Public access to court electronic records runs through two very different channels: federal cases sit on a single national system called PACER, while state and local cases are split across dozens of separate portals run by individual states and counties. On PACER, viewing documents costs ten cents a page, capped at three dollars per document, and the fees are waived entirely if your total charges stay at or under thirty dollars in a calendar quarter. Some categories of information — sealed filings, unexecuted warrants, presentence reports, juvenile records, and the full case files in Social Security and immigration matters if you are not a party — remain off-limits regardless of the system.
Getting Into PACER
PACER, the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, is the online portal for federal case filings from U.S. District Courts, Courts of Appeals, and Bankruptcy Courts, covering civil, criminal, and bankruptcy matters.1United States Courts. Find a Case (PACER) The system houses more than a billion documents.2Public Access to Court Electronic Records. Public Access to Court Electronic Records
Register at pacer.uscourts.gov. Registration is free, and you pick an account type based on whether you want to search records, file as an attorney, or file as a self-represented litigant.3PACER: Federal Court Records. Register for an Account Once you’re in, you can search by party name, case number, or court. Selecting a case opens the docket, which links to the individual filings you can view or download.
Searching Across All Federal Courts at Once
If you don’t know which court handled a case, the PACER Case Locator searches a nationwide index across all federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts simultaneously.4PACER: Federal Court Records. Search by National Index You can filter by region and date range. The index updates once daily, so filings from earlier the same day won’t appear yet.
How Far Back the Records Go
PACER coverage doesn’t reach the beginning of the federal courts. Each court went electronic at a different point, and criminal cases filed before November 1, 2004, are generally only available electronically to the parties in that case — everyone else has to contact the clerk’s office.5PACER: Federal Court Records. How Far Back Does Case Information Go Back on PACER? Older civil and bankruptcy coverage depends on when the individual court began uploading. The Case Locator shows the available date range for each court, so you can check before running a search.
What You’ll Pay and How to Pay Nothing
PACER charges $0.10 per page to view documents, docket sheets, and case-specific reports, with a cap of $3.00 per document — the equivalent of 30 pages.6United States Courts. Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule Court transcripts and certain non-case-specific reports have no $3.00 cap, so long transcripts get expensive fast. If your total charges stay at $30.00 or less during a calendar quarter, the fees are waived entirely.7PACER: Federal Court Records. PACER Pricing: How Fees Work
Two things are always free. Judicial opinions carry no charge for anyone. Parties to a case (and their attorneys) receive one free electronic copy of every document filed in their matter through the court’s electronic notification system.6United States Courts. Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule
Free Access Through RECAP and CourtListener
The RECAP Archive, run by the Free Law Project, is a browser extension that works inside PACER. When anyone with the extension pays for a document, that document is contributed to a public archive. If someone else has already bought the document you want, it appears free to you directly in the PACER interface.8Free Law Project. RECAP Suite — Turning PACER Around Since 2009 The archive holds tens of millions of legal documents drawn from nearly every federal case.9Free Law Project. CourtListener Research and Awareness Website
CourtListener, at courtlistener.com, lets you search the RECAP Archive alongside a large collection of judicial opinions and oral arguments without a PACER account. Coverage isn’t complete, but for high-profile litigation and cases where lawyers have contributed filings, you’ll often find what you need.
State and Local Court Records
Cases outside the federal system fall under state or local jurisdiction, and there is no state equivalent of PACER covering all 50 states. Each state builds its own system. Some run a single statewide portal that searches every court in the state; others make you check individual county clerk websites one at a time.
To find the right portal, search for “[State Name] court records online” or “[County Name] clerk of court.” Stick with .gov or official judiciary domains. Third-party record aggregators often charge steep fees for the same information the court gives you directly. State-level costs range from free to significant per-document fees, and certified copies typically cost more than a basic electronic view. Some states offer subscription access for frequent users.
What’s in a Case File
The case docket is the backbone of an electronic file. It’s a chronological log of every filing and action from the initial complaint through the final judgment — a table of contents for the litigation. From the docket, you can open individual documents.
Typical filings include:
- Complaints and petitions, which start a case and set out what the plaintiff or petitioner claims
- Motions asking the court to take a specific action, such as dismissing a claim or compelling discovery
- Orders, meaning the judge’s rulings on those motions and other matters
- Judgments, the final decisions that resolve a case
- Briefs, the parties’ written legal arguments
Depending on the case, you may also see discovery materials filed with the court, exhibit lists, unsealed settlement agreements, and notices from the parties.
Transcripts and the 90-Day Restriction
Official transcripts are available through PACER, but with a catch. After a court reporter delivers a transcript to the clerk’s office, it enters a 90-day restriction period during which it cannot be downloaded remotely through PACER.10United States Courts. Privacy Policy for Electronic Case Files During that window, you can only inspect the transcript at a public terminal in the courthouse or buy it directly from the court reporter. The restriction gives the parties time to request redaction of personal identifiers. Once the 90 days end, the redacted transcript goes onto PACER. Remember that transcript access has no per-document cap: you pay $0.10 for every page.
Audio Recordings
Some federal courts post digital audio of hearings on PACER. Audio files follow the same fee schedule as other records, including the quarterly $30.00 waiver.6United States Courts. Electronic Public Access Fee Schedule Not every court records or posts audio, so availability depends on the court and the case.
What You Cannot See
The presumption of public access has real limits. Federal rules, judicial policies, and court orders all pull certain material out of electronic view.
Redacted Personal Identifiers
Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 restricts what personal information can appear in a filing at all. Social Security and taxpayer identification numbers are cut to the last four digits. Birth dates are reduced to the year. Minor children are identified only by their initials. Financial account numbers show only the last four digits.11Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5.2 – Privacy Protection For Filings Made with the Court Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 49.1 applies the same restrictions in criminal cases and adds one: home addresses are reduced to city and state.12Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure Rule 49.1 – Privacy Protection For Filings Made with the Court These rules apply to paper and electronic filings alike, so the redaction happens before the document reaches PACER.
Social Security and Immigration Cases
Cases involving Social Security benefits and immigration proceedings get extra protection under Rule 5.2 because of the sensitive personal information they contain. If you are not a party or attorney in the case, your remote access is limited to the docket and any opinions, orders, or judgments the court has issued. You cannot view the rest of the file or the underlying administrative record from your computer.11Legal Information Institute. Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 5.2 – Privacy Protection For Filings Made with the Court You can, however, view the full record in person at a public terminal in the courthouse.
Criminal Case Exclusions
The Judicial Conference of the United States keeps specific criminal case documents out of public electronic access entirely. These documents won’t appear on PACER or at courthouse terminals:
- Unexecuted arrest warrants and search warrants
- Presentence investigation reports
- Statements of reasons in the judgment of conviction
- Juvenile records
- Juror identifying information
- Criminal Justice Act financial affidavits filed when requesting a court-appointed attorney
- Sealed documents, including cooperation agreements and victim statements filed under seal
p>10United States Courts. Privacy Policy for Electronic Case Files
Sealed Records
Beyond those categorical exclusions, a judge can seal individual documents or entire cases one at a time. Sealing typically protects trade secrets, witness safety, or national security interests. Once sealed, the documents disappear from PACER and stay inaccessible until a court order unseals them.
Using Court Records for Background Checks
Records being public doesn’t mean they can be used without limits. The Fair Credit Reporting Act imposes real rules on anyone using court records in a consumer report — the kind employers, landlords, and lenders rely on. Under the FCRA, a consumer reporting agency cannot report civil suits, civil judgments, or records of arrest more than seven years old. An employer must obtain written consent before running a background check that includes court records, and if the employer takes adverse action based on what the report shows, the applicant must receive a copy and a chance to dispute inaccuracies.
These rules don’t restrict your personal right to look up court records. They govern organized screening by third parties making decisions about someone. If you’re checking your own case or reading through public litigation for personal reasons, the FCRA isn’t in play. If you’re deciding whether to hire, rent to, or lend to someone based on what their court history says, its procedural requirements are not optional.
Whether Old Records Ever Come Off
Records generally stay on PACER permanently. Federal law provides almost no mechanism for expunging criminal records. The main exception is the Federal First Offender Act, which applies only to simple drug possession where the defendant had no prior drug convictions, was placed on probation without a judgment of conviction, and successfully completed that probation. For defendants under 21 at the time of the offense, the record can be expunged after probation ends. The statute does not cover distribution, trafficking, or any other category of federal offense. Some federal courts recognize a narrow authority to expunge arrest records in extraordinary circumstances such as unlawful arrests or clerical errors, but many circuits question whether they even have that power. For the vast majority of federal cases, once a record is in the system, it stays.
State expungement and sealing laws are separate, and many states have expanded eligibility significantly in recent years. If you want a state court record removed from public view, check your state judiciary’s website or talk to a local attorney, because the rules and waiting periods vary widely.