To look up a court case number, start with any paperwork the court or the other party has already sent you: the number is printed on the first page of summonses, complaints, citations, hearing notices, and attorney letters, usually in the upper right corner. If you don’t have any documents, you can find it by searching the court’s online records portal, using the federal PACER system, or calling the clerk of court where the case was filed.
Check the Paperwork You Already Have
Courts print the case number, sometimes called a docket number or index number, on virtually every document they send out. It also appears on anything filed by the other side’s attorney. Before running any search, look through:
- A summons or complaint, near the header of the first page
- Traffic or parking citations, where the ticket number often is the case number or links directly to one
- Court notices scheduling hearings or requesting a response
- Bail or bond paperwork from an arrest
- Letters or filings from your own attorney
This is the fastest route and it costs nothing. Only move on to a search if the paperwork turns up empty.
What You Need Before You Search
The more information you bring to a search, the fewer results you have to sort through. Try to gather:
- The full legal names of both parties, spelled as they would appear on a legal filing. Maiden names and aliases matter.
- An approximate filing date, or at least a rough year. If you’re unsure, think about when the underlying event happened or when you received your first document.
- The case type: civil, criminal, traffic, family, or probate.
- The city and county where the case was filed. For criminal cases, that’s usually where the alleged offense took place, not necessarily where you live.
- Attorney names, which some systems accept as a search parameter.
A last name and an approximate year are often enough. Don’t let a missing detail stop you from trying.
Figuring Out Which Court Has Your Case
Courts are organized by both geography and case type. The same county might have separate courts handling traffic, felony criminal cases, family disputes, and probate, and searching the wrong one returns nothing even when your information is perfect.
Traffic violations and minor misdemeanors typically go to a municipal or county-level court. Divorces, custody, and protective orders go through family court. Wills and estate matters are handled by probate divisions. Serious criminal charges usually sit in a higher-level trial court, called a circuit court, district court, or superior court depending on the state. Cases involving federal law, a federal agency, or parties from different states with enough money in dispute may be in federal district court instead.
When you’re not sure, start with the county where the events took place. Most county court websites list their divisions and what each one handles, and a call to the general courthouse number will point you the rest of the way.
Searching State Court Records Online
Most state court systems offer free online portals where you can search by party name, filing date, or case type. Some states run a single statewide search that covers every county and court level; others require you to go to the specific county court’s website.
Search for your state’s judicial branch website and look for links labeled “case search,” “court records,” “case lookup,” or “docket search.” Once you’re in, enter the name exactly as it might appear in court records. Searching by last name alone and narrowing by date range tends to work better than filling in every field, because a middle initial that doesn’t match the filing will exclude your case entirely.
A few caveats. Sealed cases, juvenile proceedings, and certain family matters won’t appear in public results. Very old cases may have been purged from the electronic system or may exist only in paper form at the courthouse. And newly filed cases don’t always show up online right away.
Searching Federal Court Records on PACER
If your case is in federal court, use the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, known as PACER. It covers all federal district courts, bankruptcy courts, and appellate courts, and holds more than a billion documents.1Public Access to Court Electronic Records | PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Homepage
You need a PACER account to search. Registration is free, but immediate access requires a credit card at signup. Skip the credit card and you’ll receive an activation code by mail in 7 to 10 business days.2PACER: Registration – United States Courts. Registration Wizard
Once you’re in, the PACER Case Locator runs a nationwide search by party name across every federal court.3PACER Case Locator. PACER Case Locator You can also search within a specific court’s database if you know where the case was filed.4United States Courts. Find a Case – PACER Newly filed cases typically appear in the Case Locator within 24 hours.5PACER: Federal Court Records. How Soon After a Document Is Filed Is It Available Through PACER
What PACER Costs
Access is $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 for any single document. The cap doesn’t apply to name searches or non-case-specific reports. If your charges stay at $30 or less in a quarter, the fees are waived entirely.6PACER: Federal Court Records. Pricing Frequently Asked Questions For anyone looking up a single case number, that waiver usually covers the whole cost. Court opinions are free on PACER to anyone with an account.4United States Courts. Find a Case – PACER
A Free Alternative
The RECAP Archive, run by the nonprofit Free Law Project on CourtListener.com, is a searchable collection of millions of PACER documents gathered through browser extensions and free filings.7CourtListener.com. Advanced RECAP Archive Search for PACER It doesn’t hold everything PACER does, but if someone else has already pulled your case, the documents may be there at no cost. Check it before paying.
Calling or Visiting the Clerk’s Office
When online searches come up empty, the clerk of court’s office is your best fallback. Helping people find case information is a core part of what they do. You can call, but visiting in person is often faster for anything complicated because the staff can walk through their system with you in real time.
Bring the same details you’d use for an online search: party names, an approximate date, and case type. Many courthouses also have public-access terminals in the clerk’s office where you can run the search yourself.
Looking up a number is generally free. Fees apply when you want copies of documents, particularly certified copies, which can run from a few dollars to $40 or more depending on the court and the document’s length. Some courts also charge a small fee for staff-assisted searches of older archived records.
Reading a Case Number Once You Find It
Case numbers aren’t random. They encode information, and recognizing the parts helps you confirm you’ve landed on the right case when a name search returns several hits. A federal case number like 3:08-CV-0001-N tells you the courthouse division (3), the year filed (2008), the case type (CV for civil), the sequential filing number (0001), and the assigned judge’s initials (N).8United States District Court Northern District of Texas. What Is the Significance of the Number and Letter in My Case Number Common case type codes include CR for criminal, CV for civil, and DM or DR for divorce and family matters.
State case numbers follow similar conventions, with format varying by jurisdiction. Most include a year, a case type abbreviation, and a sequential number. When a search returns multiple results, those pieces let you sort out the right one quickly.
When the Search Returns Nothing
A blank result doesn’t mean the case doesn’t exist. The most common reasons a search fails:
- Name spelling mismatch. Records reflect however the name was entered at filing. Try alternate spellings, maiden names, or hyphenated versions. Some systems offer a phonetic search that catches similar-sounding names.
- Wrong court. This is the single most common problem. If you’re in the county civil court but the case is in family court or a different county, you won’t find it. Broaden the search.
- Case too new. If it was filed in the past day or two, it may not be in the electronic system yet. Wait and try again.
- Case too old. Courts purge older records from electronic databases on retention schedules that vary by case type and jurisdiction. Very old cases may require a manual search of paper archives.
- Middle initial mismatch. A middle initial that doesn’t match the filing excludes the case from results. Try first and last name only, then narrow by date.
If online searches and the clerk both come up empty, the case may have been filed under a name variation you haven’t tried, transferred to another court, or sealed. At that point, an attorney who can make formal inquiries on your behalf may be the most efficient path.
Sealed and Confidential Records
Some case types never appear in public search results, no matter how accurate your information is. Juvenile cases, adoption proceedings, certain mental health cases, and any case a judge has ordered sealed are excluded from public databases. Each state sets its own rules on what can be sealed.
If you’re a party to a sealed case and need your own case number, you can still get it, but expect extra steps. You’ll generally need to visit the clerk’s office in person with a government-issued photo ID proving you’re one of the named parties. Some jurisdictions require a formal written application for access. The court verifies your identity against the case records before releasing any information. For records sealed as part of a juvenile proceeding or an expungement, start with the clerk’s office that handled the original case, and expect the process to take longer than a standard lookup.