Howard County, Indiana Public Records

Investigations closed

59

Back wages agreed

$174,284

Workers due back wages

644

Civil money penalties

$17,649

Employers on the record

51

The 25 employers with the most back wages agreed, of 51 on the Howard County record; 11 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record here. The 26 more with smaller records are on the Indiana wage theft records page, whose search answers for every employer in the state.

Howard County records from Kokomo court files to land and vital registers

Take the court case reference to the Howard Clerk

Howard County's Clerk accepts court filings, issues marriage licenses, provides child-support histories and handles court payments. Its counter is at 104 N. Buckeye Street, Room 202, Kokomo, IN 46901, telephone 765-456-2000, with weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Use the case number and document title when asking for a court record instead of sending the request to the land recorder. Howard Clerk functions and counter.

Indiana's Judicial Branch directs requests for case documents to the clerk where the case was heard and requests for a hearing transcript to the court reporter. If a record is not downloadable through MyCase, the state says to contact the clerk. Keep the court identification with the number, because the online system does not establish equal coverage for every court or filing period. Judicial Branch record-request guidance.

Use a case search for proceedings and a copy request for proof

The state court guidance distinguishes searchable dates or case information from certified marriage certificates and divorce decrees. It also says that MyCase is not a complete criminal-history service. An online court entry can help locate a proceeding, but it is not interchangeable with an Indiana State Police criminal-history response or a certified court document. Source: in.gov

For a request that must prove the result of a case, specify the judgment, decree, dismissal or other signed filing. If a hearing's spoken testimony is needed, identify the hearing date and ask about the transcript route. The clerk can identify the file and document service, while the reporter handles the transcript of the proceeding. Those two requests may need separate descriptions and arrangements. Source: in.gov

Search ownership instruments, covenants and business-name filings

Howard's Recorder maintains property deeds, mortgages, liens, neighborhood covenants, military-discharge records and business-name filings. Its overall collection dates to 1844. The office describes most records as open for inspection, while military-discharge records have restricted access. Ordinary copies of most documents are listed at $1 per page. Recorder collections and copy service.

The Recorder is at 220 North Main Street, Room 330, Kokomo, IN 46901, telephone 765-456-2210, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Give the grantor or grantee, transaction period and recorded reference when asking about a deed or covenant. A military-discharge request should use its separate eligibility route; the office's general description of public land records should not be applied to that collection. Source: in.gov

Choose the remote search and recognize its collection dates

The Recorder's remote-search instructions list Tapestry EON at $8.75 per search plus $1 per copy page. Laredo subscriptions are offered under an agreement and funded account, with separate search-time allowances. A charge to run a remote search is not the ordinary copy charge and should be recorded separately when estimating research costs. Howard remote land-record products.

The county describes general indexing and images from January 1, 1961, while deed images and indexes in Laredo reach back to 1923. It says earlier deed indexing remains in progress. These are collection-specific descriptions; they do not mean every document class is searchable from the same year. For an older deed, ask the recorder which book or index must be consulted. Source: in.gov

Order the Howard Health Department birth or death product

Howard's Vital Records service lists both birth and death copies at $10 each. Its mail instructions require an application and a copy of a valid driver's license, with cash, money order or cashier's check; personal checks are not accepted. The service also describes a remote application review followed by a telephone payment step for card orders, which carry an additional card-processing charge. County certificate-order instructions.

Vital Records is at 120 E. Mulberry Street, Room 209, Kokomo, IN 46901, telephone 765-456-2400, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The office says mail requests normally dispatch the same day they arrive, but that statement should not be converted into a guaranteed delivery date. The county's $10 local copy product is separate from an order priced under a state certificate schedule. Source: in.gov

Provide the event date for a historical Howard register search

The local Vital Records office says its records extend back to 1875 but describes the period through 1920 as incomplete. Entries are arranged by the date of the birth or death, making the correct event date particularly helpful. It treats records at least 75 years old as genealogy requests and describes a transcribed genealogy document as a product separate from a certified copy. Source: in.gov

Give the name used at the event and the most accurate date available. If a transcription is sufficient for research, state that; if an organization requires a certified record, name that requirement. A missing entry in a collection the office itself describes as incomplete should be recorded as an unsuccessful search of that source, without treating it as proof that the event never occurred. Source: in.gov

Separate an assessment entry from the tax bill

The County Assessor determines property market value-in-use, reviews sales information and handles assessment administration. Its published duties include serving the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals and receiving exemption applications. The assessor is at the Administration Center, 220 North Main Street, Kokomo, IN 46901, telephone 765-456-2211, with weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Assessor duties and contact.

Keep the parcel number, tax year and specific disputed characteristic with a valuation inquiry. Tax-payment and collection records belong to the Treasurer's service routes, while a recorded transfer belongs to the Recorder. Asking the appropriate office for its source record is more precise than using a tax bill alone to resolve a question about the title, assessed condition or payment history of the property. Treasurer services.

Use the Mulberry Street voter-registration counter

Howard County Voter Registration is at 120 E. Mulberry Street, Room 100, Kokomo, IN 46901, telephone 765-456-2219. Its listed hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The county describes in-person, mailed and state online registration routes, and says its acknowledgment identifies the precinct, polling location and voting districts. Voter Registration office and acknowledgments.

For an existing registration inquiry, use the record holder's current name and address information and retain any acknowledgment. When researching election materials, distinguish an individual's registration from a ballot, result or campaign report. The physical room number also matters: local certificate service occupies another room in the same Mulberry Street building and is not the voter-registration counter. Source: in.gov

Request the Sheriff report in the required form and format

The Sheriff's published records procedure requires a description specific enough to identify the record. It says a written request or standard form may be required at the office's discretion and generally does not require the requester to state a purpose, subject to applicable law. The listed email for completed requests is hcsorecords@howardcountyin.gov. Sheriff public-record request procedure.

The department contact is 1800 W. Markland Avenue, Kokomo, IN 46901. Its department directory distinguishes administration, corrections and records-request communications. Choose whether the request concerns an incident report, a custody record or another Sheriff-held document and name the incident or booking reference. The published policy treats emailed copies, physical media, certification and shipping as separate cost categories, so identify the desired format before arranging payment. Sheriff department contacts.