Indiana, county records
Find the right office in St. Joseph 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. The office has specialized divisions such as the K-9 unit and a dedicated team for handling domestic violence cases, reflecting its commitment to full law enforcement services.
Law Enforcement & Arrests. Law enforcement in St. Joseph County is primarily provided by St. Joseph County Jail at 501 South Main Street in South Bend, Indiana. St. Joseph County jail operates a public inmate roster accessible through the Sheriff's Office website where citizens can search for current inmates by name, booking date, or booking number.
Abandoned mine records
Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.
From the old mine records
The mine records hold 14 mine sites inside the county: 4 past producers, now closed, 9 sites producing when the record was made, 1 processing plant, which is not a working; the old survey maps add 61 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The mineral the records name is 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.
Labor Department file
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division closed 365 investigations in St. Joseph County since fiscal 2005 and recorded $2,239,840 in back wages agreed for 3,268 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.
The 25 employers with the most back wages agreed, of 329 on the St. Joseph County record; 72 employers have a page of their own and open from the table, the rest show their whole record here. The 304 more with smaller records are on the Indiana wage theft records page, whose search answers for every employer in the state.
The Recorder's public-computer notice requires an appointment, limits sessions to one hour and offers no appointments between noon and 2 p.m. Call before coming to confirm the office is open. Organize the names, legal descriptions and recording references in advance. A focused list lets the researcher identify which instruments were examined and which still need follow-up after the reserved session ends.
The Recorder lists different stopping times for document recording and public computers within the general office day. Ask which cutoff applies to the planned task. Someone submitting an instrument after a research session should allow for review and payment before the recording cutoff. A computer session is a way to inspect the public collection, not a guarantee that a newly prepared document can be accepted at the end of the visit.
The county Land Records Search page identifies Laredo for people or firms needing frequent access and Tapestry for occasional research. Enter through that office page to avoid selecting a similarly named county or an unrelated commercial search. Preserve the instrument number and document title from each result. The county's short service description does not establish one universal earliest year or guarantee every historical image is available remotely.
The Recorder fee schedule lists ordinary copies at $1 per page, copies larger than 11 by 17 inches at $5 per page, and document certification at $5. A plat can therefore have a different copy total from an ordinary deed. Tell the office whether a reduced working image is sufficient or whether the recipient requires a particular size or certification. Establish page count before preparing payment.
The Recorder accepts mailed documents and electronic filing. Its mail instructions request a name, telephone number, return envelope with postage and appropriate fees, with guaranteed funds rather than personal checks. These instructions concern recording submissions; a copy inquiry should identify the existing instrument instead. Keep the outgoing document, recording reference when returned and return-delivery evidence together so a later inquiry can be tied to the actual transaction.
The Recorder explains that it maintains deeds, mortgages, liens, leases, plats and other instruments using paper, microfilm and digital storage. Its counter is in Room 321 of the County-City Building in South Bend. Land-document retrieval should be distinguished from a court-case or vital-certificate request even when the same person appears in each. The Indiana records guide provides the other county and state routes needed to extend that inquiry.
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 land instruments and public computer research.
Office page: sjcindiana.gov
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the St. Joseph County Police Department or a city police department in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County are kept by the St. Joseph 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.
The office notice requires appointments and limits each session to one hour.
The notice says no appointments are available between noon and 2 p.m.
The office schedule gives 4 p.m.; public computers shut down at 4:20 p.m. and the office closes at 4:30 p.m.
The county service page identifies Tapestry, while Laredo is described for frequent users.
The copy schedule lists $1 per page, with oversized pages separately priced.
The schedule lists $5 for certifying a document, separate from copies.
The submission notice requires guaranteed funds and expressly excludes personal checks.
The directory lists 227 West Jefferson Boulevard, Room 321, South Bend, IN 46601; telephone 574-235-9525.
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.