Guide
About Missouri public records
State of Missouri public records online with access to government agencies and request statewide criminal history reports. Search the state's courts for county divorces and lawsuits. Look up property information, people, addresses and deeds. Fictitious business names filings and corporation search by name registered agent or charter number. Verify information and order certified documents. Access the state's department official database and web offender searches. Check where you live for sex offenders, most wanted and fugitives.
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State background and court information
Missouri became a state in 1821 after the US purchased the land from France in 1809. The state's major industries are agriculture, food, manufacturing, aerospace and transportation. Missouri ranks 19th in size with 69,697 miles of territory and a population of almost 6 million people. It's centralized location and proximity to the Mississippi river played a big role in the Missouri's early economic growth. The state is the eight ranked in the U.S. for non-fuel mineral production.
Missouri has of 3 branches of government. The executive branch is comprised of elected officials such as the governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor, treasurer, lieutenant governor and the state's individual departments. The legislative branch consists of the state's senate and its house of representatives. The judicial branch is the state's courts system.
There are 114 counties, one independent city (St Louis) and 946 municipalities. County governments have elected officials such as the sheriff, commissioners, administrator, prosecutor, assessor, treasurer, revenue collector and coroner. Missouri was the first state to grant cities home rule in the U.S., where they can hold local elections for their mayor and council.
Missouri statutes adopted privacy laws in 1973. The state's Sunshine Law is similar to the Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) passed in 1966. Missourians are assured transparency and access to public records, operations, budgeting, elections and any other information that is in the custody of the state, county or local governments. This law also provides for government meetings to be open to the public. Open governments allows the residents of Missouri to obtain records for any purpose and does not bar anyone or entity with the exception of few restrictions. Guidelines vary from agency to agency, however, departments generally have the burden of showing why a certain record is not available to the public. These claims are challenged by reporters, private entities and in some cases individuals looking to uncover information held by agencies.
Missourians request records for reasons other than government scrutiny. As state and local governments are the custodian of records held in many of its agencies, their information is available for residents to request, view and copy. Documents such as birth, death, marriage and divorce information can be ordered from the Missouri department of health and human services. Anyone can conduct a background check by requesting a report from the state highway patrol's criminal justice information services division. Cases and court proceedings, including criminal filings, lawsuits, judgments and liens can be obtained from the Missouri courts. State issued licenses to professionals such as medical personnel, accountants and contractors are searched by residents regularly to verify validity and status of good standing. Access to county records are also essential to residents such as assessors offices records. Property addresses, valuations, ownerships as well as other details are available to the general public from county to county. Locals can see government employee salaries such as city manager's and council members' pay.
Criminal records can be obtained by the general public from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. Obtain records of convictions, information of arrests within 30 days, charges filed by prosecutor pending final disposition from the courts and suspended imposition of sentence during probation. Criminal past of an individual is vital to pre employment screening or anyone looking to conduct background checks. Employers may require a history search as a condition to employment of new incoming personnel. Individuals also order background checks of themselves to see the information that can be found by others prior to applying for employment.
Public record requests by individuals in Missouri looking to uncover background information often begin with a people finder address query. Addresses, names and aliases are essential in finding out where to locate information under a person's different names or businesses. List of residences located outside Missouri can point your investigation to look for records in other states necessary for a more complete background history report.
The Missouri municipal court has jurisdiction over municipal traffic and ordinance violations. The Missouri circuit court has exclusive civil jurisdiction (including civil appeals) ($0/no maximum; associate division $0/$25,000). The circuit court also hears small claims matters of up to $3,000. The Missouri circuit court has exclusive domestic relations jurisdiction, exclusive criminal jurisdiction, and exclusive juvenile jurisdiction. The circuit court also hears traffic/other violation. The circuit court handles preliminary hearings. The Missouri court of appeals has mandatory jurisdiction in civil, noncapital criminal, capital criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, original proceeding, and interlocutory decision cases. The court of appeals has no discretionary jurisdiction. The Missouri supreme court has mandatory jurisdiction in civil, capital criminal, criminal, and original proceeding cases. The Missouri supreme court has discretionary jurisdiction in civil, noncapital criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, and original proceeding cases.
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Court records and filings
Missouri court records are maintained by the Missouri Courts system. Circuit Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction. The Court of Appeals reviews circuit court decisions in five districts.
Case records can be searched online through Case.net, Missouri online case management system at www.courts.mo.gov/casenet.
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Criminal records and background checks
Missouri criminal records are maintained by the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP), Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) division. Background checks are available in two forms: name-based searches and fingerprint-based searches through the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS). Any person may request a criminal background check on any individual for a fee. Court records are accessible through Case.net, the Missouri Courts online case information system. MSHP also operates the Missouri Sex Offender Registry with searchable offender data by name, date of birth, or address. The Missouri Department of Corrections provides an automated offender search tool.
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Vital records
Certified copies of Missouri birth and death certificates are issued by the Bureau of Vital Records of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Marriage records are also kept by the local office that issued the license, and divorce records by the court that granted the divorce.
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Property and asset records
Deeds and mortgages in Missouri are recorded at the county level, and property taxes are handled by county or local offices. Business and UCC filings are kept by the state, bankruptcy cases are federal court records, and the state runs a free search for unclaimed property.
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Government records and agencies
MO.gov lists the state's agencies, and the Revised Statutes of Missouri are online from the Revisor of Statutes.
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Driving and vehicle records
The Missouri Department of Revenue keeps motor vehicle and driver records and handles vehicle titling.
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Expungements and record clearing
Missouri allows expungement by petition to the court under RSMo 610.140. A person may receive expungements for only a limited number of offenses in a lifetime, and after an expungement can usually answer no when an employer asks about that crime, unless the employer must screen for it by law.
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Genealogy and historical research
For family history, start with the Missouri State Archives and the Missouri State Library, both part of the Secretary of State.
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Missing children resources
The Missouri State Highway Patrol Missing Persons Unit serves as the clearinghouse for the State of Missouri.
- Missouri Missing Persons UnitMissouri State Highway Patrol
- NamUsU.S. Justice Department database of missing and unidentified people
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