St. Francois County Court Records

The Court Operating Rule (COR) 1 defines St. Francois County court records as any data, documents, or information received and maintained by any court in the county. One significant benefit of these records is that they ensure transparency in the judicial process. This allows members of the public to see how legal decisions are made and holds the courts accountable for their actions.

St. Francois County court records typically contain information relating to criminal and civil cases. Most of these records are available to the public electronically and in person at the courthouse. Per Mo. Sup. Ct. Op. Rule 2.04, individuals can find the following information in a public court record depending on the case type:

• File date
• Birth year
• Calendar dates
• Docket entries
• Pending charges
• Appellate opinion
• Case number and type
• Offense tracking number
• Law enforcement agency
• Satisfaction of judgment date
• Party name, type, and address
• Attorneys' names and addresses
• Disposition type and bail amount
• Violation code, date, and description
• Judgment or appellate decision and mandate date
• Sentence and sentence date and offenses for which sentenced
• The trial judge currently assigned and the one assigned at disposition
• Suspended imposition of sentence before successful completion of probation

Are Court Records Public in St. Francois County?

Yes. According to the Missouri Sunshine Law and Mo. Sup. Ct. Op. Rule 2.02, all court records are presumed available for public inspection and copying. Anyone can request copies of court records during the regular business hours of any St. Francois County court. This does not apply to records or information deemed confidential by a court rule or order, Missouri statute, or other law. Such confidential information can include:

• Date of birth
• Names of minors
• Case numbers of expunged, confidential, or sealed records.
• An informant, victim, or witness’ name, address, and contact information.
• Taxpayer identification number, driver's license, passport, social security, and state identification numbers.
• Financial institution account numbers, personal identification numbers, credit or debit card numbers, or passwords used to secure any such accounts or cards.

Per Missouri Court Operating (COR) Rule 4.24, the following are examples of confidential records in St. Francois County:

• Adoption records
• Drug court records
• Sealed no true bills
• Juror questionnaires
• Mental health records
• Juvenile court records
• Filing information sheets
• Sexual offense victim records
• Criminal psychiatric evaluations
• Grand jury proceedings records
• Sexually violent predators records
• Pre-sentence investigations, probation, and parole reports
• True bills a grand jury issues before the arrest of a defendant
• Search warrant applications until the warrant expires or is returned
• An IV-D service applicant or recipient’s personal identifying information
• Paternity case papers and records, excluding interlocutory or final judgment
• Sexually transmitted diseases’ motion, court order, and test results required to be sealed within a court file.

St. Francois County Court Records Search

St. Francois County residents can find court records online via the State Public Portal (Case.net). The search criteria are litigant name, filing date, case number, or judgment index. Users who cannot locate a court record on the portal can visit the courthouse during business hours to retrieve copies. It is advisable to have a valid ID during such visits.

St. Francois County Courts

St. Francois County is part of the 24th Judicial Circuit and has several Municipal Divisions. These courts have original jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases, and their addresses are below:

St. Francois County Circuit Court, Leadwood Municipal Division, Iron Mountain Lake Municipal Division, Bismarck Municipal Division
1 North Washington Street
Courthouse Building
Suite 102
Farmington, MO 63640

Bonne Terre Municipal Division
118 N. Allen Street
Bonne Terre, MO 63628
Phone: (573) 358-2254 ext. 3
Fax: (573) 358-1525

Desloge Municipal Division
300 N. Lincoln Street
Desloge, MO 63601
Phone: (573) 358-2254 ext. 3
Fax: (573) 358-1525

Farmington Municipal Division
110 West Columbia
Farmington, MO 63640
Phone: (573) 756-6787
Fax: (573) 760-7102

Park Hills Municipal Division
#10 Municipal Drive
Park Hills, MO 63601
Phone: (573) 431-3142 ext. 27
Fax: (573) 431-2441

St. Francois County Criminal Records

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division issues St. Francois County criminal records by name or personal identifier and fingerprint. A name-based search can be completed online through the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS). This service costs $15 per request. Individuals who want to conduct a fingerprint-based search can complete an applicant fingerprint card (FD-258). The search costs $20.00 per request. The Division does not collect credit cards, cash, or foreign currencies. The acceptable form of payment is checks or money orders. Individuals who want to notarize their records can pay an additional $5.

St. Francois County arrest records are available at the Sheriff’s Office. Customers can request them at the office from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The record staff will require a name or arrest date to initiate the search. The office is located at:

St. Francois County Sheriff’s Office
1550 Doubet Road
Farmington, MO 63640
Phone: (573) 756-3252, (573) 431-2777
Office Fax: (573) 756-9622
Jail Fax: (573) 756-4327
Email: sheriff@sfcsd.org

Get St. Francois County Civil Court Records

The St. Francois County Circuit Clerk’s Civil Division maintains civil court records electronically and physically. Record seekers can follow the steps below to locate civil court records online:

• Go to the State Public Portal (Case.net)
• Click the litigant name, filing date, case number, or judgment index link
• Go to the “Required Information” area, locate the “Search for cases in” section, and select St. Francois County - 24th Judicial Circuit from the participating court dropdown.
• Go to the “Optional Information” area, locate the “Case Type” or “Location” section, and select “Civil or Circuit Division,” depending on the search criteria
• Click the “Find” button to begin the search.

Individuals can also submit an email request at SFRCivil.email@courts.mo.gov or visit the Clerk’s office during business hours to get copies of civil court records. On getting to the office, go straight to the Civil Division and speak with the record staff. Provide a name or case number to help the staff locate the desired records. Afterward, pay the necessary fees to obtain a copy.

St. Francois County Marriage Records

The St. Francois County Recorder of Deeds office records, maintains, and archives marriage licenses for residents. It also provides a free Lookup Tool for public access to marriage records. Type marriage in the search field and click on the link provided in the dropdown to find all St. Francois County marriage records. Scroll through the record to locate the desired information.

Individuals can visit the Recorder of Deeds office to request certified copies of St. Francois County marriage certificates. The office accepts in-person requests from Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The requester must pay a fee of $9 per copy before the record will be released.

St. Francois County Divorce Records

St. Francois County public records include divorce records. Therefore, individuals can easily access such records online or in person from the Circuit Clerk’s Office. Online requesters can use the State Public Portal to conduct a search by litigant name, filing date, case number, or judgment index. Users should go to the “Required Information” area and select St. Francois County - 24th Judicial Circuit as the participating court. Afterward, go to the “Optional Information” area, locate the “Case Type” section, and select Family/Domestic from the dropdown if searching by name or judgment index.

In-person requests can be made at the courthouse during business hours. To facilitate the search, individuals must know the case party's name or number. When the desired record is located, the record staff calculates the copy or search fee, and payment must be made before they release the divorce record.

St. Francois Birth and Death Records

Birth and death record applications can be made by mail or in person at the St. Francois County Health Department. All applications require the applicant’s photo ID. The Department issues St. Francois County birth certificates from 1920 and death certificates from 1980. Death records cost $14 for the first copy and $11 for each additional copy. St. Francois County birth records cost $15 per copy. The acceptable form of payment for St. Francois County vital records is a cashier's check, cash, money order, or credit card/debit card (onsite only). In-person applicants should visit the department from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mail applicants should download an Application Form from the Department’s website. The completed form, proper fee, and self-addressed stamped envelope should be mailed to:

St. Francois County Health Center
1025 W Main St
Park Hills, MO 63601

St. Francois County Probate Court Records

The Circuit Clerk Probate Division handles all probate matters in St. Francois County. They issue records of these cases online or in-person to members of the public. The Clerk uses the State Public Portal to provide probate court records online, where searches can be done by litigant name, filing date, case number, or judgment index. Regardless of the search option, go to the “Search for cases in” section and select St. Francois County - 24th Judicial Circuit as the participating court. Navigate to the Optional Information area, go to the “Case Type” section when searching by name or judgment, and select “Probate” from the dropdown. However, if conducting a search by filing date or case number, go to the “Location” section and select “Probate Division” from the dropdown.

Individuals can also request probate court records by emailing the Clerk’s Office at SFRProbate.email@courts.mo.gov or visiting the office from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A name or case number will be required to process the request. The record staff will require a fee for copies of the record.

St. Francois County Property Records

The St. Francois County Recorder of Deeds and Assessor’s Offices maintains property records like liens, deeds, plats, surveys, and military discharge documents. These records are accessible at their offices during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.). The offices are located at:

1 West Liberty Street
Annex Building
Farmington, MO 63640
Phone: (573) 756-1878 (Assessor) and (573) 756-2323 (Recorder of Deeds)
Email: assessor@sfcgov.org (Assessor) and recorder@sfcgov.org (Recorder of Deeds)

The Recorder of Deeds and Assessor’s Offices also accept written requests and provide property records online to customers. Copies of property records cost $1 per page and an extra $1 certified copies. Copies of a plat cost $5 per plat. Online requests can be used via the following search portals:

• Real Estate Search: Conduct a search by parcel number (PIN), doing business as (DBA), deed holder, house number, street name, city, legal description, or lot area (acres).
• Land Records Search: The search criteria are first name, last/business name, document number, document type, recorded date, consideration amount, subdivision, parcel number, or metes and bounds.

St. Francois County Court Records Online

Third-party sites like missouricourtrecords.us provide a user-friendly interface that allows users to search for court records without navigating across multiple databases. These sites compile court records from various St. Francois County and Missouri courts. Users must enter a name or case number in the desired site’s search field to locate the appropriate court record. The search will return results on free basic information, which is quite limited. Users would have to pay a small fee for more extensive court information.