Look Up Free Cuyahoga County Public Records on Anyone

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Free Cuyahoga County Public Records Search

Access Cuyahoga County Records: marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, probation, criminal, court, background checks, and all public records.

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Look up Cuyahoga County public records for free to learn more about anyone, for any reason.

Information that’s made available to the public thanks to the Ohio Open Records Law includes records pertaining to criminal history (probation, warrants, prisoner records, sex offenders, background check reports), arrests (jail rosters, mugshots, charges), court documents (family, civil, criminal etc.), life events or vital records (marriage, divorce, birth, death, etc.), and property ownership and tax information.

While anyone can access these records, knowing what information is available and where to look is the key to a successful public record search. With that being said, this guide offers all the necessary agencies and corresponding details to make searching public records in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, quick and efficient.

How To Locate Arrest Records & Mugshots for Free in Cuyahoga Ohio

Members of the public who are looking to find Cuyahoga County arrest records have two avenues:

1. Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office
2. City police departments in the county that operate jails

In most cases, arrests can be found on the county level but there are times when the subject is still being booked, the person is being held in a local city jail and the county hasn’t received arrest details.

That means the County Sheriff’s office will provide the broadest and all encompassing results but if the arrest was made within 24 hours and a county inmate search yields no results, then city jails and/or local police departments are the next best place to look.

With that said, we’ll review the process to find arrests on the county level first.

Look Up Arrests Using the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office

The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office is the main law enforcement agency in the county and they operate two county jails. This law enforcement agency doesn’t have an online directory that can be used to find inmates in its jails, which is the norm for many sheriff’s offices across the nation—this also makes it impossible to find someone’s mugshot online through the sheriff’s office.

Instead, Cuyahoga residents who are looking to find out if someone is in jail will need to contact the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office either by phone or by making an in-person visit.

Certain criminal records, which are also known as rap sheets, are accessible to the public due to the state’s Ohio Open Records Law, also known as Ohio Sunshine Laws.¹ Arrest records are available for public consumption, but others, such as probation information, are limited in access.

To obtain a free arrest history and obtain information on Cuyahoga County bookings, call the numbers provided on the linked page.

See If Someone Is in Jail or Request Arrest Details via City Police Departments in Cuyahoga County

If citizens fail to find jail records in the County’s Sheriff’s offices, then they can turn to the 82 police departments that are scattered throughout Cuyahoga County. Like the county sheriff’s offices, many of these departments do not have online jail rosters but will need to be contacted via phone or visited in person to find daily arrests.

To find arrest records in cities located in Cuyahoga County, interested parties should proceed to perform a search on Google with this string: “[city name] [state] arrest record search” to find recent arrest reports in cities located in the county.

It is not uncommon that when police departments are present, they may not operate a city jail. In these cases, consider these alternative search criteria: “[city name] police department contact information.”

Some city police departments and their contact information in Cuyahoga County include:

• City of Cuyahoga Falls Police Department: 330-928-2181
• Cuyahoga Heights Police Department: 216-883-6800
• Cleveland Police Department: 216-623-5000
• Shaker Heights Police Department: 216-491-1220
• Valley View Police Department: 216-524-6543
• Macedonia Police Department: 330-468-1234

Our resource on obtaining free public information on anyone in Ohio can offer assistance to searchers in surrounding counties who are looking for jail or arrest records, as well as other public records like marriage, divorce, court cases, criminal histories, arrests, background checks, and more.

How To Access Marriage & Divorce Information Through the Cuyahoga County Court

Vital records in Ohio, including marriage and divorce records, are deemed to be Cuyahoga County public records—for marriage and divorce records, citizens will need to contact the clerk of the probate court where the vital event was recorded.²

Because they are considered public records, anyone looking to check if someone is married can request and view these records without there being any need to have family relations or prove the same.

Contact or Visit the Cuyahoga County Probate Court – Marriage License Department

Certified copies of marriage records and certificates are obtained by contacting the Cuyahoga County Probate Court – Marriage License Department in Cleveland, OH.³ Interested parties will need to know:

• The full names (last and first) of both applicants and the maiden name in a prior marriage
• Date of the marriage

The request for Cuyahoga County marriage records is done via mail, and the process is outlined below:

1. Download and print a copy of the marriage license form.
2. Indicate the number of certified copies needed. Each copy costs $2.00.
3. Include a self-addressed envelope that is stamped for the return of the copies.
4. Payment in the form of a money order or payable to the “Cuyahoga County Probate Court” should be enclosed.
5. Mail all the documents to:
   • Cuyahoga County Probate Court
     Marriage License Department
     1 Lakeside Ave., Room 129 (First floor)
     Cleveland, Ohio 4411

Retrieve Divorce Records & Certificates Through the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court

Cuyahoga citizens who are looking to locate and obtain certified copies of Cuyahoga County divorce records, legal separation, dissolution, and annulments can do so by contacting the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court.⁴

These records are obtained by physically visiting the court, and certified copies cost $1.00 per page—the address can be found below:

Room 35 (Ground Floor)
1 W. Lakeside Ave
Cleveland, Ohio 44113

How To Check if Someone Has a Criminal History in Cuyahoga County Ohio

Certain criminal records are considered public in Ohio and, by extension, in Cuyahoga County, with some exceptions such as probation cases or ongoing criminal investigations—the main source of criminal records in Ohio is the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).

There are other avenues that citizens can use to find criminal records:

• Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office
• City police departments
• Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts
• Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI)
• The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) for information on state prisoners
• The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for federal prisoners
• The Ohio Attorney General’s Office Sex Offender Registry
• The Ohio Habitual OVI/OMVI Offenders Registry

Locate Free Criminal Records Through the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts

Cuyahoga residents who are looking to find criminal records should contact the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts. Criminal records can be sought from the clerk of court by electronic means using the Cuyahoga County Criminal Records Search Tool where a search for criminal records can be done either by:

• Case
• Name

However, pursuant to Federal law and as mandated by the Domestic Relations Court, domestic violence cases are not available online.

Alternatively, information may be obtained by visiting the Clerk of Court’s Offices or calling the docket information at 216-443-7950.

Find Criminal & Arrest Information via the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office

In addition to running background checks through the sheriff’s office that was mentioned earlier, it is possible for residents to obtain criminal records from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office in Cuyahoga County is primarily the custodian of arrest records of offenders who have been taken into custody due to suspicion of an alleged crime they have committed. In these cases,  they are yet to attend court hearings that will either sentence them or dismiss their charges.

Nevertheless, the records cannot be fully considered to be criminal records since they do not pertain to the conviction of offenses. These records can still be an indication of an individual’s interaction with law enforcement agencies for citizens who want to look up someone’s criminal record.

Locate Criminal Records Through the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) & Web Check

Cuyahoga residents will primarily look to the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation BCI to conduct background checks and state agencies such as the Ohio Department of Corrections (ODC), which has a tool that can allow users to conduct an Ohio criminal records search.

Digitized criminal records are not designated as Cuyahoga County public records by the BCI and are therefore limited to the public—the release of this information is mostly restricted to prospective employers when looking to find criminal records for job applicants.⁵

Nevertheless, the BCI allows citizens to obtain copies of criminal history for themselves to ensure that they are correct and complete.

Performing a Background Check Through the Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI): The first step is to complete and submit identifying information such as full legal names and current addresses for the subject of the record.

Next, a set of fingerprints will be required to be obtained, which are then transmitted for a check. These BCI locations are:

Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) London
1560 State Rte 56 Southwest
London, Ohio 43140

Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) Bowling Green
750 N. College Dr.
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402

Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) Richfield
4055 Highlander P.way
Richfield, Ohio 44286

Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) Youngstown
20 W. Federal St.
Youngstown, Ohio 44503

A signed consent is needed for the subject of the record and the cost for the background check is $22.00. Payment can be made via money order, electronic payment, or business check made payable to the “Treasurer of State of Ohio.”

Performing a Background Check Through the WebCheck: Members of the public also have the option of submitting their information for background checks and submitting their fingerprints electronically through a WebCheck provider in their area.

Requesters will need to bring a valid photo ID. When minors need to request criminal records, they may do so, but with a waiver that is signed by either parents or their legal guardian.

The main reason why the BCI allows access to criminal history is to ensure residents can review the accuracy of their records, as mentioned before. Consequently, Cuyahoga County citizens who may sometimes find information that is incorrect on their records have a variety of agencies they can contact.

Since the BCI receives information from law enforcement agencies, citizens should collect all the proof they have of their records and contact the agency that is responsible for the piece of information, whether it be:

• The sheriff’s office
• Local police department
• County court

For BCI errors, Cuyahoga County citizens may submit a written request for challenge and review of criminal history records and include an explanation as to why the record is being challenged. This brief should also include the full names and mailing address of the petitioner.

The petitioner will then need to be fingerprinted for positive ID, and the reason for fingerprinting will contain “Challenge & Review.” There is no fee for this review.

All items will need to be mailed to:

Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation
Attention: Challenge & Review Department
Post Office Box 365
London, Ohio 43140

Out-of-state requests for background checks can obtain print fingerprint cards from here and may contact this list of vendors to obtain information on how to complete background checks when not in Ohio.

For any concerns or questions, residents can either view the frequently asked questions or call the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 877-224-0043.

How To Find Criminal Records for Free Using Ohio State Resources and Federal Agencies

Other than the methods mentioned above, Cuyahoga residents can contact federal and state bodies when looking to run a free criminal record check. These include:

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) — The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has an Ohio Criminal Records Search tool that can be used to find criminal records of inmates incarcerated in their facilities, those under APA supervision, and violators at large.

Ohio Attorney General’s Office Sex Offender Registry—Offenders that have been convicted of sex crimes can be located at no cost using the Ohio Sex Offender Search Tool.

Ohio Habitual OVI/OMVI Offenders Registry—This registry can be used to locate individuals who have been convicted at least 5 times for DUI or driving under the influence of drugs. It is updated weekly and can be searched for free using the Ohio Drug Offender Search Tool.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)—Interested parties can also find offenders who have been convicted of federal crimes. The BOP’s database shows offenders that have been incarcerated since 1982 and those who have been released and subsequently have federal criminal records. They can do so by using the Federal Criminal Records Search Tool for free.

Cuyahoga County Ohio Background Check Process

Citizens looking to perform background checks may contact the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office and while the address below is for the CCW license office, the same office offers screenings for employment, licensure, and certification.

The Justice Center CCW License Office
2079 E. 9th St. 5th Floor
Cleveland OH 44115

Requestors must set up an appointment by calling 216-443-6080, where they will need to bring a valid government-issued ID. the address where the results of the check will be mailed and documentation stating the reason for the request.

The cost for such requests are as follows:

• Cuyahoga County record check: $10.00
• Ohio background check: $35.00
• National background check: $35.00
• Ohio & national background check: $65.00

Payment is made via credit cards, business and personal checks. Cash is not accepted.

As the major cities do not offer background check services, residents who are seeking to obtain criminal records can do so from the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts, They may also perform background checks for personal review through the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). These background checks are fingerprint-based rather than name based.

Fingerprints are submitted and sent by electronic means to the BCI via scan or Web Check and compared to a database of criminal fingerprints to find a potential match.⁶

Professional vs Personal Background Checks

Background checks in Cuyahoga County and in Ohio at large are done for two main reasons: personal and professional when employers need to ascertain the credibility of employees.

Personal Background Checks: Personal screenings are essentially public record searches to gather more information on another individual and they can be done for any reason such as reviewing the completeness and accuracy of their public criminal record or to determine if someone else has a criminal history,

Note, the BCI does not allow someone to run a background check on another person, but public records and third-party sites can allow for a personal background check of sorts.

Professional Background Checks: Professional screenings are done for guns, licensing, employment, financial positions, and those working with at risk populations like teachers, healthcare facilities and retirement homes.⁷

Background Check Statutes & Protections in Cuyahoga County

There are several statutes and protections afforded to Cuyahoga employees with respect to background checks, such as those that make Ohio a partially ban-the-box state.

This means that in Ohio, public employers are banned from inquiring into an applicant’s criminal history or any police reports they may have during the initial employment application. They must conduct an individual assessment of a candidate’s background before making a final determination—this is due to the state’s Ohio’s Fair Hiring Act (Section 9.73).⁸ The law does not, however, extend to the private sector.

Nevertheless, Ohio is considering passing a law that would make the state a full-blown ban-the-box state bringing private employers under the umbrella of this law. This bill is known as Senate Bill 49, which has been introduced by the 132nd General Assembly and has been passed by both houses; it is awaiting a signature from the Governor to become law.⁹

Additionally, certain federal agency laws, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), do protect residents of Cuyahoga County in regard to background checks.

For example, the FCRA directs employers on protocols before they proceed not to hire an applicant due to results from a check. They are also mandated to obtain written permission from job applicants before performing a background check.

The EEOC, on the other hand, provides employers with a guide on how to evaluate an applicant’s criminal history record as it relates to the role of the job.

How To Search for Arrest Warrants in Cuyahoga County Ohio

Warrants are part of Cuyahoga County public records, and citizens can access them from multiple agencies, including county, state, and federal entities.

Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts—As warrants are often issued from the county courts, interested parties performing a warrant search can contact the clerk of court to find information on warrants. This can be performed electronically through the Cuyahoga County Warrants Search Tool or by contacting the Clerk of Court.

Searchers may also visit or call the clerk of courts for information.

Justice Center, 2nd Floor
1300 Ontario Street
Cleveland, OH 44113
216-443-7999

Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office—Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office has a warrant division that can be contacted to find out If someone has a warrant.¹⁰ They can be reached via phone at 216-443-6100.

Ohio Department of Corrections (ODC)— The Ohio Department of Corrections (ODC) has a database that can be used to find parole violators; this is accessed through the Ohio State Warrants Search Tool. This tool displays a list of parole violators along with their details, such as offenses, when they were declared at large, and their mugshots.

U.S. Marshals— The U.S. Marshal’s office has a warrant information system database of individuals who have federal warrants.¹¹ Individuals who need assistance with access to this database should contact the responsible office for distributing information to find information on how they can request access to a record from the system. These are made in writing and are Privacy Act Requests.

How To Check Probation Records in Cuyahoga County

Cuyahoga residents who are searching for probation information on someone will need to contact the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court – Probation Department. Probation is a form of community control and is defined as a time frame where an offender is placed on supervision by the courts rather than having to serve a prison sentence.

Although vast swathes of criminal records are available for public consumption, Ohio sunshine laws and, in particular, Ohio Rev. Code § 149.43(A)(1) have exemptions for certain records that can be accessed by the public, including probation information.¹²

Therefore, information about offenders that is divulged to the public by the probation department will be very limited in scope.

For more information, interested parties should contact the department at:

7th floor, Justice Center Tower
1200 Ontario St.
Cleveland, OH 44113
216-443-7900

How To Retrieve Cuyahoga County Court Records & Documents

As stated earlier, when searching for criminal records in the Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts, all types of Cuyahoga County judicial records can be conveniently searched for using the Online Cuyahoga Court Records Search Tool.

This tool can be used to perform a Cuyahoga County case search to retrieve several types of court records, including:

• Civil/domestic searches
• Foreclosure searches
• Criminal searches
• Court of Appeals search

Residents may also obtain Cuyahoga County court records in person at the Clerk of Court’s offices or call the docket information at 216-443-7950.

Cuyahoga citizens can additionally find court files online from The Supreme Court of Ohio & The Ohio Judicial System which has a Supreme Court Case Search Tool. This can be searched using:

• Case number
• Case option
• Advanced case search options that have options such as searching for prior case number, prior jurisdiction, court date, etc.
• Party search such as party name, party entity name, etc.
• Attorney search options that allow a search for an attorney attached to a case.

If more information is required, citizens can contact the  Supreme Court of Ohio & The Ohio Judicial System—this link provides phone, fax and email information for various offices of the supreme court.

How To Request Birth, Death & Other Vital Record Certificates in Cuyahoga County

Just like marriage and divorce records, birth and death certificates are accessible to all members of the public without needing to have a family relation—Cuyahoga citizens can request copies of birth and death records and certificates from the Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.¹³

Vital records, including death and birth certificates, can be obtained online, by mail, or in person and the associated fees are as follows:

• Certified birth record —$21.50
• Certified death record —$21.50
• Certified fetal death record —$21.50
• Stillbirth certificate—$0
• Acknowledgment of paternity—$7.00
• Adoption file release—$20.00
• Heirloom birth certificate—$25.00

Retrieve Birth & Death Certificates Online

The fastest and simplest way to obtain copies of birth and death records is online. To request these copies, the following steps should be taken:

1. Proceed to Ohio’s Online Certificates Application which will allow for a request of:
   • Birth certificate—Only events that occurred within Ohio after December 20, 1908 can be ordered. Requests for recent births should be done 12 weeks after the child’s birth.
   • Death certificate—This request allows for a request for death events that took place in Ohio from 1971 to the present. Requests for recent deaths should be given a 12-week window after the event took place. Ohio law does not allow for the placing of Social Security Numbers (SSN’s) on death certificates unless the requester has a right to it. Contact 614-466-2531 for more information on this.
   • Acknowledgment of paternity (AOP) certificate—AOP requests can be made for events that occurred within the state after 1998 to the present. Recent AOP requests should allow for 12 weeks after acknowledgment of paternity.
2. For each request, the following information should be provided:
   • Legal names of the child/deceased
   • Date of death/birth
   • Mother’s last name prior to marriage and gender of child for birth certificate requests
   • Mother’s first name, last name, and last name prior to marriage for death certificate requests
   • Gender and CPR number for AOP’s (if CPR number is not known, call +1(888)810-6446.
   • City or county of death/birth/AOP
   • Valid credit card for payment (Visa, Discover, American Express, and MasterCard are accepted)
3. Orders are processed within 5 business days, and delivery via UPS is typically 3 weeks within the continental U.S. If copies are needed sooner, contact the health department in the county where the event happened.
4. When records have not been found, a ‘No record letter’ will be sent to the requestor, and a refund will be processed as a check back to the requestor.

Mail in a Requests for Birth & Death Records

Birth and death records and certificates can also be ordered by mail and the process to accomplish this is outlined below:

1. Interested parties should download, complete and fill out the application for certified copies when needing to request birth, death, fetal death, stillbirth certificates, AOP, and adoption files. For a decorative heirloom birth record request, the heirloom certificate application form and requesters can choose one from four designs that are found on the form.
2. Fees for each type of request are outlined earlier, and credit card information or cash should not be included in the request. A money order or check payable to the ‘Treasurer, State of Ohio.’
3. Mail the application form and payments to:
   • Ohio Department of Health
     Bureau of Vital Statistics
     P.O. Box 15098
     Columbus, Ohio 43215-0098
4. Processing time for mail requests is 4-6 weeks.
5. Requesters can check the status of their request by emailing [email protected].

Make an In-Person Request for Birth & Death Certificates

Although the main office of the Ohio Department of Health does not offer in-person requests for birth and death certificates, local offices do provide the capability of making available this service. While most requests for these records are done online and sometimes by mail, Cuyahoga citizens unable to use these two methods can find the locations of the health district court to make their requests.

Any more queries and concerns can be directed via email to [email protected].

As per the mandate of ORC 3705.29 (A) (3), there should be no purposeful attempt to obtain, use, obtain, possess, or sell to other individuals certificates and records (birth and death), whether they are dead or living.¹⁴

How To Look Up Property Records for Free in Cuyahoga County

Finding property records in Cuyahoga County is a simple and straightforward process that can be done by visiting the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office, which provides two online ways of doing so:

• Using MyPlace property records search tool
• Performing an official record search

Searching for Property Records Through the MyPlace Property Records Search Tool: The Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer has a MyPlace Cuyahoga County Property Records Search tool that can be used to find property records. This public index can either perform a county-wide search or a narrowed-down search for different cities in the county.

It can be queried using either:

• Owner Name
• Parcel Number
• Address

Searching for Property Records Through an official records search: The Cuyahoga County Official Records Search Tool is a second search feature that gives users access to the county’s property database to locate property records.

Cuyahoga County Public Records & the Agencies Who Host Them

In summary, Cuyahoga County residents can find and request criminal and arrest records from multiple agencies, including:

• Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office
• City police departments
• Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts
• Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI)
• State and federal apparatus—these include the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC), Ohio Attorney General’s Office Sex Offender Registry, Ohio Habitual OVI/OMVI Offenders Registry, and the Bureau of Prisons.

Court records of all types can be obtained using either the Online Cuyahoga Court Records Search Tool or the Supreme Court Case Search Tool.

Limited probation information can be retrieved by contacting the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court – Probation Department.

Warrant information can be retrieved from:

• Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office
• Ohio Department of Corrections (ODC)
• Cuyahoga County Clerk of Courts
• U.S. Marshals

Citizens looking to order these vital records can contact these agencies:

• Marriage Records & Certificates—These will be sourced from The Cuyahoga County Probate Court – Marriage License Department.
• Divorce Records & Certificates—Divorce records can be obtained from the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court.
• Birth & Death Records and Certificates—Birth and death records will both be sought from the Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics.

Last but not least, property ownership and records can be accessed through the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office.

Finding and requesting Cuyahoga County public records can often seem like a daunting task and frustrating one when trying to find which government agency and jurisdiction is in the custody of the desired documents—however, having a roadmap can make the process of retrieving marriage, divorce, warrants, arrests, criminal court records and more, quick and easy.