reports are usually modest but vary by agency. If you have the report or case number, include it to avoid delays.
What You Won’t Be Able to Get
Some categories of records are shielded from public access, and requesting them will save you time only if you know the limits upfront.
Sealed Records
Judges can seal individual documents or entire case files to protect cooperating witnesses, ongoing investigations, victim identities, or a defendant’s fair trial rights. Sealed records still exist in the court’s system but are blocked from public view. A motion to seal usually appears on the public docket even when the underlying document does not.11United States Courts. Accessing Court Documents – Journalist’s Guide Unsealing requires a new court order, and anyone can file a motion asking for it, though success depends on whether the reasons for sealing still apply.
Expunged Records
Expungement directs the court to treat a conviction or arrest as if it never happened. The record is removed from public court databases and should no longer appear in standard background checks. Expungement only reaches the court that issued the order, so it doesn’t cover news articles, social media, or records held by other agencies, and law enforcement databases may retain the information for internal use. If a case was expunged, the court will respond as though it doesn’t exist.
Juvenile Records
Federal law requires that juvenile delinquency records be safeguarded from disclosure to unauthorized persons. They can only be released to another court, to a law enforcement agency investigating a crime, to a treatment facility where the juvenile is placed, or to a national security agency.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 5038 – Use of Juvenile Records A juvenile’s name and photograph cannot be released publicly unless the juvenile is prosecuted as an adult. When a case involves a child victim or witness, filings that disclose the child’s name are filed under seal, with a redacted version placed in the public record.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3509 State laws impose similar or stricter protections.
Grand Jury Materials
Grand jury proceedings are secret. Federal rules prohibit grand jurors, court reporters, interpreters, and government attorneys from disclosing what happens during those sessions.14Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 6 – The Grand Jury Grand jury transcripts are not part of the public court file, and a court order is required to unseal them.
Presentence Reports
Federal probation officers prepare presentence investigation reports before sentencing. They contain detailed personal, financial, and criminal history information about the defendant. Courts treat these as confidential and don’t include them in the publicly accessible portion of the case file.11United States Courts. Accessing Court Documents – Journalist’s Guide
Redacted Personal Information
Even in fully public documents, certain personal details are scrubbed before filing. Federal rules limit Social Security numbers and financial account numbers to the last four digits, show only the year of a person’s birth, identify minors by initials only, and include only the city and state of a home address.15Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 49.1 – Privacy Protection For Filings Made with the Court Most state courts have adopted similar rules. If a filing you pull still contains unredacted personal information, that’s typically a mistake by the filer rather than something the court intended to release.