Maricopa County Criminal Records

Maricopa County operates the fourth-largest trial court system in the nation. More than 160 judicial officers serve over 4.7 million residents here. All felony criminal cases are filed and heard at the Superior Court. The main court is in downtown Phoenix. Regional court locations operate in Mesa, Surprise, and Northeast Phoenix too. The Clerk of Superior Court maintains these criminal court records. The public can access them through online portals or in-person at clerk offices. You can search for cases by name or number. Staff can help you get copies of court documents you need for your legal matter or research.

Clerk of Superior Court

The Clerk of the Superior Court of Maricopa County is an elected constitutional officer. This office is responsible for all court records. Payments related to the justice system go through the Clerk too. This office maintains dockets and records of each Superior Court session. Official court documents are preserved for criminal, civil, family, probate, juvenile, and tax court cases. Criminal case records held by the Clerk include minute entries, case filings, court orders, judgments, and sentencing documents. All felony cases filed in Maricopa County are maintained by this office.

The main clerk office is at 601 West Jackson Street in Phoenix. Call them at 602-372-5375. Email inquiries about public records go to PublicRecords@jbazmc.maricopa.gov. Office hours are Monday through Friday from eight in the morning to five in the afternoon. Regional clerk offices operate at the Superior Court locations in Mesa, Surprise, and Northeast Phoenix. These regional offices have the same business hours. You can visit any location to access records in Maricopa County.

The Criminal Department of the Clerk's office handles all felony case files. Reach this department directly at 602-506-8575. Staff can help you find case information. They explain copy procedures. They answer questions about record access. Wait times vary based on how busy the office is. Peak times are late morning and early afternoon. Early morning visits often have shorter wait times in Maricopa County.

Free Online Case Search

Maricopa County offers free 24/7 case lookup. The Superior Court Docket portal provides public access to case history. Criminal, civil, family, and probate cases are all searchable. You can search by party name. Case number works too. Business name and date of birth are other search options. The portal shows case numbers, party names, case types, filing dates, docket entries, calendar information, minute entries, and current case status. All Superior Court cases in Maricopa County are included in this free search system.

The search portal updates in real time. There is up to a 24-hour audit delay for accuracy. Name searches work best when you enter the full last name first, then first name. You can also search by date of birth if you have that information. Case numbers in Maricopa County follow a specific format. Letter prefixes indicate case type. Criminal cases typically start with CR. The year comes next. The case number follows after the year in Maricopa County.

You can view docket entries through this free portal. However, you cannot view or download actual court documents here. For document copies, you must use the separate eAccess system which charges fees. You can also submit a records request to the Clerk's office. The free portal is useful for confirming case existence, checking case status, viewing upcoming hearings, and reading minute entries from past court sessions in Maricopa County.

Note: The docket search shows only non-confidential case information from Maricopa County Superior Court.

How to Get Document Copies

Maricopa County provides several ways to get copies of criminal court records. Online document access uses the eAccess portal. This system charges ten dollars per document. You can also submit an Online Records Request Form through the Clerk's website. In-person requests can be made at the Customer Service Center at 601 West Jackson. Regional offices in Surprise, Mesa, and Northeast Phoenix take requests too. Visit during business hours.

Free inspection of records is available on public access computers. Any clerk office location has these computers. Copies cost 50 cents per page. Certified copies cost 35 dollars per document. Electronic replication of an entire case costs 35 dollars. Research fees of 35 dollars per year or source apply if staff must search for records without a case number. This happens when you do not have case information. Postage and handling costs eight dollars if records are mailed to you in Maricopa County.

Mail requests should be sent to 601 W. Jackson Street Phoenix AZ 85003. Include your name. Add your address and contact information. List details about which records you want. Payment must be by money order or cashier's check only. Personal checks are NOT accepted. This policy applies to all mail payment methods. If you send a personal check your request will be returned unprocessed.

For phone inquiries call 602-372-5375. Ask about balances or general information over the phone. However, formal records requests require online, written, or in-person submission. The Clerk cannot accept records requests over the phone in Maricopa County.

Misdemeanor Court Records

Misdemeanor criminal cases are NOT filed at Superior Court. Traffic violations go to Municipal Court or Justice Court too. Each city in Maricopa County operates its own Municipal Court. Phoenix has a Municipal Court. So do Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Scottsdale, Peoria, Tempe, Surprise, Goodyear, Buckeye, and Avondale. All these cities maintain separate Municipal Court records. You must contact the specific city's Municipal Court to access misdemeanor records in Maricopa County.

Maricopa County also operates 26 Justice Courts. These courts serve unincorporated areas and smaller communities. Justice Courts handle misdemeanors, traffic violations, civil disputes under ten thousand dollars, and evictions. DUI charges at the misdemeanor level go to Justice Court or Municipal Court. Speeding tickets are filed there too. Justice Court case searches are available through the Maricopa County Justice Courts case search portal. The administrative office for Justice Courts is at 602-506-8530.

Major Cities in Maricopa County

Maricopa County includes several major cities, each with its own Municipal Court for misdemeanor cases. Felony cases from all these cities are filed at Maricopa County Superior Court.

Nearby Arizona Counties

If your case was filed in a neighboring county, you will need to contact that county's Superior Court Clerk.