Missouri Asset Search

Every link in this guide was opened and verified on Sep. 17, 2026.

An asset appearing in a public record is not automatically available to pay a judgment. This guide separates the public-record search from private financial information and the Missouri collection process.

Follow the documents, not just the name

Use Case.net as a lead to the actual case papers, not as a substitute for a recorded deed or signed ownership document. Search the title-holding company separately and compare addresses and dates. A plaintiff's allegations about property are not equivalent to a court finding.

Missouri Rule 90.02 identifies information required in a garnishment request, including the unpaid balance and the basis for believing the third party holds property or owes money to the debtor. Prepare that factual foundation before paying for service.

The rule provides specified return-date intervals. Current materials should be used rather than repeating an older guide that lists only a narrower set of options. The chosen date affects the case calendar and must agree with the issued process.

Jackson County's 16th Circuit publishes practical execution and garnishment requirements, including forms CV92 and CV110. Its instructions emphasize accurate names, arithmetic, addresses and fees. Those are local filing details; verify the receiving court's current packet when the case is elsewhere.

After authorized service, follow the garnishee's answers, debtor notices, exemption issues and court payment process. A filed request or paid sheriff deposit is not evidence that the bank has reachable funds. Keep the service return and answer together with the balance calculation.

The applicable official starting points are Missouri Courts: Rule 90.02 garnishment request, 16th Judicial Circuit: execution and garnishment instructions. Use the current issuer's forms and instructions for the particular case.

For real estate, examine the Recorder of Deeds records and current title, then evaluate the applicable judgment and execution route. For company equipment or receivables, UCC records may identify prior secured claims. The individual's role in a business does not alone make every business asset available to that person's creditor.

The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates report an owner-occupied housing rate of 68.1% and a median value of owner-occupied housing of $230,300 in Missouri. The rate refers to occupied housing units, not a percentage of people. The value is not an estimate of equity available to creditors. Census QuickFacts: Missouri.

Property, related companies and court cases are useful starting records. For a business debtor, collateral filings and litigation may reveal lenders or payment rights that merit further lawful investigation.

A math error, inconsistent debtor name or unusable bank address can derail the attempt before ownership is even considered. Check the requested return date and the packet as a whole, not just the first form.

Dissolution of marriage in Missouri is heard in the circuit court of the county, by a circuit judge or an assigned associate circuit judge under RSMo 452.420, and the circuit clerk keeps the file. Court Operating Rule 2, the Supreme Court's rule on public access to court records, was restructured by an order of December 16, 2025 effective July 1, 2026, and nothing in Chapter 452 closes a dissolution file filed today. The one statutory restriction, RSMo 452.430, applies only to pleadings other than the judgment in cases filed before August 28, 2009 and less than 72 years old, which may be inspected only by the parties, their attorneys of record, the family support division, the attorney general, title insurers and anyone with a court order for good cause.

The sworn money forms

Missouri files two court forms in the case. The Statement of Income and Expenses, CAFC050, is sworn before a notary and lists monthly income from wages, self employment, Social Security, retirement, pensions, interest, dividends, unemployment, disability, government benefits and support received, and monthly expenses. The Statement of Property and Debt and Proposed Separation Agreement, CAFC040, sets out how the property and debt are to be divided. No statute or court operating rule makes either confidential; the court's own petitioner packet says most documents filed with the court can be seen by anyone online, with confidential identifiers removed. Under RSMo 509.520, Social Security numbers, account numbers, birth dates and minors' names stay off public filings, and employer and Social Security data go on a confidential case filing sheet that is not open to the public. Under RSMo 452.325, the terms of a separation agreement are set forth in the decree unless the agreement provides otherwise, so the Judgment and Decree of Dissolution, CAFC070, usually carries the property division in full.

Finding and reading the file

Case.net at courts.mo.gov/casenet is the statewide case management search. Since 2023 the public has been able to view, download and print available public court records remotely on Case.net, and the court's dissolution packet tells filers that most of what they file can be seen by anyone online. Public documents are otherwise viewed at the courthouse public access terminal and copied through the circuit clerk, who must redact the Social Security number from a judgment before releasing a copy.

Bankruptcy files for Missouri residents

Missouri has two bankruptcy districts: the Eastern District at moeb.uscourts.gov, at 111 South 10th Street in St. Louis, and the Western District at mow.uscourts.gov/bankruptcy. Their schedules name the debtor's deposit accounts and employer and are public under 11 U.S.C. 107.

After the file: examination of the judgment debtor

Under RSMo 513.380, on the judgment creditor's motion the court orders the judgment debtor, or a corporate debtor's chief officer, to appear at a named time and place and undergo an examination under oath touching his or her ability and means to satisfy the judgment; refusal is punishable by attachment and contempt. The Missouri judgments and liens page covers the procedure.

• Court Operating Rule 2Rule 2 text before the July 1, 2026 restructuring
• RSMo 452.430The 72 year restriction on pre-2009 pleadings and the judgment redaction rule
• Statement of Income and Expenses, CAFC050The sworn income form
• RSMo 513.380The examination of a judgment debtor

The national guide covers what stays private, the collection tools for every asset class and what a search and levy can cost: Asset Search, what public records reveal and what stays private.