Cape Girardeau County Court Records

A court record is a legal document maintained by the court regarding a court case. In Cape Girardeau, court cases are primarily heard in the Circuit Court. The court records originating from these cases are maintained with the Circuit Court Clerk. Court records generated in Cape Girardeau are also included in Missouri court records, which helps in the statewide management of court records data.

Court records in Cape Girardeau generally contain information about all parties involved, the case number, case type, charges, evidence, and dockets. The type of information found in a court record depends on its nature. Criminal court records and civil court records will slightly differ in content.

Are Court Records Public in Cape Girardeau County?

Yes. Court records are public in Cape Girardeau County. The Missouri Sunshine Law and Missouri Court Operating Rule 2 (COR 2) regulate public access to Cape Girardeau court records. Although court records are generally accessible to the public, some records or information contained in court records are restricted by law. These include sensitive personal information, state identification numbers, victim personal information, witness information, and juvenile records.

Cape Girardeau County Court Records Search

Cape Girardeau court records may be obtained from any of the following sources:

• The Clerk of Circuit Court
• The Missouri Court record database
• A third-party vendor

Cape Girardeau County Courts

Cape Girardeau County, sometimes referred to as Cape County, functions under the Missouri 32nd Judicial Circuit. The county primarily has courthouses where it tries cases. The judicial system in Cape Girardeau consists of four divisions headed by judges and associate judges, including the municipal court. It also consists of the 32nd Judicial Circuit drug court. The county courthouses addresses are:

Cape Girardeau County Courthouse
203 North High Street
Jackson, MO 63755

City of Cape Girardeau Municipal Court
2536 Maria Louise Lane
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
Phone: (573) 339-6323

Cape Girardeau County Criminal Records

Cape Girardeau County criminal records consist of information generated and maintained by law enforcement agencies regarding an individual with a criminal history. Information contained in a criminal record in Cape Girardeau is accessible to the general public.

The first entry in an individual's criminal record is typically their arrest record.  Cape Girardeau County arrest records can be obtained from the law enforcement agency responsible for maintaining them. This could be the agency that made the arrest or the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office. Arrest information of persons incarcerated in the county's detention center and persons released within 48 hours can be accessed on the Current Inmates and 48-Hour Release portals, respectively.

The Missouri Highway Patrol Criminal Justice Information Services Division maintains the state's criminal records. Individuals who want to obtain a criminal record from the department must conduct a name-based or fingerprint-based criminal history check.

A Missouri name-based (also known as Personal Identifier) criminal history check is done without submitting fingerprints. A search can be done on the Name Search Portal on the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS). A searcher will have to create an account to use the platform. Name-based criminal record search results are considered possible matches and are limited to only open records. The disclosed open records include convictions, arrests 30 days old or younger, charges pending court decisions, and Suspended Imposition of Sentence (SIS) records during probation. A name search costs $15 per search and takes a processing time of five to seven business days.

A fingerprint-based search is a more detailed check disclosing both open and closed criminal records. Criminal closed records in Missouri include all criminal history information, all arrests, SIS records after probation, charges, and expunged records. A fingerprint search is done through the MACHS Fingerprint Search Portal. A requesting party can submit their fingerprint through the state's fingerprinting services vendor. The requester will need to schedule an appointment with the vendor prior to the day of capturing. Residents out of the state who request a check may utilize the fingerprint services of a law enforcement agency. Their fingerprints should be captured on the FD-258 fingerprint card and mailed to the Highway Patrol's CJIS Division at:

Missouri State Highway Patrol
CJIS Division
Post Office Box 9500
Jefferson City, MO 65102-9500

Results realized from a search are considered positive matches. Fingerprint-based searches cost $31.25 or $25.5 for foster care and conceal-carry weapon endorsements. The requester may have the resulting criminal record notarized by the CJIS for an additional $5.

Get Cape Girardeau County Civil Court Records

Civil cases involve legal disputes between two or more parties, typically concerning claims for monetary compensation or the enforcement of specific actions. A civil court record originates from legal proceedings on a civil case. The Circuit Court handles Cape Girardeau civil cases, and the Circuit Clerk is responsible for preserving all related civil court records.

Inquisitive persons may request a civil court record from the Clerk of the Circuit Court's Office. The requester must provide a party name or case number to enable the Clerk to search for the record. Once the civil court record is found, a copy may be made for the requester at a cost. The fee to obtain a copy of a civil court record generally depends on the volume of the record.

Researchers may search for civil court records online on the Missouri Court Records database. A civil court record can be searched by litigant name, filing date, case number, scheduled hearing, and judgment. Court case information is disclosed by the portal for free.

Cape Girardeau County Marriage Records

Cape Girardeau County marriage records are publicly available. They are maintained by the county's Recorder of Deeds who is also responsible for the issuance of marriage licenses to parties intending to get married in the county.

A marriage license application costs $60. The payment includes a keepsake certificate and one copy of a Cape Girardeau County marriage certificate, which is issued to the couple after they have been legally married. A keepsake marriage certificate is an unofficial certificate useful for decorative purposes.

Subsequent marriage certificates can be obtained for $9. A marriage certificate request can be made by completing and mailing a written request containing the basic information about the marriage license to the Recorder of Deeds office. A self-addressed, stamped envelope should be included in the request. Plain copies (photocopies) of a marriage record may be requested for $2.

Researchers can visit the Recorder of Deeds office to search marriage records on publicly accessible computer systems. The office staff may help with the use of the computers but cannot search for records on behalf of a researcher. A researcher may also access historical marriage record books from 1806 to April 1, 1968, and original marriage records (1798 to 1881) on the Recorder of Deeds ArcaSearch Historical Research Site. Marriage licenses filed from 1974 till the present can be accessed on the Vitals Search web portal.

Cape Girardeau County Divorce Records

A divorce occurs when one or both parties in a legal union file for the termination of the marriage. After a divorce has been filed, If both parties cannot reach an agreement on the terms of their divorce, a court hearing may be scheduled to resolve the disputed issues.

A Cape Girardeau County divorce certificate can be obtained at the Clerk of Court's Office. Basic details about the divorce, such as the name of both spouses and the date of the divorce, need to be provided to obtain a certificate. Acquiring a Cape Girardeau divorce certificate from the court may cost the requester a fee.

Cape Girardeau Birth and Death Records

The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center is the county's primary custodian of birth and death records. The health department has birth records from 1920 and death records from 1980 stored in its repository. Birth and death records along with marriage and divorce records form Cape Girardeau's vital records.

Access to birth and death records in Cape Girardeau is restricted according to Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 193. Birth records are accessible only to the owner of the record, an immediate family member, a parent, a step-parent, a legal guardian, and a state-authorized individual. Death records are accessible to a deceased relative and a non-relative with legal need of the record.

The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center receives requests for a birth or death record in person or by mail. In-person requests can be made at the health department's address within business hours on weekdays. The requester must complete and submit the appropriate application form (birth certificate or death certificate form), which is obtainable at the office. Once submitted and payment has been made, the request is processed, and the requested Cape Girardeau birth or death certificate is delivered to the applicant in person. A mail-in request involves mailing the application form of the desired certificate to the Public Health Center. A mail-in request should include a money order made payable to the department and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The Public Health Department's address is:

Cape Girardeau Public Health Center
1121 Linden Street
P.O. Box 1839
Cape Girardeau, MO 63702-1839

Both in-person and mail-in requests require the applicant to provide a valid form of ID, preferably a driver's license. The fee to obtain a Cape Girardeau birth and death certificate is $15 and $14, respectively. Additional copies requested at the same time cost $11. A $2 extra fee is incurred for applicants paying by card. Further inquiries regarding birth and death certificates can be made to the department by phone at (573) 335-7846.

Birth certificates older than 1920 and death certificates older than 1980 can be obtained from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Cape Girardeau County Probate Court Records

Probate court records are court records pertaining to the administration of individuals' estates after they pass away. The Civil Division of the Circuit Court handles probate cases in Cape Girardeau.

Inquirers may obtain a copy of a probate court record at the Clerk of Circuit Court's office for a fee. Probate court records can also be looked up online on the Missouri Court record database.

Cape Girardeau County Property Records

Cape Girardeau property records are official documents providing information about the county's real estate. The Recorder of Deeds Office is the primary custodian of Cape Girardeau land records. Inquirers may visit the Recorder of Deeds office to request a land record or search for the record on their publicly accessible computer terminal. The Recorder's Office is prohibited from performing title searches on land records. The office can only perform land record searches by page/book number or document number. A land record request from the office is validated by the requester sending in their payment. The fee to obtain a land record depends on the type of record requested. Recorded documents (warranty deeds, quit-claim deeds, deeds of trust, or releases) cost $2 for the first page and $1 for subsequent pages. Surveys and plats cost $5 for 18 x 24" paper sizes, $3 for legal or ledger paper sizes, and $2 for letter paper sizes. A requester may also request a certified copy of a land record from the Recorder of Deeds Office.

Members of the public can also search for a property in Cape Girardeau through the County Assessor's Real Estate Search tool. The tool allows users to search for a property by parcel number, Doing Business As (DBA), deed holder, house number, street name, lot, block section, township, range, and acres. Information contained in the property record includes the property description, property value information, and tax information.

Cape Girardeau County Court Records Online

Third-party vendors like Missouricourtrecords.us are an alternative to official sources for accessing Cape Girardeau court records. Researchers have remote access to court records through third-party vendors and can typically search a wide range of court records. Third-party resources may disclose some court record information for free. However, in most cases, the researcher may need to pay a fee to gain full access to a court record. Court records obtained from a third-party source should not treated with the same authority as one obtained from an official source.