Indiana arrest records live across three connected layers. The statewide MyCase portal publishes case and docket records for nearly every court in all 92 Indiana counties. Each county’s elected Sheriff and Clerk of Court holds booking logs and local case files. Anyone currently in state custody appears in the Indiana Department of Correction inmate lookup. Booking records are generally open to the public under Ind. Code § 5-14-3, Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act.
If someone you know was just booked tonight, our Indiana inmate search page has phone-first contact info for locating them.
Search Indiana Arrest Records by Name
A nationwide name search can surface records from other states, federal cases, and older Indiana records that predate MyCase’s online window. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires registration. Use it alongside the official Indiana sources described below to verify your own record across every state where you’ve lived.
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This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.
How to look up arrest records in Indiana
MyCase is the logical place to confirm whether a case exists in Indiana’s court system. The portal covers Circuit Courts, Superior Courts, and most local courts across all 92 counties. Search by name or case number at MyCase to see charges, hearing dates, dispositions, and attorney of record. Case records appear there once a case is filed — booking records from the jail may precede the filing by hours or days.
For anyone currently serving a sentence in a state facility, the Indiana Department of Correction offender search confirms custody status, facility location, and projected release date. IDOC records reflect state-prison placements only. County jail holds — pretrial detainees and short sentences — do not appear in the IDOC system; those records sit with the county Sheriff.
The Indiana State Police maintains statewide criminal-history records and handles official background-check requests. Certified criminal-history reports are available through Indiana State Police for purposes such as professional licensing or personal review. That report draws on conviction data statewide, not just one county’s records.
The county layer is where booking details live. Each of Indiana’s 92 county Sheriffs runs the local jail and generates the initial booking record — arrest date, charges, booking photo, and bond information. The county Clerk of Court maintains the official case file once charges are filed. Fees, hours, online access, and public-terminal availability vary from county to county. The county page for your specific county lists the Clerk’s contact information, current fees, and any online booking-log access the Sheriff provides. Those county pages are indexed below this article.
Marion County operates under Indianapolis’s Unigov structure, which merges city and county government — but Marion County still elects its own Sheriff, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office maintains its own booking system. If the arrest occurred in Indianapolis, the Marion County page has the relevant contacts.
When a record spans multiple counties — a case transferred on a change of venue, or a person with prior arrests in different jurisdictions — MyCase remains the fastest cross-county check because it aggregates docket data statewide. For records that predate the portal’s online window or involve name variants from prior states, a multi-state name search can fill the gap.
Are arrest records public in Indiana?
Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act, Ind. Code § 5-14-3, establishes the default rule: government records are open to the public unless a specific exception applies. Booking records — including booking photos — fall within that default-open category. You do not need to show a reason or demonstrate a legal interest to request them.
Several exceptions narrow that default. Juvenile records are confidential under Indiana law; a person arrested as a minor cannot have those records accessed through a standard public-records request. Victim information — addresses, contact details, and certain identifying data — is routinely redacted before a record is released. Ongoing investigations may have portions withheld if disclosure would compromise law enforcement activity.
Expunged records are the most significant exception for adult records. Once a court grants an expungement under Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Indiana “Second Chance Law”), the record is restricted from public view. The court, prosecutor, and law enforcement agencies retain access, but a standard MyCase search or Sheriff’s booking-log request will not surface it. The practical effect is that the record is invisible to the general public.
Mugshot release practices are not uniform across Indiana’s 92 counties. Some Sheriffs post booking photos online routinely; others release them only on written request. Check the county page for your county or call the Sheriff’s Office directly to confirm current practice — that detail varies enough that a general statewide answer would mislead you.
What’s in an Indiana arrest record?
An arrest record in Indiana is not a single document — it’s a set of entries spread across two distinct systems, and what you see depends on which system you’re looking at.
On the Sheriff’s side, a booking entry typically includes the arrestee’s full name, date of birth, booking date and time, arresting agency, charges as listed at booking, bond amount, and a booking photo. Some county Sheriffs also log physical descriptors and next-of-kin information. This entry exists the moment someone is booked into the county jail, before any court involvement.
On the court side, MyCase shows the case number, the formal charges as filed by the prosecutor, all hearing dates and continuances, the judge assigned, the attorney of record for both sides, and the disposition — guilty plea, acquittal, dismissal, or conviction and sentence. Dispositions are updated as the case moves through the Circuit or Superior Court. A case that was dismissed or resulted in an acquittal will show that outcome in the docket.
The two systems don’t always match perfectly. A booking charge and a filed charge can differ if the prosecutor amends the charge after reviewing the case. MyCase reflects the court’s version; the Sheriff’s log reflects what was entered at booking. Both are public records under Ind. Code § 5-14-3.
One field that varies by county is the booking photo. MyCase does not display mugshots — those remain with the Sheriff. Some counties post them on a public-facing jail roster; others require a written request. Check the county page or call the Sheriff’s Office to confirm availability for a specific county.
How to seal or expunge an arrest record in Indiana
Indiana handles all criminal-record relief through one statute: Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Indiana “Second Chance Law”). There is no separate sealing track — expungement under this law restricts the record from public access, which is the functional equivalent of sealing in other states.
If you were arrested but never convicted, you can petition to expunge the arrest record one year after the arrest date. A dismissal or acquittal is handled differently: the court enters an automatic expungement order, which takes effect no sooner than 60 days after the case closes. You don’t need to file a separate petition for a dismissed case, but confirming the order was entered in MyCase is worth doing.
For convictions, the waiting period depends on the offense level. A misdemeanor conviction becomes eligible five years after the conviction date. A Class D or Level 6 felony becomes eligible eight years after conviction. For those two tiers, the court must grant the petition if you meet the eligibility requirements — the judge has no discretion to deny a qualifying petition. More serious felonies become eligible after the later of eight years from conviction or three years from completing the sentence. The most serious felonies require the prosecutor’s written consent and become eligible after the later of ten years from conviction or five years from completing the sentence.
Sex offenses, violent offenses, and official-misconduct offenses are excluded from eligibility entirely. If the conviction falls into one of those categories, Ind. Code § 35-38-9 does not provide a path to expungement.
The petition is filed in the county court where the conviction occurred. For a non-conviction arrest, file in the county where the arrest took place. Indiana requires that all petitions in a given county be filed together in a single filing — you cannot file them piecemeal across multiple trips to the clerk’s window. Because Indiana effectively allows one expungement petition per lifetime, getting the timing and completeness right before you file matters significantly.
Filing fees vary by county; check with the Clerk of Court before you file. If cost is a barrier, ask the clerk about an indigency-fee waiver. You can file the petition yourself without an attorney, but the one-petition rule means an error is hard to correct. The Indiana lawyer referral service can connect you with an attorney, and the Indiana Public Defender Council can help locate a public defender if you qualify.
After expungement, law enforcement agencies and courts retain access to the restricted record. The public does not. MyCase will no longer display the case in a standard search, and the Sheriff’s booking log entry is restricted from public release.
Indiana statewide records quick-contacts
| Resource | What it confirms | What it cannot confirm | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| MyCase | Case filings, charges, dispositions, hearing dates across all 92 Indiana counties | Booking photos; records expunged under Ind. Code § 35-38-9; pre-portal paper records | Search by name or case number at MyCase |
| Indiana Department of Correction | Current state-prison custody, facility, projected release date | County jail holds; cases not yet sentenced to state prison | Run the offender search at the IDOC offender lookup |
| Indiana State Police | Statewide certified criminal-history reports; background-check requests | Real-time booking data; expunged records | Submit a criminal-history request through Indiana State Police |
| Ind. Code § 5-14-3 | Indiana’s open-records framework; default-public status of booking records | Does not itself provide records — governs access rights | Cite this statute when requesting records a custodian has withheld |
| Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Indiana “Second Chance Law”) | Eligibility tiers, waiting periods, and procedure for expungement | Does not itself expunge records — you must file a petition | File a verified petition in the county court where the conviction or arrest occurred |
| Nationwide name search | Records from other states, federal cases, name variants, records predating MyCase’s online window | Cannot substitute for certified Indiana criminal-history reports | Run the name search above |
Related Indiana record searches
- Indiana warrant search — to check for an active warrant statewide.
- Indiana inmate search — to locate someone in custody.
Arrest record pages for each of Indiana’s 92 counties are listed in the county index below.
Sources & official Indiana records systems
Page verified 2026-07-27. Official sources consulted:
- MyCase — Indiana Courts statewide case portal: docket and case records for Circuit, Superior, and local courts across all 92 Indiana counties.
- Indiana Department of Correction offender search: current custody status, facility, and projected release for state-prison inmates.
- Indiana State Police: statewide criminal-history records and certified background-check requests.
- Ind. Code § 5-14-3 — Indiana Access to Public Records Act: governs public access to government records, including booking records.
- Ind. Code § 35-38-9 — Indiana Second Chance Law: expungement eligibility tiers, waiting periods, and petition procedure.
- Indiana lawyer referral service: attorney search for expungement and criminal-record matters.
- Indiana Public Defender Council: public defender locator for qualifying individuals.
Found an error or outdated link? Please submit a correction — we update verified information within 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions about Indiana arrest records
How do I look up an arrest record in Indiana?
Search MyCase by name or case number to find court filings and dispositions across all 92 Indiana counties. For booking details — arrest date, charges at booking, and bond — contact the county Sheriff’s Office where the arrest occurred. If the person is in state prison, the Indiana Department of Correction offender search confirms custody and facility. For records that span multiple states or predate MyCase’s online window, the nationwide name search at the top of this page can fill coverage gaps.
How do I get an Indiana arrest record sealed or expunged?
Indiana uses a single expungement statute, Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Indiana “Second Chance Law”), with no separate sealing track. If you were arrested but not convicted, you can petition one year after the arrest date. Dismissed and acquitted cases receive an automatic expungement order, effective no sooner than 60 days after the case closes. Misdemeanor convictions become eligible five years after conviction; Class D or Level 6 felonies after eight years. File a verified petition in the county court where the conviction occurred, or the county of arrest for non-conviction records. Indiana requires all petitions in a given county to be filed together, and you effectively get one lifetime petition — confirm current eligibility with the county clerk or an attorney before filing.