Search Multnomah County Court Records
The main online starting point is OJD Records and Calendar Search, which routes users to Oregon eCourt Case Information and court calendar tools. OECI holds the Register of Actions for Oregon circuit courts and the Tax Court, while appellate records route to the Appellate Case Management System. For Multnomah County Court records, choose the Multnomah court location when the portal lets the searcher narrow by county, then search by case number, party name, defendant name, citation number, attorney, or filing date.
The OECI public access login warns that circuit and tax court case information is the official ORS 7.020 register. Free public access provides basic case and calendar information, while deeper document access may require OJCIN subscriber access or a copy order from the Multnomah County Circuit Court Records Department.
The OJD records and calendars page shows the statewide access path for court records and calendars.
Use that state page when a Multnomah County Court records search needs both case lookup and hearing calendar access.
- Open the Oregon court records or OECI search page and choose the case category that matches the record.
- Set the location to Multnomah County when location filtering is available.
- Search by case number first when it is known, or use last name, business name, citation number, attorney, or date filed.
- Review the Register of Actions, hearing list, case status, charges, and party fields for the matching case.
- Order documents, certified copies, exemplified copies, or courtroom audio from the Multnomah County Circuit Court Records Department when online detail is not enough.
Multnomah County Court Record Fields
Search results depend on the field used. OECI supports broad public searches, but common names can return too many results. The official guide notes that wildcard searches use an asterisk after part of a name or case number, Soundex can help with similar-sounding names, and the first 400 results are the practical display limit. Narrow by date range, location, case type, and status when possible.
| Field Label | Type | Use | Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Number | Text | Best exact search | Dashes may be omitted in OECI. |
| Party or Defendant Name | Text | Name lookup | Last name needs at least three characters for wildcard. |
| Citation Number | Text | Traffic, parking, and some criminal matters | Use the full citation when available. |
| Attorney or Bar Number | Text | Attorney-related search | Oregon bar numbers are six digits. |
| Date Filed | Date range | Narrows common results | Some date searches are limited to 90 days. |
| Case Status | Choice | Open or closed filtering | Use all status when unsure. |
Multnomah County Court System
Oregon uses a unified state court system. Multnomah County Circuit Court is the Fourth Judicial District and the general jurisdiction trial court for the county. It hears felony criminal cases, misdemeanors filed in circuit court, civil cases, family law, divorce, juvenile, probate, landlord and tenant, small claims, protective orders, traffic, TriMet, and parking matters handled by the circuit court. Appeals usually move to the Oregon Court of Appeals, with Oregon Supreme Court review in selected cases.
The Multnomah County Circuit Court home page lists the county court as the Fourth Judicial District and shows the public court locations used for records, hearings, juvenile matters, and east-county services.
That court page is the best official source for current court-location names and general Multnomah County Court service routing.
Case flow: Police or civil filing › Multnomah County Circuit Court › Oregon Court of Appeals › Oregon Supreme Court when review applies.
| Court or Office | Record Role | Common Records |
|---|---|---|
| Multnomah County Circuit Court | Primary trial court | Criminal, civil, family, probate, traffic, small claims, landlord and tenant. |
| Oregon Court of Appeals | State appellate court | Appeals from circuit court judgments and orders. |
| Municipal and local channels | Limited local matters | City citations, ordinance issues, police records, or local matters not held in the circuit file. |
| County Clerk/Recorder | Non-court county records | Marriage licenses, domestic partnerships, and official records. |
Multnomah County Court Locations
The Central Courthouse is the main public court and records location in downtown Portland. Records Department customer service is on the third floor in Room 3315. The Justice Center, Juvenile Justice Center, and East County Courthouse handle important parts of the county court system, including criminal justice operations, juvenile matters, traffic services, payments, and east-county access.
Multnomah County Courthouse
1200 SW 1st Ave
Portland, OR 97204
Records: 971-274-0570
MUL.Records@ojd.state.or.us
Justice Center
1120 SW Third Avenue, Third Floor
Portland, OR 97204
Court contacts through OJD
Jail and bail questions route through MCSO.
East County Courthouse
18480 SE Stark Street
Portland, OR 97233
Mul.ECC@ojd.state.or.us
East-county court services and traffic access.
The District Attorney courthouse security page warns visitors to allow extra time for screening before Multnomah County Court hearings.
Security staff will not hold prohibited items, so leave knives, multi-tools, scissors, and weapons outside the courthouse trip.
Multnomah County Court Records Types
Multnomah County Court records include more than one kind of file. Criminal cases may show charges, arraignment events, plea entries, dispositions, sentencing, and financial obligations. Civil files may contain complaints, motions, orders, judgments, writs, and money awards. Family law records include divorce, custody, support, adoption, protective orders, and name or sex identity changes, although adoption and some family matters are restricted.
Probate records cover estates, wills filed in estate cases, guardianships, conservatorships, trusts, and protective proceedings. Traffic records cover citations, trial requests, default judgments, fines, and payment activity. Juvenile, adoption, civil commitment, guardianship, and conservatorship files can require special department review instead of ordinary public copy ordering.
- Court case records: OECI and the Circuit Court Records Department handle most searchable case information and copies.
- Jail and custody records: MCSO Online Inmate Data and Sheriff's Office records requests handle custody information.
- Marriage and official records: the Multnomah County Clerk/Recorder handles licenses, certified marriage copies, and the Digital Research Room.
- Traffic records: court traffic files differ from Oregon DMV driver records and should not be treated as the same file.
Multnomah County Court Records Access
Oregon access law gives the public a way to request records from public bodies, subject to exemptions and fees. Court records also have their own register and court-record rules. The important Multnomah County Court access point is practical: start with OECI for basic case information, use court calendars for hearing dates, and contact the Records Department for copies, certification, audio, older files, or cases that are not fully visible online.
Key Statutes:
ORS 192.311 to 192.478 governs Oregon public records requests and exemptions.
ORS 7.020 describes the court register used for actions, suits, proceedings, and case events.
ORS 137.225 covers Oregon set-aside relief for qualifying convictions, charges, citations, and arrest records.
Restricted Multnomah County Records
The Multnomah County Circuit Court records page identifies juvenile delinquency, dependency, termination of parental rights, adult adoption, minor adoption, guardianship, conservatorship, and civil commitment as confidential case categories for copy requests. Those files may route to Juvenile, Family Law, or Probate rather than ordinary records staff. A sealed or set-aside criminal record may also stop being available through standard public search channels.
Oregon set-aside relief is not the same as deleting every trace from every database. When a Multnomah County Court grants a qualifying motion, public court access changes under Oregon law, but some government or justice-system uses can remain authorized. For local cases, file set-aside requests in the court that handled the conviction, arrest, charge, or citation.
Multnomah County Jail Records
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O'Donnell, operates county jail and custody functions. The main public custody tool is MCSO Online Inmate Data. It supports name and custody-status searching for people in county custody or recent booking and release categories. Jail records can connect to court records when an arrest becomes a filed criminal case, but the booking record and the court case file are separate records.
The MCSO Online Inmate Data portal is the county's official online search point for current and recent jail custody information.
Oregon law limits routine online booking-photo release, so a missing mugshot does not mean the person was not booked.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office home page gives the agency context for jail, corrections, civil, and public safety services.
For copies of booking, custody, jail video, courthouse video, classification, or jail phone-call records, use the Sheriff's Office public-records request channel.
Multnomah County Warrant Records
No broad public active-warrant list was found in the official sources reviewed. The District Attorney's outstanding warrant guidance tells people to contact Multnomah County Courts at 971-274-0545 for warrant information. A person who wants to turn themselves in may go to the Sheriff's Justice Center or a local police agency, but staffing should be confirmed before arrival. Metropolitan Public Defender also lists a free confidential warrant hotline at 503-414-5453.
The county's general police, jail, and court records routing page helps separate court files from sheriff, police, and county records.
Use that routing page when a records question starts with a police report or jail issue rather than a known Multnomah County Court case number.
Multnomah County Marriage Probate Records
Marriage licenses come from the Multnomah County Clerk/Recorder at 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 175. Couples use the online marriage application, then both appear in person with photo identification to purchase and pick up the license. Divorce records are Circuit Court family-law records, not County Clerk files. Probate is a department of the Multnomah County Circuit Court and covers estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and protective proceedings.
The OECI public access login is the court-side source for the Register of Actions in divorce, probate, and other circuit court cases.
Court divorce and probate files still route through OJD and court departments, even when a marriage license or official county recording uses the recorder's office.
- Register of Actions
- The official running list of case events in an Oregon court case.
- Certified copy
- A copy bearing court or county certification for official use.
- Conservator
- A court-appointed person who manages a protected person's assets.
- Guardian
- A court-appointed person who makes personal care decisions for a protected person.
Multnomah County Court Records Fees
Fees vary by record type and custodian. The Circuit Court Records Department posts copy-order rules for case documents and courtroom audio. The County Clerk/Recorder posts marriage license and certified-copy costs. OJD public-record requests may require cost estimates and advance approval when the expected charge is more than $25.
| Item | Posted Amount or Rule |
|---|---|
| Copy orders under $5 | Free through the court records page. |
| Multiple-case non-certified documents | $3 per case. |
| FTR courtroom audio | $10 per case. |
| OJD public-record photocopy | $0.25 per page. |
| OJD certified public-record copy | $5 per certificate plus page costs. |
| Marriage license | $60, or $65 with the three-day waiting-period waiver. |
Multnomah County Specialty Court Records
Some criminal court records show treatment-court or specialty-docket activity rather than a simple trial-and-sentence path. Multnomah County has START Court, the DUII Supervision Program, Mental Health Court, STEP, and Veterans Treatment Court. These programs can add status hearings, treatment milestones, supervision terms, program conditions, and progress reviews to a case record.
The Multnomah treatment courts page describes several specialty court programs. When a case enters a treatment court, the Register of Actions may show hearings and orders that make sense only after the program role is understood.
Multnomah County Court History
Multnomah County was created in 1854, and Portland became the county seat and court center. Oregon's current structure places the county in the Fourth Judicial District of the statewide circuit court system. The Central Courthouse consolidated major public court operations, while the Justice Center, Juvenile Justice Center, and East County Courthouse reflect the county's spread across criminal, juvenile, and east-county needs.
Modern records access has shifted toward Oregon eCourt, OECI/OJCIN, electronic filing, online records requests, online traffic forms, electronic certification, remote hearings, livestream proceedings, and text-message hearing notices. Those systems improve access, but they do not remove the need to contact the correct department for restricted files, certified copies, warrants, or jail records.
Multnomah County Court Records FAQ
Can I search Multnomah County Court records online?
Yes. Start with OJD Records and Calendar Search or OECI for basic circuit court case information and calendars. Use the Circuit Court Records Department for copies, certified copies, exemplified copies, audio, older files, or records not fully visible online.
Are Multnomah County warrant records online?
No broad official public active-warrant list was found in the sources reviewed. The official guidance directs people to call Multnomah County Courts at 971-274-0545 for warrant information.
Who keeps marriage records in Multnomah County?
The Multnomah County Clerk/Recorder handles marriage licenses, certified marriage copies, domestic partnership records, and official records. Divorce records are Circuit Court family-law records.
Are juvenile court records public?
Juvenile delinquency, dependency, and termination of parental rights files are treated as confidential. Access may require party status, attorney authority, department approval, or a court order.