Indiana, county records
Find the right office in Porter County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.
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Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
County court
The Indiana Judicial Branch lists the federal courts that sit in Indiana: the Northern and Southern District Courts, their bankruptcy courts and the 7th Circuit. Federal case files are searched through PACER.
Open official site Indiana Federal CasesState records
Search property and claim status by individual name or business through the Indiana Attorney General.
Open official site Indiana Unclaimed PropertyVital records
Request birth certificates from the IN Dept. of Health.
Open official site Indiana Birth RecordsState records
Verify a public school teachers credentials with the IN Department of Education.
Open official site Indiana Teacher LookupCounty court
Verify an attorney's licensing status with the State Bar.
Open official site Indiana Lawyer LookupVital records
Online resource for finding death records from the IN Dept. of Health.
Open official site Indiana Death RecordsVital records
Public access to marriage licenses issued in Indiana.
Open official site Indiana Marriage License Public LookupLocal record guide
County profile
Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Porter County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order within Porter County. Notable divisions within the Sheriff's Office include the Patrol Division, Investigations Division, and the Jail Division, each playing a crucial role in making sure of public safety and security.
Police Departments. Porter County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including Porter County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments in cities such as Valparaiso, Portage, and Chesterton. These agencies coordinate with the Sheriff's Office on major crimes and regional issues, making sure of a full approach to public safety across Porter County.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. Porter County Sheriff's Office, located at 2755 State Road 49 in Valparaiso, Indiana 46383, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas and provides detention services for the entire county. Municipal police departments serving Porter County include the Valparaiso Police Department (804 Dundee Drive), Portage Police Department (2555 US Highway 6), Chesterton Police Department (955 Broadway), and the Burns Harbor Police Department.
Arrest Records. Arrest records in Porter County are maintained by Porter County Sheriff's Office. These records can be requested by residents and attorneys through formal requests to the Sheriff's Office, adhering to the guidelines set by the Indiana Access to Public Records Act.
Jail & Inmate Records. Inmate lookup is available through the Sheriff's Office website, allowing residents to find information about current inmates.
Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Porter County are taken and retained by Porter County Sheriff's Office during the booking process. These booking photos are part of the public record and can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office website or by submitting a formal request.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 7 mine sites inside the county: 4 past producers, now closed, 3 sites producing when the record was made; the old survey maps add 28 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are Clay; construction sand and gravel.
A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. The DNR subsidence insurance page (www.in.gov/dnr/reclamation/mine-subsidence/subsidence-insurance) says the Division of Reclamation fills subsidence holes but does not pay for structural damage, which is what the fund is for.
Indiana abandoned mine maps ranks every county and town in the state by the workings recorded inside it, names the office that holds the mine maps, and says what to do if the ground moves.
Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.
Know before you ask
Each figure below was read on the official source linked beside it, October to November 2026. A fee or rule the source does not state is left out rather than guessed, and offices can change their schedules, so confirm on the source before you pay or travel.
Porter's Direct Search description offers free basic indexing information from early 1978 onward, without document images, and describes a seven-day lag. Search by a name, recording-date range or document type, then retain the instrument reference and parties. The Recorder search-options directory separates that service from paid Tapestry searches and Laredo subscriptions. Choose the service according to whether the task requires an index reference, a document image or repeated research. A recently submitted instrument may not appear in the free index immediately. A name match alone also does not establish that the instrument concerns the intended parcel or person.
The Porter recording schedule lists $25 for an ordinary deed or other document and $55 for a mortgage. Its oversized-page provisions are separate from standard-page pricing. Ordinary copies up to the stated size limit cost $1 per page, while certification is an additional $5. Recording a new instrument, obtaining a copy and certifying a copy are distinct transactions. When asking for a total, identify the instrument type, page dimensions and whether certification is required. Do not apply the mortgage charge to a deed or treat the certification amount as covering an unspecified number of copy pages. Retain the itemized estimate with the document description.
The Recorder office instructions publish hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, but stop counter recordings at 4 p.m. Land conveyances that must first pass through the Assessor and Auditor need to arrive by 3 p.m. These cutoffs affect a document submission even while the building remains open. Before traveling, explain whether the task is searching, collecting a copy or recording a transfer that needs other county approvals. Bring the relevant instrument and prior reference information. A general office closing time should not be used as the last arrival time for every recording transaction.
The Recorder lien-search guidance says the Recorder does not perform lien searches and directs state tax warrant inquiries to the Clerk and Sheriff. A search confined to the land-record index therefore does not answer every question about outstanding obligations. Identify the kind of lien, the named party and any instrument or warrant reference already known. Keep recorded-document findings separate from a warrant search result, and follow the office responsible for each record. If the requested result is a certification or a current status statement, ask that custodian what it can issue instead of treating an index screenshot as that statement.
Porter's Vital Records Division cautions against using the online request when the applicant wants pickup. It describes online orders as usually processed and mailed the next business day, with delivery potentially taking 10 to 30 days; those are different stages. The certificate instructions list birth copies at $15 and death copies at $17, require photo identification, and reject personal checks. Mail applications go to the Valparaiso office with the requested identification and return envelope. Confirm entitlement and the delivery route before paying. A scheduled trip to a counter does not convert an online mail order into an immediate pickup order.
The marriage and divorce copy instructions direct document requests to the Clerk records contact. State the parties, approximate date, case number if known and whether the request is for a marriage record or a divorce decree. The Clerk directory lists both Valparaiso and Portage locations and distinguishes ordinary office hours from earlier intake cutoffs for marriage applications, protection-order applications and new filings. A copy inquiry should identify the desired document rather than assume those application services follow the same process. Ask about the available format, certification and delivery before making a separate trip to the office.
Where to go
Each office below was read on its own site. A field the office does not publish is left out rather than filled in from a directory.
Recorded deeds, mortgages and land instruments.
Office page: portercountyin.gov
Court records, marriage records and divorce-decree copies.
Office page: portercountyin.gov
Birth and death certificates; specialized amendments and paternity service by appointment.
Office page: in.gov
Labor Department file
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 102 investigations in Porter County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $614,516 in back wages agreed for 932 workers. The county is the one the Census Bureau puts each employer's ZIP code in. Snapshot of April 22, 2026; a case here is a finding by the Division, not a court judgment.
| Employer | City | Cases | Back wages | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PirTano Construction Company, Inc. | Portage | 1 | $108,553 | 70 |
| El Pueblo Restaurant, Inc. | Portage | 1 | $52,292 | 4 |
| Opportunity Enterprises, Inc. | Valparaiso | 4 | $46,612 | 294 |
| Hemi Hauling, Inc. | Kouts | 1 | $44,147 | 10 |
| Karavan Restaurants, Inc. | Chesterton | 1 | $43,296 | 24 |
| K's Construction and Roofing Incorporated | Valparaiso | 1 | $24,844 | 22 |
| Singh 2300 INC | Portage | 1 | $21,806 | 8 |
| El Pueblo Mexican Restaurant LLC | Portage | 1 | $20,265 | 8 |
| La Vare Cleaning Service, Inc. | Valparaiso | 1 | $19,722 | 29 |
| Don Delfi's Inc. | Portage | 1 | $18,768 | 23 |
| U.G.N., Inc. | Valparaiso | 1 | $17,321 | 2 |
| C.R. England, Inc. | Burns Harbor | 1 | $16,797 | 3 |
| El Pueblo Restaurant 1, Inc | Portage | 1 | $16,021 | 2 |
| Five M's, LLC | Valparaiso | 3 | $14,477 | 35 |
| SSA4, LLC | Chesterton | 1 | $14,205 | 13 |
| Surtec, Inc. | Valparaiso | 1 | $13,521 | 4 |
| 5 De Mayo Mexican Bar & Grill, Inc. | Portage | 1 | $12,767 | 4 |
| Ground Specialist of Porter County, LLC | Valparaiso | 1 | $10,772 | 10 |
| Kalimera, Inc | Portage | 1 | $10,764 | 13 |
| Fastenal Company | Valparaiso | 1 | $7,793 | 1 |
| Vein Associates of Northwest Indiana, LLC | Valparaiso | 1 | $7,509 | 19 |
| Superior Construction Co., Inc. | Portage | 1 | $4,495 | 3 |
| Rosewood Restaurant Corporation | Portage | 1 | $4,245 | 40 |
| Valparaiso Exterior Designers, Inc. | Valparaiso | 1 | $4,190 | 16 |
| Eagle Services Corporation | Valparaiso | 1 | $4,179 | 16 |
The 25 employers with the most back wages agreed, of 92 on the Porter County record; 28 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record here. The 67 more with smaller records are on the Indiana wage theft records page, whose search answers for every employer in the state.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Porter County Sheriff or a city police department in Porter County. Ask that agency for its record.
The Indiana criminal history record comes from the Indiana State Police, Criminal History Services. Online Limited Criminal History search by name, date of birth, race and gender, covering Indiana felony and misdemeanor arrests; the fingerprint based National Full Criminal History gives a fuller report. Fee: $15.70 per record by credit card online; $15.00 per record for IN.gov subscribers.
Search the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry, or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Register with the county voter registration office or through the Indiana Election Division (Secretary of State). You can also register online with the state online registration. You must register at least 29 days before an election; for the 2026 general election the deadline was October 5, 2026.
Deeds and other recorded land documents in Porter County are kept by the Porter County Recorder. Property values are set by the county assessor, and tax bills come from the county treasurer, who mails the property tax bill; the county auditor and treasurer calculate the bills together. Source: official state page.
Certified birth and death certificates for Indiana come from the Indiana Department of Health, Division of Vital Records. To buy a birth or death certificate in person, visit the local health department where the birth or death occurred; the state office has no walk in service. In person at the local health department where the event occurred, by mail with State Form 49607 to the address on the form, online through VitalChek (the only IDOH approved online vendor), or by phone at (866) 601-0891. Fee: $10.00 for the first birth certificate and $4.00 for each additional copy (death certificates $8.00 first copy).
Business entity filings are searched with the Indiana Secretary of State, Business Services (INBiz). Indiana has no single statewide business license; a business using an assumed name records it with the County Recorder, and many trades need local licenses.
No. The county describes basic indexing information without images. Its Direct Search explanation also describes the publication lag.
The free index has a stated seven-day delay. Verify a recent instrument with the Recorder using its reference and the index limitations.
The Recorder asks for arrival by 3 p.m.; counter recording ends at 4 p.m. Review the submission cutoffs before visiting.
The Recorder says it does not perform lien searches and identifies separate state-tax-warrant custodians. Follow the lien-search guidance.
The schedule lists $1 for an ordinary copy page and a separate $5 certification charge. Ask for the document total using the fee schedule.
The health division directs applicants who want pickup away from the online mail-order process. Review its delivery instructions first.
No vital-record service is available there from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. The office listing gives the separate counter schedule.
The Clerk provides a records email and telephone for marriage or divorce paperwork. Identify the case and document through the copy-request route.
Same county
Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.