Pull up the Indiana MyCase court portal and type in the name you’re researching — Porter County’s Circuit and Superior Court dockets are indexed there at no charge. Booking records held by the Porter County Sheriff’s Office sit in a separate system; reach that office at (219) 477-3050 or through the Porter County Sheriff’s Office records page. The Porter County Clerk’s Office, located at 155 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso, IN 46383, handles court-side records requests; confirm current fees and document requirements before visiting, as the Clerk’s phone lines can be difficult to reach and staff may ask for specific paperwork at the window.
If someone you know was just booked tonight, our Porter County inmate-search page has phone-first contact info.
If you need records outside Porter County
A nationwide criminal database search may help surface records from Indiana counties that don’t publish online, federal cases that never appear in MyCase, or arrests under name variants from other states where the person has lived. Run a preliminary scan below to see what the database may include — a full report requires creating an account.
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How to look up arrest records in Porter County
A paralegal pulling records for a client, a journalist verifying a source’s background, or someone checking their own history — all of them face the same split in Porter County: court-side dockets live in one system, and booking records generated by the Sheriff live in another. Indiana’s open-records framework, codified at Ind. Code § 5-14-3, makes both categories available to the public. Knowing which system holds what you need saves a trip.
MyCase — court dockets online. The Indiana judiciary’s statewide portal, MyCase, indexes case filings for Porter County’s Circuit Court and its multiple Superior Courts. Search by name or case number. Docket entries show charges filed, hearing dates, dispositions, and attorney of record. MyCase does not show Sheriff’s booking data — it reflects what the court received after charges were filed, not the moment of arrest.
Porter County Sheriff’s Office — booking records. Arrest and booking records originate with the Porter County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s records page at Sheriff is the county’s primary official records resource. For records requests by phone, call (219) 477-3050. Booking photos are generally public under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act — ask the Sheriff’s Office directly about current release procedures for a specific record.
Porter County Clerk’s Office — court records in person. The Porter County Clerk’s Office at 155 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso, IN 46383 handles in-person and written records requests for court filings. The county also offers free online access to adult court case records through the official county website. Confirm current fees and required documents before visiting — the Clerk’s office enforces specific paperwork requirements at the window, and phone lines are reported to be congested. Leave your cellphone in the car; the Porter County Courthouse does not permit phones inside.
IDOC offender lookup — state prison records. If the person you’re researching was sentenced to an Indiana state facility rather than held locally, the Indiana Department of Correction maintains a separate offender locator at Indiana DOC Offender / Incarcerated Locator. This covers IDOC-managed facilities, not the Porter County Jail.
Federal cases — PACER. Arrests prosecuted in federal court — drug trafficking, wire fraud, and similar charges — don’t appear in MyCase or the Sheriff’s records. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana (Hammond Division) publishes federal dockets through Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). PACER charges per-page fees for document downloads; case searches are free.
Practical note for in-person visits. The Porter County Courthouse at 155 Indiana Avenue runs security at the entrance. Confirm the Clerk’s office is open before traveling — unannounced closures have been reported at Porter County Superior Court locations. The building runs cold; bring a layer if you plan to spend time reviewing records at the counter.
Are Porter County arrest records public?
Indiana’s open-records law covers both arrest records and conviction records, though they’re maintained by different agencies with different access points. Under Ind. Code § 5-14-3 — Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act — booking records held by the Porter County Sheriff’s Office carry a default-public status. Court records maintained by the Clerk are similarly open to the public under the same statute.
Arrest records and conviction records are not the same document. An arrest record is generated by the Sheriff at booking and reflects the fact of the arrest, the charges alleged, and the booking details. A conviction record is a court document — it reflects what happened after charges were filed, including any plea, verdict, or dismissal. MyCase shows the court side; the Sheriff’s Office holds the booking side. A researcher needs both to get the full picture of a case.
The default-public rule has narrow exceptions. Sealed or expunged records are removed from public view — after a successful petition under Indiana’s Second Chance Law, the public cannot access those records, though law enforcement retains access. Juvenile records are handled separately under Indiana’s juvenile code and are not open to the general public in the same way adult records are. Victim-identifying information — names, addresses, and contact details for crime victims — may be redacted from records before release under Indiana’s victim-protection provisions.
Journalists and researchers working under Indiana’s APRA framework can submit written records requests to the Porter County Sheriff’s Office or the Clerk’s Office. The agency must respond within a reasonable time. If a request is denied, the denial must be in writing with a stated reason. The Indiana Public Access Counselor’s office handles disputes about APRA compliance statewide.
What’s in a Porter County arrest record?
When you receive a booking record from the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, the fields you’ll actually see depend on whether you’re looking at the Sheriff’s booking entry or the court’s docket entry — they live in different systems and don’t always match up field-for-field.
A Sheriff’s-side booking record typically includes: the subject’s full legal name and any known aliases; date and time of booking; the booking number assigned at intake; the arresting agency (Porter County Sheriff, Portage Police, Valparaiso Police, Indiana State Police, or another agency that brought the person to the jail); the charges as listed at booking, including statute citations; and the subject’s date of birth and physical description. Booking photos are part of this record and are generally public under Ind. Code § 5-14-3 — ask the Porter County Sheriff’s Office directly about current procedures for obtaining a specific booking photo.
The court-side docket entry at MyCase shows what happened after the arrest was referred to the prosecutor. You’ll see the case number assigned by the Porter County Circuit or Superior Court, the charges as formally filed (which may differ from booking charges), the assigned judge, hearing dates, bond conditions, attorney of record, and the eventual disposition — guilty plea, conviction after trial, dismissal, or acquittal. A case number in MyCase is your anchor for tracking a case through the Porter County court system.
One gap worth knowing: MyCase reflects what the court received, not the moment of arrest. A person arrested and released without charges being filed may appear in the Sheriff’s booking records but have no corresponding MyCase entry. Conversely, a case that was filed but resolved quickly may show a MyCase entry with minimal detail if you search before the docket is fully updated.
For federal charges prosecuted through the Northern District of Indiana’s Hammond Division, neither the Sheriff’s records nor MyCase will show the case. Those records live in PACER. The Porter County Courthouse at the Porter County Courthouse address handles only state-level matters — federal cases are a separate system entirely.
How to expunge an arrest record in Porter County
Petitioning to seal an arrest record in Porter County is a routine legal procedure governed by a single statewide statute — Indiana’s Second Chance Law, Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Indiana “Second Chance Law”). The law covers everything from arrests that never led to charges through serious felony convictions, with eligibility criteria and waiting periods that vary by outcome and offense level.
Juvenile records have separate sealing procedures under Indiana’s juvenile code. Those procedures are generally more accessible than the adult expungement process — if you’re asking about a juvenile matter, confirm the applicable path with the Porter County Clerk’s Office or a licensed attorney, as the adult Second Chance Law framework described here does not govern juvenile records.
Arrests without conviction. An arrest that resulted in no charges, a dismissal, or an acquittal is the most straightforward category. A person can petition to expunge the arrest record one year after the date of arrest. A dismissal or acquittal is expunged automatically by court order — that order takes effect no sooner than 60 days after it’s entered. The court must grant the petition for non-conviction records that meet the eligibility criteria.
Misdemeanor convictions. A misdemeanor conviction can be expunged five years after the conviction date, provided the person has no new convictions and meets the other eligibility requirements. The court must grant a qualifying petition — this is not a discretionary decision for the judge.
Class D / Level 6 felony convictions. This tier requires an eight-year waiting period from the conviction date. Like the misdemeanor tier, the court must grant a qualifying petition.
More serious felonies. For felonies above Level 6, the waiting period is the later of eight years from conviction or three years from completing the sentence. The court has discretion on whether to grant these petitions. The most serious felonies — including those requiring the prosecutor’s written consent — carry a waiting period of the later of ten years from conviction or five years from completing the sentence.
Excluded offenses. Sex offenses, violent offenses, and official-misconduct offenses are excluded from Indiana’s expungement framework. Ind. Code § 35-38-9 does not provide a path for those categories.
Where and how to file. File a verified petition in the county court where the conviction occurred — for non-conviction records, file in the county of arrest. For Porter County records, that means filing at the Porter County Courthouse, 155 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso, IN 46383. Indiana requires that all petitions in a given county be filed together in a single filing. You effectively get one expungement petition per lifetime, so timing matters. Confirm current filing fees with the Porter County Clerk’s Office before submitting — an indigency waiver path may be available if you cannot afford the fee.
Self-petition vs. attorney-assisted. Indiana allows self-represented petitioners. The Porter County Clerk’s Office can tell you what forms are required. For more complex cases — multiple convictions, felony tiers, or cases where the prosecutor’s consent is needed — an attorney familiar with Ind. Code § 35-38-9 is worth consulting. The Indiana Roll of Attorneys search is at Indiana Roll of Attorneys attorney directory, and the Indiana Public Defender Commission locator is at Indiana Public Defender Council.
What remains visible after expungement. Law enforcement agencies retain access to expunged records. The public — including most background-check databases — does not. After a successful expungement, you may legally state in most contexts that you were not arrested or convicted of the expunged offense.
Quick-contacts table
| Resource | What it confirms | What it cannot confirm | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porter County Sheriff’s Office | Booking records, booking number, arresting agency, booking date, charges at arrest | Court dispositions, case outcomes, expungement status | Call (219) 477-3050 or submit a written APRA request |
| Indiana MyCase | Case number, charges filed, hearing dates, disposition, attorney of record | Booking data, arrests without charges filed, federal cases | Search by name or case number — free, no account required |
| Porter County Clerk’s Office | In-person court record access, certified copies, expungement petition filing | Sheriff’s booking records, IDOC state prison records | Visit 155 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso, IN 46383 — confirm document requirements before going |
| Indiana Department of Correction offender locator | Current IDOC facility, DOC number, sentence information for state-sentenced individuals | County jail holds, pre-trial detainees, federal inmates | Search by name or DOC number — free online lookup |
| Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) | Federal criminal cases in the Northern District of Indiana (Hammond Division) | State-level arrests, county court cases, Sheriff’s booking records | Register for a PACER account; case searches are free, document downloads carry per-page fees |
| Nationwide database search (affiliate, above) | May surface records from counties without online portals, name variants, multi-state history | Cannot guarantee completeness; not a substitute for official certified records | Run preliminary scan above — full report requires account creation |
Sources verified 2026-07-21:
- Porter County Sheriff’s Office — primary county records resource for booking and arrest records
- Porter County Records — county records overview and access information
- Free Access to Adult Court Case Records — Porter County’s free online court records access program
- Record Searches — Porter County official record search guidance
- Porter County Clerk’s Office — in-person records requests, certified copies, expungement filings
- Indiana MyCase — statewide court docket portal covering Porter County Circuit and Superior Courts
- Indiana Department of Correction Offender Search — state prison records and IDOC facility lookup
- PACER — Northern District of Indiana — federal criminal case records, Hammond Division
- Indiana Code — full text of Ind. Code § 5-14-3 (APRA) and Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Second Chance Law)
- Porter County Forms & Documents — probation and court-related forms including expungement petition resources
Found an error or outdated detail? Submit a correction — we review and update within 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions about Porter County arrest records
If I visit the Porter County Courthouse, what should I bring to request an arrest record?
Bring a government-issued photo ID and the full legal name — and ideally the date of birth — of the person whose record you’re requesting. The Porter County Clerk’s Office at 155 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso, IN 46383 handles court-side records; the Porter County Sheriff’s Office handles booking records. Staff at the Clerk’s window may ask for specific paperwork, so confirm requirements before driving over — phone lines at the Courthouse can be difficult to reach. Leave your cellphone in the car; the building does not permit phones inside. For court records you can access remotely, Indiana MyCase is free and requires no account for basic name searches.
Can a Porter County arrest record be expunged, and how long does the process take?
An arrest that resulted in no conviction — including dismissals and acquittals — can be petitioned for expungement one year after the arrest date under Ind. Code § 35-38-9 (Indiana’s Second Chance Law); dismissals and acquittals are expunged automatically by court order, effective no sooner than 60 days after entry. Misdemeanor convictions require a five-year waiting period from the conviction date; Class D and Level 6 felony convictions require eight years. More serious felonies carry longer waiting periods and may require the prosecutor’s written consent. File a verified petition at the Porter County Clerk’s Office, 155 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso — Indiana requires all petitions in a given county to be filed together in a single filing, and you effectively get one lifetime petition, so confirm current eligibility with the Clerk or a licensed attorney before filing.
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