Clay County court records sit in two places: the Indiana Judicial Branch’s statewide MyCase portal and the physical docket files held by the Clay County Clerk of Court, located inside the Clay County Courthouse at 609 E. National Avenue, Brazil, IN 47834. The Courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Booking records originate with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 611 E. Jackson St., Brazil, IN 47834. MyCase is free to search; the Clerk accepts cash, check, and card for any copy fees.
If someone you know was just booked tonight, our Clay County inmate-search page has phone-first contact info.
Searching for records beyond Indiana
Clay County’s MyCase portal covers Indiana state-court filings, but it won’t surface federal charges filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, records from other states where a person may have lived, or cases predating the portal’s online window. A nationwide database search may help fill gaps that local portals often leave — particularly for federal court cases, name variants, or records tied to prior addresses outside Indiana.
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How to look up arrest records in Clay County
A relative preparing for a court appearance, a paralegal pulling records for a client, or someone verifying their own history — the pathway depends on whether you need the court-side docket or the Sheriff’s booking record, and whether an attorney of record or guardian has already obtained copies.
MyCase — court docket search. The Indiana MyCase public portal covers Clay County Circuit Court and Clay County Superior Court filings. Search by name or case number. MyCase shows case status, charges, hearing dates, and attorney of record. It does not show booking photos or Sheriff-side booking data. If you’re helping a family member prepare for a hearing, the attorney of record listed in MyCase is the right contact for sealed or restricted filings — the public view may show less than what counsel can access.
Clay County Clerk of Court — in-person records request. The Clay County Clerk of Court maintains the physical case files at the Clay County Courthouse, 609 E. National Avenue, Brazil, IN 47834. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call the Courthouse at (812) 448-9024 to confirm current copy fees and document requirements before driving in. The Clerk’s office reports that phone calls don’t always receive return calls, so an in-person visit or written request tends to move faster. Free parking is available at the Courthouse. Payment options include cash, check, and money order; online payment via ePay is also available. If you are a guardian or authorized representative requesting records on behalf of another person, bring documentation of that authority — staff may request different documentation on repeat visits, so confirm what’s needed in advance.
Clay County Sheriff’s Office — booking records request. Booking records, including booking date, charges at intake, and related documentation, are held by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at 611 E. Jackson St., Brazil, IN 47834. The Sheriff’s lobby is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Call (812) 446-2535 to ask about records-request procedures. Note that the Sheriff’s Office does not accept cash for certain transactions — credit cards or money orders are preferred. Confirm numbers and hours before visiting or calling.
Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) — state inmate lookup. If the person you’re researching is or was in state custody, the IDOC offender search can confirm placement and sentence status. This is a separate system from both MyCase and the Sheriff’s booking roster.
Indiana State Police — background check records. The Indiana State Police administers the state’s criminal history repository. An official ISP background check pulls conviction data statewide and is the record that most formal processes rely on. It is distinct from the MyCase docket view, which shows case filings rather than a compiled history.
A practical note: the Clay County Courthouse’s elevator is small and the building may present accessibility challenges. Plan extra time if mobility is a concern.
Are Clay County arrest records public?
“Public records shall be open for inspection and copying by any person,” reads the core rule in Ind. Code § 5-14-3 — Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (APRA). Arrest records in Clay County fall squarely within that default-public category. A booking record created when the Clay County Sheriff’s Office takes someone into custody is a public document from the moment it’s created.
The default-public rule has narrow, well-defined exceptions. Sealed or expunged records are not public. When a court grants an expungement petition under Indiana’s Second Chance Law, the record is removed from public view — MyCase will no longer display it, and the Clerk cannot confirm it to a member of the public. Law enforcement agencies retain access to sealed records, but the general public does not.
Juvenile records carry a separate protection. Arrests and court proceedings involving minors are confidential under Indiana law and are not accessible through MyCase or a standard Clerk records request. This applies regardless of the offense level.
Victim-protection redactions apply in certain cases. Identifying information for crime victims — particularly in sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking cases — may be redacted from otherwise public documents. The underlying case record remains public; specific victim-identifying fields do not.
Pending charges that were later dismissed or resulted in acquittal remain in the public record until a court order removes them. Indiana law provides an automatic expungement path for dismissals and acquittals, but the order takes effect no sooner than 60 days after it is entered. Until that order is in place, the arrest record is visible.
Clay County’s mugshot release policy follows the Sheriff’s Office practices — call (812) 446-2535 to ask whether booking photos for a specific case are available for public release, as this can vary by case type and age of the record.
What’s in a Clay County arrest record?
At the moment of booking, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office generates a booking record that captures a specific snapshot in time — who was brought in, on what charges, and when. The court-side docket at the Clay County Courthouse captures what happened afterward.
The Sheriff’s booking record typically contains: full legal name, date of birth, booking date and time, charges at intake (as listed by the arresting agency), case or arrest number, physical description, and — depending on the Sheriff’s release policy — a booking photo. The booking record reflects the charges at the moment of arrest. Those charges may change as the case moves through the Clay County Circuit or Superior Court.
The court docket, accessible through MyCase and the physical files at the Clay County Courthouse, contains: case number, court division (Circuit or Superior), charges as filed by the prosecutor, all hearing dates and outcomes, bond information, attorney of record, and final disposition — whether that’s a conviction, dismissal, acquittal, or plea. The disposition field is the most important one for a records-checker: it tells you what actually happened, not just what the arrest alleged.
Partial sealing creates a specific visibility pattern worth knowing. When a court seals a case under Indiana’s Second Chance Law, the docket entry may still appear in MyCase — showing that a case exists — but the case details are restricted. You’ll see a case number and a notation that the record is sealed; you won’t see charges, disposition, or attorney information. This is different from a case that was never filed, which won’t appear at all.
The two systems — Sheriff’s booking records and court docket entries — live in separate databases and may show different information for the same event. A booking record at the Sheriff’s Office might list three charges; the court docket might show only two if the prosecutor declined to file on one count. Always check both sources if you need a complete picture.
For federal charges — cases prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana rather than Clay County’s state courts — neither MyCase nor the Clerk’s files will show anything. Federal cases are accessible through PACER, the federal courts’ public access system.
How to expunge an arrest record in Clay County
Petitioning to seal an arrest record in Clay County is a routine legal procedure — Indiana built its Second Chance Law specifically to give people a path forward after an arrest or conviction. The controlling statute is Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Indiana “Second Chance Law”), and it governs every expungement filed in the state, including those filed in Clay County.
The Petition to Seal (or expungement petition) is filed with the Clerk of Court in the county where the arrest or conviction occurred. For Clay County arrests, that means filing at the Clay County Courthouse, 609 E. National Avenue, Brazil, IN 47834. Indiana requires that all petitions in a given county be filed together in a single filing — you cannot file separately for different cases in the same county at different times. Getting the timing right matters because Indiana effectively allows one expungement petition per lifetime.
Arrests without a conviction. If the arrest resulted in no charges being filed, or the case was dismissed or ended in acquittal, you can petition to expunge the arrest record one year after the arrest date. Dismissals and acquittals are also eligible for automatic expungement — the court enters the order, and it takes effect no sooner than 60 days later. Even with automatic expungement, it’s worth confirming with the Clay County Clerk that the order has been processed and the record is no longer visible in MyCase.
Misdemeanor convictions. A misdemeanor conviction can be expunged five years after the conviction date, provided the waiting period has passed and no new criminal charges are pending. The court must grant the petition if eligibility requirements are met.
Class D / Level 6 felony convictions. The waiting period is eight years from the conviction date. As with misdemeanors, the court must grant the petition if the statutory requirements are satisfied.
More serious felony convictions. The court may grant expungement after the later of eight years from conviction or three years from completing the sentence. This tier is discretionary — the court weighs the petition rather than being required to grant it.
Most serious felonies. These require the prosecutor’s written consent in addition to the court’s approval, and the waiting period is 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 expungement entirely under Indiana law.
You can file the petition yourself — the Clay County Clerk’s office can tell you which forms are required and what the current filing fee is. If the fee is a hardship, ask about an indigency waiver. An attorney can help ensure the petition is complete and timed correctly, which matters given the one-petition limit. Find a licensed Indiana attorney through the Indiana Roll of Attorneys, or contact the Indiana Public Defender Council for guidance on low-cost options.
After expungement, law enforcement agencies retain access to the sealed record. The general public — including anyone running a standard background check — does not. MyCase will no longer display the case details to the public.
Confirm the current statute text or ask the Clay County Clerk before filing, as waiting periods and eligibility rules are subject to legislative change.
Clay County records — quick reference
| Resource | What it confirms | What it cannot confirm | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana MyCase | Case filings, charges as filed, hearing dates, attorney of record, disposition, case status in Clay County Circuit and Superior Courts | Booking photos, Sheriff-side booking data, sealed/expunged cases, federal charges | Search by name or case number; free, no account required |
| Clay County Clerk of Court | Physical case files, certified copies of court records, expungement petition filing | Booking records (Sheriff-side), sealed case details | Visit 609 E. National Ave., Brazil, IN 47834, Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; call (812) 448-9024 to confirm fees |
| Clay County Sheriff’s Office | Booking records, charges at intake, booking date, booking photo availability | Court dispositions, post-booking case history | Call (812) 446-2535; lobby open Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–10 p.m., 611 E. Jackson St., Brazil, IN 47834 |
| Indiana Department of Correction offender search | State prison placement, sentence status, release date for IDOC-supervised individuals | County jail bookings, court docket details, federal custody | Search free online by name or IDOC number |
| PACER — federal case index | Federal criminal charges filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana | State court records, Clay County Sheriff bookings | Register for a PACER account; per-page fee applies for document retrieval |
| Nationwide database search | May surface records from other states, name variants, or records predating MyCase’s online window | Cannot guarantee completeness; not a substitute for official certified records | Use the search form above; preliminary scan is free, full report requires account creation |
Related Clay County resources
- Clay County warrant search — check for an active warrant in Clay County.
- Clay County inmate search — locate someone currently held at the Clay County Jail.
Nearby counties
Sources used for this page, verified 2026-07-21:
- Indiana Judicial Branch: Clay County — official court records portal and case search for Clay County Circuit and Superior Courts.
- Indiana MyCase public portal — statewide case search tool covering Clay County dockets.
- Clay County Clerk of Court — official Clerk office page, responsibilities, and contact information.
- Clay County Clerk’s Responsibilities — scope of Clerk duties including court records and misdemeanor filings.
- Clay County Sheriff’s Office — official Sheriff’s Office page, booking and arrest records.
- Indiana Department of Correction offender search — state inmate and supervision lookup.
- Indiana State Police — state criminal history repository and background check services.
- Indiana Code — full text of Ind. Code § 5-14-3 (APRA) and Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Second Chance Law).
- Indiana Judicial Branch: Public Records — statewide guidance on court record access and public records requests.
- PACER national case index — federal court case search for Southern District of Indiana filings.
Errors or outdated information? Submit a correction — we review and update within 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions — Clay County arrest records
How long does it take for a Clay County arrest record to appear in MyCase after booking?
The Sheriff’s booking record is created at the Clay County Jail at 611 E. Jackson St., Brazil, IN 47834 at the time of intake. The court-side docket entry in MyCase appears after the prosecutor files charges and the case is opened in the Clay County Circuit or Superior Court — that step can take days to weeks depending on the case. If you’re looking for a booking that happened recently and nothing appears in MyCase yet, call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at (812) 446-2535 to confirm the booking is on record. The Sheriff’s booking log and the court docket are separate systems that update on different timelines.
How do I get a Clay County arrest record expunged under Indiana’s Second Chance Law?
File a verified Petition to Seal with the Clay County Clerk of Court at the Clay County Courthouse, 609 E. National Avenue, Brazil, IN 47834. Indiana’s expungement statute — Ind. Code § 35-38-9 — sets the waiting periods: one year after an arrest with no conviction, five years after a misdemeanor conviction, and eight years after a Class D or Level 6 felony conviction. All petitions for cases in Clay County must be filed together in a single filing. The Clerk’s office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Ask about the current filing fee and whether an indigency waiver applies to your situation. Because Indiana allows effectively one expungement petition per lifetime, confirm your eligibility and timing with the Clerk or a licensed attorney before filing.
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