Ross County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Ross County was formed on August 20, 1798 and over 76,957 people reside in it. It was named in honor of James Ross of Pennsylvania. The county seat, Chillicothe, was the first and third capital of Ohio. The county's land area is as large as 693.03 square miles and the largest city in Ross County is Chillicothe. The Courts of Common Pleas and the Municipal Court in Ross County advocate for the people and examine all cases with respect to solving legal issues in a timely way. These courts provide adequate mechanisms for dealing with crimes to prevent future occurrences.

The Court of Common Pleas is made up of two Divisions in Chillicothe. The first, is the General Division and the second; the Probate and Juvenile Divisions. The Common Pleas Court is the Trial Court of Ross County and it does hear and conduct trials on civil and criminal cases. Felony criminal cases, breach of contract, professional malpractice, child custody, and actions for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief are some of the cases handled by the Common Pleas Judge. The Probate Court is one of the oldest probate courts in Ohio. The Probate and Juvenile Division/Court handle minor (small) claims, estates of deceased persons, guardianship of incompetent persons, declaration of paternity, issuing juvenile domestic violence civil protective order, resolving school truancy issues, correcting unruly juvenile behaviors, and establish adult paternity among other cases. The Probate and Juvenile Court have a Juvenile Probation Department which facilitates the reunification efforts between juveniles and their family, ensures that youth offenders who have substance abuse disorder/mental issues (SUD) participate in treatment programs, and monitor the probationer's school attendance. The power vested in the Municipal Court located in Chillicothe is to maintain a safe and healthy community through enforcement of fines for punishments for municipal ordinance violation, traffic, parking, and criminal offenses while also hearing civil and small claim cases.

Persons interested in Probate and Juvenile Court records can find them on the Ross County Probate-Juvenile Court archives as they are in records retention. Municipal Court records can be found on the Chillicothe Municipal Court website. The 2023 annual report of Ross County Court of Common Pleas Probate and Juvenile Division published the number of cases received in 2023. It also compared the number of cases from 2023 down to 2017. Yearly, the Juvenile Division receives 1,000 case filings and the Probate Division of the Court of Common Pleas receives around 1,200 court cases. In 2023, the Probate Division received 1,143 cases and the Juvenile Court received 1,124 case filings. By profession, the Clerk of Courts/Clerk of Common Pleas Court is the appointed personnel who ensures that judgements are entered, records are accurately filed, and preserves these records over time. The Clerk's Office/website is where court records can be located and viewed. Sealed, juvenile, expunged, and certain information in public court records such as driver's license numbers and financial account numbers are shielded from the public due to their sensitivity.

Ross County is keen on prioritizing court services (including providing public court records) and supporting the coordination of both Common Pleas Court and the Municipal Court. Mediation in cases such as conflict resolution in domestic violence/family cases has helped tremendously as an alternative method in resolving matters out of court in Ross County judicial arm of government.