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State Of Ohio Felony Search
Use the Ohio court directory to identify the county court, then request the disposition from its clerk.
Decide whether you need a felony case or an official history check
For the outcome of an Ohio felony prosecution, start with the county court holding the case. For a required criminal-history check, use the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation product specified by the recipient. These are different records: BCI compares fingerprints with reported criminal-history information, while the court holds the filings and orders in an individual prosecution. A jail entry or arrest label cannot substitute for a final disposition.
There is a common pleas court in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, and its general division is the ordinary starting point for felony trial records. The Ohio Supreme Court’s court directory helps identify the local court. An earlier municipal or county-court reference may concern a preliminary stage; confirm where the prosecution ultimately proceeded rather than treating the earliest docket as the complete file.
Search the local court and follow each count to its outcome
Use the clerk’s case-number search when you have the number; otherwise, use its name search and narrow by the county and known dates. Preserve the court, full case number and the document or docket entry that identifies the relevant charge. Compare the person using lawful additional identifiers; the Hamilton Clerk, for example, expressly verifies court records rather than a searched person’s identity.
Read the charging entry alongside the judgment or sentencing entry and any later order. Multiple counts can have different results, and an original felony allegation may not describe the final conviction. If a dismissal, amended charge or disposition is missing from the online view, request the actual order. Until that gap is resolved, describe an identified case or charge rather than asserting a proven felony conviction.
Order the document from the court that maintains it
Give the clerk the case number, party name, order title, approximate date and required copy format. Ask the receiving organization whether it requires certification. Local copying, archive and delivery procedures differ; Hamilton County’s published process below is an example, not a statewide tariff. Restricted or sealed records may be withheld, and a public index does not create a right to every document in the file.
Hamilton accepts its document-request form and warns that unclear requests, archives or microfilm can delay production. Its public-record prices are $0.10 per page for copies and $1 per page for certified copies; certified copies cannot be sent electronically. Postage, materials and hand-redaction costs can add to the amount, and prepayment may be required. Commercial requesters have a ten-document monthly limit and must use the email channel specified on that page.
Request your own BCI history through the authorized route
BCI’s computerized criminal histories are not open public records. For your own accuracy review, its instructions require your complete name, current address and identifying details, fingerprints, signed consent and a $22 fee. Bring valid photo identification to fingerprinting. WebCheck providers can submit electronically and may add a convenience fee, so the state charge is not necessarily the total vendor price.
The general BCI instructions require electronic WebCheck or card-scan submission unless an exemption applies. If an employer or licensing body requested the check, obtain its purpose code, recipient and submission instructions before fingerprinting. Do not assume an own-record request, county docket printout or Ohio-only response satisfies a different mandated product. The BCI help number is 877-224-0043.
Allow for processing and request-specific delivery
BCI says electronic WebCheck results are usually available within days, although complicated cases can take up to 30 days. Mailed background requests can take as long as a month to process and return. Those are published expectations, not a guaranteed appointment-to-delivery deadline. The Civilian Background Unit is listed at 877-224-0043, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Confirm who will receive the result before submitting, especially for employment or licensure. Keep the submission details and receipt so an inquiry can identify the request. Court-copy timing is separate from BCI processing; an archived sentencing entry can require additional retrieval even if an online docket appears immediately.
Challenge an incorrect history using the originating record
If your BCI history is wrong, collect the supporting court order or other corroboration and contact the agency responsible for the entry, such as the sheriff, police department, municipal court or common pleas court. BCI says it does not keep a file of court documents to supply that proof. Obtain the court copy first when the disputed item is a disposition.
Explain whether the problem is mistaken identity, an incorrect charge, an absent final outcome or a later order that has not been reflected. Keep the agency response and check the corrected history rather than assuming a clerk inquiry alone updated every database. A no-hit in one county or a restricted public result is not evidence of an all-jurisdiction clearance.
Related Record Guides
Sources
Authoritative next stops
Official government or court source
Checked October 2, 2026. Official fingerprint submission and background-check route.
Official government or court source
Checked October 2, 2026. Own-record eligibility, the state charge and how to challenge an inaccurate entry.
Official government or court source
Checked October 2, 2026. Ohio court structure and Common Pleas jurisdiction.
Official government or court source
Checked October 2, 2026. Official Ohio court locator; local clerks maintain individual case files.
Official government or court source
Checked October 2, 2026. County-specific document requests, copy prices, certification and commercial-request restrictions.
Official government or court source
Checked October 2, 2026. Published processing expectations and Civilian Background Unit contact.