St. Louis Civil Court Records Search

St. Louis civil court records are managed by the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court, which serves St. Louis City as an independent jurisdiction separate from any county. If you need to search for a civil case filed in St. Louis, the 22nd Circuit is where those records live. You can look up St. Louis civil court records through Missouri Case.net or visit the Clyde S. Cahill Courts Building downtown. St. Louis has a unique court setup because the city operates outside the county system, so civil cases here go through the city circuit court rather than a county clerk.

St. Louis Civil Court Records at the 22nd Circuit

The 22nd Judicial Circuit Court handles all St. Louis civil court records. This is the state court of general jurisdiction for civil and criminal cases in St. Louis City. The main building is the Clyde S. Cahill Courts Building at 10 North Tucker Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63101. That name changed in December 2024. The Mel Carnahan Courthouse at the corner of Market Street and Tucker Boulevard is also part of the court complex. The Circuit Clerk can be reached at 314-622-4433.

St. Louis is an independent city in Missouri. It does not sit inside any county. This matters for civil court records because all St. Louis cases go through the city's own circuit court rather than a county court. The 22nd Circuit is the only circuit court that serves the city. If you are looking for civil court records from the St. Louis metro area but outside city limits, those cases would be in St. Louis County's 21st Circuit or whichever county the case was filed in.

Civil court records in St. Louis cover a broad range of cases. Contract disputes, personal injury suits, debt collection, property damage claims, and mechanic's liens all go through the 22nd Circuit. The court also handles domestic relations, orders of protection, and probate matters. Each case type gets a docket number and is tracked in the state system.

St. Louis Municipal Court vs. Circuit Court

People sometimes confuse the St. Louis Municipal Court with the Circuit Court. They are not the same. The St. Louis Municipal Court is at 1520 Market Street, Suite 1120, St. Louis, MO 63103. You can call them at 314-622-3231. Hours are 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. But the Municipal Court does not handle civil court records in the way most people mean when they search for them.

The Municipal Court handles traffic citations, dumping violations, housing code cases, minor criminal violations, earnings tax disputes, and truancy cases. It has several specialized courts including Traffic Court, Minor Alcohol and Drug Court, Earnings Tax Court, Truancy Court, and Problem Property Court. These are all limited in scope. The Municipal Court does not hear civil cases, divorces, evictions, or orders of protection. Those all go to the 22nd Circuit Court. If you need St. Louis civil court records for a lawsuit, contract dispute, or personal injury claim, the 22nd Circuit is where you look.

Search St. Louis Civil Records Online

Missouri Case.net is the best free tool for finding St. Louis civil court records. The state portal covers all Missouri courts, and the 22nd Circuit is fully included. You can search by party name, case number, filing date, or hearing date. Results show docket entries, case parties, judgments, and scheduled hearings. Case.net runs Monday through Friday from 6 AM to 1 AM. There is no charge to use it.

The 22nd Circuit Court website also provides information about St. Louis civil court records and the court system that handles them in the city.

When you find a St. Louis civil case on Case.net, the docket shows every filing, motion, and order in the case. You can see who the parties are, which judge is assigned, and what the current status is. The Track This Case feature sends email alerts when something new happens in a case. Click the footprint icon on the case page and provide your email. This is a popular tool with about 100,000 users across the state.

Case.net shows summaries and docket entries but not the actual filed documents. For copies of petitions, motions, or other filings, contact the 22nd Circuit Clerk at 314-622-4433. Older St. Louis cases from before the electronic system may not appear online.

Civil Case Filing Fees in St. Louis

Filing fees for St. Louis civil cases follow the statewide fee schedule. Circuit civil cases cost $93.50 to $105.50 to file. Associate circuit civil cases run $43.50 to $53.50. Small claims cases cost $30.50 to $35.50. These are the initial filing fees only. Other costs may come up during the case for things like motions, subpoenas, or jury demands. The Missouri Courts fee schedule has the full list of current fees.

For copies of St. Louis civil court records, the standard rate is $0.25 per page. Certified copies cost $1.50 to $2.50 for the certification plus $0.25 per page. Search fees are $0.20 per minute of clerk time. These fees are capped by Section 610.026 RSMo. You can request copies in person at the courthouse or by mail. Include the case number if you have it to speed up the process.

St. Louis Civil Court Case Types

The 22nd Circuit hears many types of civil cases. Contract disputes are common. So are personal injury claims from car accidents, slip-and-fall incidents, and other harm caused by someone else's actions. Debt collection suits take up a big part of the docket too. These are cases where a creditor sues to collect money owed. The court also handles property disputes, mechanic's liens, and replevin actions where someone wants to recover personal property.

Small claims cases in St. Louis go through the Associate Circuit Division. The limit is $5,000. These cases use simpler rules and move faster. You do not need a lawyer. The Associate Division also handles civil cases up to $25,000, orders of protection, and other matters that do not need a full circuit trial. For amounts above $25,000, cases go to the Circuit Division where procedures are more formal.

Public Access to St. Louis Court Records

Missouri law gives the public a right to access St. Louis civil court records. The Missouri Sunshine Law under Chapter 610 RSMo requires government records to be open for public inspection. Court records fall under this law. The 22nd Circuit Clerk must act on records requests within three business days. You can make your request in writing, by phone, or in person at the courthouse on Tucker Boulevard.

Some St. Louis civil court records are not open to the public. Sealed cases stay closed. Juvenile records are off limits. Certain protective order details are restricted too. Under Court Operating Rule 2, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and names of minor children must be redacted from public filings. If a case does not show up on Case.net, it may be sealed, expunged, or simply too old to have been entered into the electronic system. The self-represented litigant page on the Missouri Courts site has more details on what records you can access.

Filing a Civil Case in St. Louis

To start a civil case in St. Louis, file a petition with the 22nd Circuit Clerk. Attorneys must use the Missouri eFiling system. Self-represented parties can file on paper at the courthouse. The clerk assigns a case number and puts the case on the docket. You then serve the other party with a copy of your petition and a summons.

The Missouri Bar Association has a directory to help you find a lawyer. You can search by practice area and location. For those who cannot afford legal help, Missouri Legal Services offers aid with certain civil cases. St. Louis has several legal aid groups as well. Not all civil cases need a lawyer. Small claims and some associate circuit cases are designed so that people can handle them without legal representation. The clerk's office can direct you to the forms you need to get started.

St. Louis Civil Records and State Archives

Older St. Louis civil court records may be held at the Missouri State Archives. The archives keep historical court records from across the state on microfilm. If you need a St. Louis civil case from before the electronic era, you may need to visit the archives or the clerk's office in person. The archives also run a Judicial Index Database that indexes selected civil and criminal cases from county courts up to the Supreme Court.

For St. Louis civil court records from the past two decades, Case.net is usually sufficient. But the system may not have every case, especially those filed before 2005. The 22nd Circuit Clerk's office stores older files and can pull them on request. Expect to pay search fees for the clerk's time plus copy charges for any pages you need. Contact the archives at archref@sos.mo.gov for help with historical record searches that go back further.

Nearby Cities

These cities near St. Louis also have civil court records information. Each city's cases are handled by the circuit court in their respective county.