Mahoning County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Mahoning County was formed on March 1, 1846 and named after the Mahoning River. Its county seat is Youngstown, and the county has an estimated population of 227,979. It was formerly part of Trumbull and Columbiana counties until 1846. Mahoning County government is a reflection of equitable justice through its multiple trial courts. The Courts of Common Pleas, the County Courts, Mayor's Courts, and Municipal Courts all serve as the foundation of the county's governance.

The Court of Common Pleas is located in Youngstown and houses the juvenile, domestic relations, probate, and general division. It has jurisdiction over both civil and criminal cases such as contracts, property disputes, robbery, drug trafficking, and murder. The County Courts are divided into four area courts. They are located in Boardman, Sebring, Austintown, and Canfield serving several cities, towns, and villages. They preside over replevin, traffic and non-traffic misdemeanors, forcible entry and detainer, felony preliminary hearings, some parking violations, and general civil claims in which the amount of money involved in dispute is $15,000. There is a Small Claims Court in all county courts. Mayor's Court handles parking violations, public nuisances, speeding, vehicle non-registrations, failure to transfer license plates, and minor misdemeanors. Mayor's Courts share jurisdiction with Municipal Courts and are located in Canfield, Lowellville, Poland, New Middletown, and Lake Milton. Mahoning Municipal Courts are vested with authority over municipal ordinance violation and traffic citation cases. The Municipal Courts are located in Campbell, Struthers, and Youngstown.

The court caseload in the Courts of Common Pleas for year 2022 was 369,973 and in 2023 369,968. This is a slight decrease in the number of cases handled in the courts of common pleas thereby, suggesting a decrease in the crime rate in Mahoning County. The Clerk of Courts is responsible for maintaining and keeping journals, papers, and court records relating to the domestic relations court, courts of common pleas, and probate court. The public can look up cases remotely on the Mahoning County website and Clerk of Courts website. They can also search on third-party websites or at the office of the clerk in each court. Court records are stored on a centralized database or case management system maintained by the Mahoning County court services. All court records are open to the public except sealed by court order or expunged, however, juvenile, adoption, mental health, and records of ongoing investigations are not open to the public.

The Court of Common Pleas, County Courts, Mayor's Courts, and Municipal Courts in Mahoning County are pivotal to the application of the rule of law. They support the growth and maintenance of justice. The Office of the Clerk of Courts is a vital administrative office in the county's judicial system, assisting the public to inspect, reproduce, and generally gain unrestrained access to court records.