To get a copy of an indictment, you request it from the court where the case was filed. For federal cases, the fastest route is downloading it through PACER at $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document. For state cases, you go to the clerk’s office in person, by mail, or through that court’s online portal. If you are the defendant, you do not have to hunt for it at all: the court is required to give you a copy at your arraignment.
If You Are the Defendant
You do not need to go searching for your own indictment. Federal law requires the court to make sure you have a copy before your arraignment begins. The judge either hands you the indictment or reads the charges aloud, and then asks for your plea.1Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 10 – Arraignment If you have a defense attorney, they receive a copy as part of the case file. State courts follow similar procedures, though the specific rules vary by jurisdiction.
Lost your copy? Ask your attorney first. They will have it. If that is not an option, you can request another from the clerk’s office using the methods below. Being the defendant does not exempt you from standard reproduction fees.
What You Need Before You Request
Gather as much of the following as you can before you contact a clerk or open a search tool:
- The case number. This is the fastest way to pull the exact file. It usually looks something like “1:24-cr-00123” and appears on any paperwork related to the case.
- The defendant’s full legal name. If you do not have the case number, a name search is the next best option. Spell it exactly as it would appear in court records, and be ready to try alternate spellings.
- The court where the case was filed. Each court keeps its own records. A federal indictment filed in the Southern District of New York will not show up in the Northern District’s system.
Most electronic systems let you search by either case number or defendant name. If neither turns up anything, the case may be sealed, filed under a different name, or old enough to have been sent to archival storage.
How to Get a Federal Indictment Through PACER
PACER is the electronic records system for every federal court in the country. It holds over a billion documents, and an unsealed indictment will almost always be there.
- Create an account at pacer.uscourts.gov. Register for a “Case Search Only” account. You will provide basic identification, including a date of birth and tax ID number, used only for billing if you accrue fees.2PACER. Register for an Account
- Search for the case using the case number or defendant’s name. PACER lets you search across all federal courts at once, so you do not need to know the exact district beforehand.3United States Courts. Find a Case – PACER
- Download the indictment. Once you find the case, the docket lists every filed document. The indictment is typically one of the first entries.
PACER charges $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document. Most indictments are well under 30 pages, so you will only hit the cap on complex multi-defendant cases. If your total PACER charges stay at $30 or less for the quarter, the fees are waived entirely.4PACER. PACER Pricing – How Fees Work For someone pulling a single indictment, there is a good chance you pay nothing.
Federal courthouses also have public access terminals where you can view PACER records for free. You only pay the $0.10-per-page fee if you print.3United States Courts. Find a Case – PACER If you just need to read the charges, this costs nothing.
How to Get a Copy From the Clerk’s Office
You can also go directly to the clerk’s office at the courthouse where the case was filed. The clerk will look up the case and either pull the physical file or print the document from the electronic system. This works for both federal and state courts.
For federal courts, the reproduction fee is $0.50 per page for paper copies. A typical indictment runs a few pages, so the cost is modest. If you need the clerk to search for a case by name because you do not have a case number, that carries a separate $34 search fee.5United States Courts. District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule Having the case number ready saves you that charge.
State court fees vary widely. Per-page photocopy charges at state clerks’ offices generally run from $0.10 to $1.00. Many state and local courts now offer their own online portals similar to PACER, though features and fees differ by jurisdiction. Check the court’s website before making the trip.
Requesting a Copy by Mail
If you cannot visit in person or access the records online, mail a written request to the clerk’s office. Include your name, contact information, the case number (or defendant’s name and approximate filing date), and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Call ahead to confirm the mailing address, whether the office accepts mail requests, and whether payment is required upfront. Some offices take checks or money orders; others will invoice you.
Certified and Exemplified Copies
A standard photocopy is fine for personal reference, but certain legal proceedings require an authenticated version. Federal courts offer two levels:
- A certified copy costs $12. It includes the clerk’s signature and court seal verifying the document is a true copy of the original.5United States Courts. District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule
- An exemplified copy costs $24. It adds a judge’s confirmation that the clerk’s certification is valid, which is sometimes required when submitting court records to a court in a different jurisdiction.5United States Courts. District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule
These fees are on top of the per-page reproduction cost. Unless you are filing the indictment in another legal proceeding, a regular copy or PACER download is enough.
Older or Archived Indictments
Federal criminal case files less than about 15 years old are usually still held by the court and accessible through PACER or the clerk’s office.6National Archives. National Archives Court Records After that, paper records get transferred to one of the National Archives and Records Administration’s Federal Records Centers for long-term storage. The courts keep legal custody, but NARA handles physical access.
To order copies from a Federal Records Center, go to archives.gov and use the “Order Reproductions” tool. Select “Court Records,” then “Criminal,” and follow the prompts. You can also download a Criminal Cases Form and submit it by mail, fax, or email.7National Archives. Obtaining Copies of Court Records in the Federal Records Centers NARA no longer offers on-site review at its facilities, so if you want to examine the file in person, contact the federal court that originally handled the case.
For truly historical cases, NARA holds federal court records going back to around 1790, distributed across regional National Archives locations based on which court handled the case. The archives.gov website lists which facility holds records for each state and federal circuit.6National Archives. National Archives Court Records
Archived record fees differ from standard court fees. NARA charges based on its own fee schedule, which runs roughly $90 for the first 150 pages with additional labor charges after that. The exact amount depends on the volume and format of the records.
Sealed Indictments and What Will Not Be In the File
An indictment is not automatically public the moment a grand jury votes. The magistrate judge who receives it can order it sealed, which means the clerk locks it away and nobody may reveal it exists. Sealed indictments stay hidden until the defendant is arrested or released on bail.8Justia Law. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 6 If a case does not show up in PACER or the clerk’s system, sealing is one possible reason. There is no way to request a sealed indictment; you would need to wait until it is unsealed.
Once you do have the document, know what it will and will not contain. An indictment lists the defendant’s name, the specific charges, and a summary of the alleged conduct. It does not include grand jury testimony, witness statements, or the evidence prosecutors presented. Those materials remain sealed under grand jury secrecy rules and are almost never disclosed to the public.9Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 6 Even defendants face a high bar when asking courts to release grand jury transcripts. If you are looking for the evidence behind the charges rather than the charges themselves, the indictment will not have it.
One other quirk: indictments are exempt from the federal privacy rules that require personal information to be redacted from most court filings. Motions and briefs must mask Social Security numbers, birth dates, and financial account numbers down to the last four digits, but charging documents are excluded from those redaction requirements.10Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 49.1 – Privacy Protection for Filings Made with the Court Most indictments do not carry much sensitive financial data, but a full date of birth or other identifying detail may appear.