Cadiz, Ohio Public Records

The Harrison County Court of Common Pleas, situated in the Harrison County Courthouse at 100 West Market Street, Cadiz, OH 43907 (phone 740-942-8861), handles felony criminal cases, civil cases exceeding $15,000, domestic relations matters including divorce and custody, probate and estate administration, and juvenile cases for all of Harrison County. The Clerk of Courts office at the same address maintains all Common Pleas court records and accepts filings. Ohio court records can be searched online through the Ohio Supreme Court's public access portal at http://www.courtsearch.supremecourt.ohio.gov, which provides case information from participating courts including Harrison County Common Pleas, though Cadiz Municipal Court records may require direct contact with that court. Filing fees vary by case type: certified copies of court documents typically cost $2.00 for the first page and $0.25 for each additional page, while certified judgment entries cost $2.00. Marriage license applications filed with the Probate Division cost $50.00, while certified copies of court records in civil and criminal cases require the standard certification fee plus copy costs.

The database is free to access and provides comprehensive information on all real estate parcels in Harrison County including those within Cadiz. The Harrison County Recorder's Office, also at 100 West Market Street, Room 102, Cadiz, OH 43907 (phone 740-942-2923), records and maintains official land records including deeds, mortgages, mortgage releases, liens, easements, rights-of-way, and other instruments affecting real property. The Recorder's office website offers online access to recorded documents through a searchable database at harrisoncountyohio.org/recorder, allowing users to search by name, document type, book and page, or parcel number. While basic index searching is typically free, there may be fees to view or print actual document images. The Harrison County GIS system provides a parcel viewer with aerial photography, property boundaries, and tax information accessible through the Auditor's website, offering a visual search tool for property research throughout Cadiz and Harrison County.

Energy sector activity has historically been important, with conventional oil and gas operations joined by Utica Shale development in recent years bringing drilling, midstream, and support service jobs to the region. Agriculture remains significant with family farms producing cattle, corn, soybeans, and hay throughout Harrison County. Retail and service businesses clustered around the Cadiz town square serve both village residents and the broader county population. Median household income in Cadiz approximates $40,000-$45,000, below state averages but reflective of the rural Appalachian region's economic profile. Recent developments include ongoing energy infrastructure investment, downtown revitalization efforts around the historic courthouse square, and tourism initiatives highlighting the Clark Gable connection (the Clark Gable Foundation maintains a museum at 138 Charleston Street). The economy faces challenges common to rural Ohio including population decline, limited diversification, and outmigration of younger residents, but benefits from stability in government employment, healthcare services, and natural resource extraction.

The Cadiz Police Department, located at 141 East Market Street, Cadiz, OH 43907 (phone 740-942-8849), provides law enforcement services within the Village of Cadiz corporate limits. The department handles incidents, arrests, and traffic enforcement within the village, and residents can request police reports and incident records by contacting the department directly during business hours; fees for copies apply per Ohio Revised Code 149.43. The Harrison County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 230 North Main Street, Cadiz, OH 43907 (phone 740-942-8685), provides law enforcement services for unincorporated areas of Harrison County and operates the Harrison County Justice Center detention facility. The Sheriff's Office maintains jurisdiction over county roads, unincorporated communities, and provides court security and civil process service countywide. To search for arrests and jail bookings in Harrison County, the public can access inmate information through the Harrison County Sheriff's website at harrisoncountyohio.org/sheriff or by calling the jail directly at 740-942-8685. The online roster typically displays current inmates' names, booking dates, charges, bond amounts, and case numbers, though mugshot availability varies. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 149.43, the Ohio Public Records Act, law enforcement agencies must make arrest records, incident reports, and booking logs available for public inspection unless the records are specifically exempted by law, such as confidential investigatory materials or records that would interfere with ongoing investigations. Requesters should submit written requests specifying the records sought, and agencies must respond promptly, typically within a reasonable time period.

Online ordering is available through VitalChek at vitalchek.com with expedited processing options for additional fees. Death certificates cost $27.00 for the first copy and $12.00 for each additional copy. Birth records are restricted to the individual (if 18+), parents, legal representatives, and others with legal entitlement; death certificates have fewer restrictions. The Harrison County Health Department at 1020 Cadiz Road, Cadiz, OH 43907 (phone 740-942-2616) also serves as a local deputy registrar and can process vital record requests for events in Harrison County, though they forward requests to the state office. Marriage licenses are issued by the Harrison County Probate Court at 100 West Market Street, Cadiz, OH 43907 (phone 740-942-8861), with a fee of $50.00; couples must apply in person and the license is valid immediately with no waiting period. Divorce records are filed with the Harrison County Clerk of Courts at the same address and are part of the court case record; certified copies cost $2.00 plus copy fees. Marriage records at the Probate Court date back to the county's formation in 1813, though older records may require special access.

Harrison County does not maintain a general business license registry, though certain regulated activities require county health department permits or zoning approvals. Fictitious name registrations (doing business as/DBA) in Ohio are filed at the county level with the Harrison County Clerk of Courts at 100 West Market Street, Cadiz, OH 43907 (phone 740-942-8861); the filing fee is approximately $40.00 and registrations must be renewed every five years. The Ohio Secretary of State's Office maintains the state's comprehensive business entity database for corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, and other registered business entities. The database is freely searchable at businesssearch.ohiosos.gov, where users can look up entity name, registered agent information, business addresses, status (active/dissolved), file number, and formation date. Business entity filings, annual reports, and corporate documents are submitted to the Ohio Secretary of State, 22 North Fourth Street, Columbus, OH 43215. UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) financing statements and lien searches are also filed with and searchable through the Ohio Secretary of State's UCC division at sos.ohio.gov. Commercial property owners in Cadiz can look up their property tax assessments through the Harrison County Auditor's online database at harrisoncountyohio.org/auditor, which shows assessed values for land, buildings, and total taxable value for all real estate including commercial and industrial properties.

Cadiz voters are served by the Harrison County Board of Elections, located at 111 South Main Street, Cadiz, OH 43907 (phone 740-942-8885, website harrisoncountyohio.org/boe). The Board of Elections administers all federal, state, county, and municipal elections for Harrison County residents including those in Cadiz, maintains voter registration records, processes absentee ballot applications, assigns polling locations, certifies candidates, and publishes election results. Ohio residents can register to vote online through the Ohio Secretary of State's website at olvr.ohiosos.gov using an Ohio driver's license or state ID; the deadline to register is 30 days before any election. Cadiz, as an incorporated village, holds municipal elections for Village Council and Mayor; council members serve four-year staggered terms with elections in odd-numbered years, while the Mayor is elected to a four-year term. The next Cadiz municipal election will be in November 2025 for council seats. Cadiz voters can find their assigned polling place by using the polling location lookup tool on the Ohio Secretary of State website at voterlookup.ohiosos.gov or by contacting the Harrison County Board of Elections directly; Cadiz residents typically vote at locations within the village such as the Cadiz High School or Harrison Central High School depending on precinct. Under Ohio public records law, voter registration lists are public records available for inspection though subject to restrictions on use; campaign finance reports are filed with the Ohio Secretary of State and county boards of elections and are publicly searchable at ohiosos.gov; candidate petitions and filings are public and maintained by the Board of Elections; and precinct-level election results are published online after certification. In the November 2024 general election, Harrison County reported approximately 56% voter turnout with about 7,800 ballots cast from roughly 13,900 registered voters, reflecting strong participation typical of presidential election years in this Republican-leaning county. The November 3, 2026 general election will be a crucial midterm election for Cadiz and Harrison County voters, who will decide contested races that may include: a U.S. Senate seat (Ohio has a regular Senate election in 2026 with the seat currently held by the party in control), Governor of Ohio and other statewide constitutional offices (2026 is a gubernatorial election year in Ohio), Ohio House of Representatives District 95 and Ohio Senate district representation, Harrison County Commissioner seats, Harrison County Prosecutor, Sheriff, Recorder, Auditor, Treasurer, Engineer, Coroner, and Clerk of Courts positions depending on the election cycle, Harrison County Common Pleas and Municipal Court judgeships if terms expire, and potentially Cadiz Village Council seats if the municipal election coincides. Ohio voters can request absentee ballots by submitting an application to the Harrison County Board of Elections; applications are available online at ohiosos.gov or at the Board office, and completed applications can be submitted by mail, in person, or via the online absentee ballot application portal; early in-person voting is available at the Board of Elections office beginning 28 days before Election Day through the day before the election; mail-in absentee ballots must be requested by the Saturday before Election Day and postmarked by the day before Election Day to be counted.