Last Updated: September 22, 2026
Reviewed for accuracy: Primary-source review completed September 22, 2026.
Many U.S. court records can be searched online for free, but there is no single free nationwide portal for every state, county, and federal case. For state or local cases, start with the official court or clerk portal; for federal cases, check the free CourtListener/RECAP archive before using PACER, and remember that PACER is not completely free even though light usage is currently waived.
How can you look up court records online for free in 2026?
You can usually find a public court case online by identifying the court that handled it, opening that court’s official search system, and searching by case number or party name. Federal records use PACER, while state and local records are spread across individual court systems; free archives such as CourtListener/RECAP can also provide some federal filings at no charge.
The easiest mistake to make is starting with a commercial “public records” site. Those sites may charge for information that the court itself provides directly, while third-party archives can have incomplete coverage. The safest workflow is to identify the jurisdiction first, then verify the result against the actual court source.
The National Center for State Courts reports that state courts handled 98% of all U.S. cases, with 70 million cases filed in state courts in 2024. That is why knowing the state or county is often more useful than searching for a supposed nationwide court-record database.
Where should you start when you do not know which court has the case?
Start by identifying whether the case is federal, state, or local, then narrow the search to the court that handled the matter. For state and local cases, use a state judiciary or court-resources directory; for federal cases, use the PACER Case Locator when you do not know the district, bankruptcy court, or appellate court involved.
Before searching, gather as much non-sensitive information as you already have:
- Full legal name of a party
- Case number, if available
- State
- County or city
- Approximate filing year
- Court type or case type
- Business or organization name, if a company is involved
A case number is usually the most precise identifier because it can lead directly to a particular case instead of returning many people with similar names.
For federal records, the PACER Case Locator searches a nationwide index of federal district, bankruptcy, and appellate cases and is updated daily. The specific federal court’s system provides more current case information when you already know where the case was filed.
For state records, the U.S. Department of Justice maintains a state-by-state court resources page that can help you get to the appropriate state system instead of guessing at third-party databases.
U.S. Department of Justice — State and Federal Court Resources
How do you search state and local court records online for free?
State and local court records are searched through the court system that maintains the case, and the exact process varies by jurisdiction. Some courts provide online case-search tools, while others may direct the public to a county clerk, courthouse computer, or in-person records request; the DOJ’s state court resource directory is a useful starting point.
Use this five-step process:
- Identify the state.
Start with the state where the case was likely filed or handled. - Find the official judiciary website.
Look for links labeled “Case Search,” “Case Lookup,” “Court Records,” “Docket Search,” or similar. - Choose the right court or county.
A criminal case, civil lawsuit, family matter, traffic case, probate matter, or municipal case may be handled by different courts. - Search using the strongest identifier you have.
Try the case number first. If you do not have it, search the party name and narrow the results by court, date, or case type. - Open the case docket and inspect the available documents.
A docket can show filings, hearings, orders, judgments, and other case events, but the exact information published online depends on the jurisdiction.
Do not assume that a free case search means every document is free to download. A court may let you inspect the docket online without charge but charge for certified copies, paper copies, document images, or clerk-assisted research.
Minnesota’s official public-access instructions illustrate the distinction: online case information is available, but not every record appears online and some information may only be available at the courthouse.
How do you find federal court records without paying PACER charges?
Federal court records are maintained through the federal judiciary’s PACER system, but you may be able to obtain the information or documents you need without paying PACER. The main free options are the quarterly PACER fee waiver for light users, free viewing at federal courthouse public-access terminals, free court opinions, and documents already available through CourtListener’s RECAP archive.
Is PACER free?
PACER registration is free, but PACER access is normally billed at $0.10 per page under the September 2026 fee schedule. A single qualifying document or case-specific report is generally capped at $3.00, and fees are waived when an account accrues $30 or less during a quarterly billing period.
PACER also states that 75% of users do not pay a fee in a given quarter because their usage stays within the waiver threshold. That means a normal occasional lookup can be effectively free, but PACER should not be described as an unlimited free database.
What is changing in PACER on January 1, 2027?
PACER has announced a temporary fee increase beginning January 1, 2027. The per-page rate is scheduled to rise from $0.10 to $0.12, while the automatic quarterly fee waiver will rise from $30 to $40. The announced change is intended to run for five years.
That information is time-sensitive and should be rechecked before publication updates after early 2027.
How should you use the PACER Case Locator?
Use the PACER Case Locator when you know a party’s name but do not know which federal court handled the case. The locator searches a nationwide federal-case index and returns details such as the party name, court, case number, filing date, and closure date; once you identify the court and case number, move to the relevant court’s PACER record for detailed filings.
Can CourtListener and RECAP replace PACER for a free search?
CourtListener and the RECAP Archive can provide free access to many federal filings and docket records already collected by the Free Law Project, but they should be treated as a free archive rather than a guaranteed complete substitute for the court’s live official system. Coverage depends on what has entered the archive.
Free Law Project says the RECAP Archive contains tens of millions of PACER documents and hundreds of millions of docket entries, with additional material being added every day. The archive is populated from multiple sources, including material contributed through the RECAP browser extension and other collection methods.
That makes RECAP a smart place to check before spending money in PACER, especially for older or frequently researched cases.
CourtListener also provides a free searchable collection of judicial opinions from federal and state courts.
CourtListener — Free Legal Research
Free Law Project — RECAP Archive
What can a free court-record search actually show you?
A free court-record search may show the case number, parties, court, docket entries, filing dates, hearing information, orders, judgments, and some document images, but the exact public record depends on the court and the case. Federal PACER provides access to case-file documents and docket information, while some records are redacted, restricted, or unavailable remotely.
A useful distinction is:
| What you need | Best place to start | Usually free? | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| State trial-court case | Official state/county court portal | Often, but varies | Coverage differs by jurisdiction |
| Federal case location | PACER Case Locator | Light usage can be free | Nationwide index is updated daily |
| Federal filings already archived | CourtListener / RECAP | Yes, for material in archive | Not every filing is guaranteed to be there |
| Federal court opinions | GovInfo / CourtListener | Yes | An opinion is not the same as a complete docket |
| Older preserved federal records | National Archives | Finding information may be online; copies can cost | Many older records are archival rather than fully digitized |
The U.S. Government Publishing Office’s United States Courts Opinions collection provides public access to opinions from selected federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy courts, generally dating back to 2004, although coverage can be incomplete for earlier periods.
GovInfo — United States Courts Opinions
The National Archives also holds large collections of historical federal court records. NARA says federal court records less than 15 years old are generally still held by the individual courts, while eligible permanent records may later be transferred to the Archives.
National Archives — Court Records
Why might a court record not appear online?
A missing court record does not prove that the case never existed. The most common explanations are that you searched the wrong court, used an incomplete name, selected the wrong case type, searched before the record appeared in the public system, or encountered a sealed, restricted, or otherwise unavailable record.
Try this troubleshooting sequence:
First, check the jurisdiction.
A state case will not appear in PACER, and a federal case will not appear in a state judiciary portal.
Second, try the case number.
Name-only searches can return multiple people with similar names.
Third, try name variations.
A middle name, former surname, hyphenated surname, or spelling variation can affect search results.
Fourth, check another court level.
A case may have moved to an appellate court or originated in a different trial court.
Fifth, contact the clerk.
The U.S. Courts specifically directs users who cannot locate a federal case through the case search tools to contact the federal court where they believe it was filed.
Sealed documents are not publicly searchable through PACER. Federal PACER also limits access to certain categories of information, including specified personal identifiers and some case types.
The broader legal principle is also limited rather than absolute: the U.S. Supreme Court recognized a common-law right to inspect and copy judicial records in Nixon v. Warner Communications, Inc., while explaining that the right is subject to the trial court’s authority and the circumstances of a particular case.
How can you avoid matching the wrong person to a case?
The safest way to verify a court-record match is to use more than the person’s name. Compare the case number, court, filing date, party role, case type, and other non-sensitive information shown by the official record before concluding that the case belongs to the person you are researching.
A name match alone is weak evidence. A common name can produce multiple cases involving unrelated people.
Use a simple verification chain:
Name → court → case number → filing date → party role → disposition
Avoid entering unnecessary sensitive identifiers into public search forms. Federal court filings are subject to rules that require specified personal information to be redacted or protected from public access.
A court-record lookup also should not automatically be treated as a legally compliant employment or housing background report. The Federal Trade Commission explains that consumer reports used for employment, housing, credit, or similar purposes can trigger Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements, including accuracy and procedural obligations.
How do you get an official or certified copy of a court record?
For an official or certified copy, request the document from the court or clerk that maintains the record rather than relying on a third-party archive. Online access and official authentication are separate issues, so a free docket search may still lead to a paid certified-copy request.
A practical distinction:
- Case search: Find out whether a case exists and locate the basic record.
- Docket access: Review the case’s chronological activity.
- Document access: Open a complaint, motion, order, judgment, or other filing.
- Certified copy: Obtain a court-authenticated copy for a purpose that requires official certification.
Federal courts state that paper and electronic records retained at the courthouse can be viewed there for free, although printing from a public access terminal can cost $0.10 per page under the cited federal schedule.
For older federal records held by the National Archives, copies can be ordered through NARA’s reproduction process.
What is the simplest free workflow for a basic court-record lookup?
For a basic lookup, use this sequence: identify the jurisdiction, open the official court source, search with the strongest available identifier, check a free federal archive when appropriate, then verify the final result against the court or clerk. This avoids paying a third-party site before you know which official record you actually need.
- Write down the person’s or organization’s exact name.
- Find the likely state, county, or federal jurisdiction.
- Use the official court portal or DOJ state-court directory.
- For federal cases, try the PACER Case Locator.
- Check CourtListener/RECAP for free archived federal material.
- Open the docket and verify the case number, court, dates, and party identity.
- Contact the clerk if the record is missing, incomplete, or time-sensitive.
- Request a certified copy only when you actually need official authentication.
The key idea is simple: search first, verify second, pay only when the record you need requires it.
FAQ: How to Look Up Court Records Online for Free
Can I look up court records online for free?
Yes. Many U.S. court systems provide free online case searching, while federal PACER charges for access but currently waives fees when quarterly usage stays at $30 or less. Free federal material may also be available through CourtListener/RECAP and free court-opinion databases.
Is PACER completely free?
No. PACER registration is free, but access is generally billed at $0.10 per page as of September 22, 2026, with a $3 cap for qualifying documents and a quarterly waiver when charges do not exceed $30. PACER has announced a $0.12-per-page rate and $40 quarterly waiver beginning January 1, 2027.
Can I search court records by someone’s name?
Yes, where the court’s public system supports name searching. A name search is less precise than a case number, so verify the court, case number, filing date, case type, and party role before treating a result as belonging to the person you intended to find.
Can I see the actual court documents online for free?
Sometimes. State-court availability varies, while federal documents may be available through CourtListener/RECAP if they are already in the archive. PACER provides official federal access but generally charges according to its fee schedule.
Why can’t I find a court case online?
A missing result can mean you searched the wrong jurisdiction, used an incorrect or incomplete name, searched too early, or encountered a sealed or restricted record. For federal cases, PACER recommends the nationwide Case Locator and contacting the relevant court if the case still cannot be found.
How to look up court records online for free without using a paid background-check site?
Start with the official court or clerk website, use the PACER Case Locator for federal cases, and check CourtListener/RECAP for archived federal filings before paying for any third-party service. A court-record lookup is not automatically the same thing as an FCRA-regulated background-screening report.
Learn how to look up court records online for free using official state portals, PACER, CourtListener/RECAP, and courthouse access.