Multnomah County Circuit Court
Oregon's judicial branch is a unified state system made up of circuit courts, the Oregon Tax Court, the Oregon Court of Appeals, and the Oregon Supreme Court. The circuit court is Oregon's general jurisdiction trial court. Multnomah County Circuit Court is the Fourth Judicial District and serves as the trial court for felony criminal cases, misdemeanors filed in circuit court, civil cases, family law, divorce, probate, juvenile, landlord and tenant, small claims, traffic, TriMet, and parking citations handled by the circuit court.
The Oregon Judicial Department identifies four Multnomah court locations: the Central Courthouse, the Justice Center, the Juvenile Justice Center, and the East County Courthouse. Judges and staff serve litigants, defendants, victims, witnesses, jurors, and other people involved in court proceedings. Staff can answer procedural questions while remaining neutral, but they cannot give legal advice or decide what a person should file.
The official local trial-court source is the Multnomah County Circuit Court.
The judges source helps place Multnomah County Circuit Court within the Fourth Judicial District rather than a county court or municipal court system.
Multnomah County Circuit Court Locations
Multnomah County does not have separate numbered district courts for this page. The research identifies one primary Oregon trial court, organized by locations and subject-matter departments. The table below uses the required court-location format while reflecting the actual local structure.
| Court or department | Type | Address | Phone or contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multnomah County Courthouse / Central Courthouse | Main circuit court, records, civil, criminal, family, probate | 1200 SW 1st Ave, Portland, OR 97204 | Records: 971-274-0570 |
| Justice Center | Courtrooms tied to criminal and justice-center operations | Third Floor, 1120 SW Third Avenue, Portland, OR 97204 | OJD court contacts |
| Juvenile Justice Center | Juvenile court matters | 1401 NE 68th Avenue, Portland, OR 97213 | 971-274-0800; Mul.Juvenile@ojd.state.or.us |
| East County Courthouse | East-county services, traffic/payment filings, support enforcement | 18480 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR 97233 | Mul.ECC@ojd.state.or.us |
| Probate Department | Estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships | Central Courthouse, second floor service area | 971-274-0605; Mul.ProbateDept@ojd.state.or.us |
| Family Law Department | Divorce, custody, protective orders, name and identity changes | Central Courthouse, second floor service area | 971-274-0600; Mul.Familylaw@ojd.state.or.us |
| Traffic and TriMet Citations | Traffic citations, TriMet citations, default relief | Central and East County channels | 971-274-0545 option 2; Mul.TrafficDept@ojd.state.or.us |
Circuit Court vs Lower Courts
Multnomah County Circuit Court is the core state trial court for county case records, but it is not the only legal venue a person may encounter. Municipal courts can handle city ordinance or municipal-citation matters. Portland or Gresham public-safety channels may hold police or citation records separate from circuit court case files. Justice Court functions are not central to Multnomah County Circuit Court records in the research.
| Issue | Multnomah County Circuit Court | Municipal or local citation channels | County Clerk / Recorder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | Oregon general jurisdiction trial court | City ordinance, municipal citation, or local public-safety matters where applicable | Marriage, domestic partnership, official records, Digital Research Room |
| Case records | OJD/OECI and Circuit Court Records Department | Check the city court or issuing agency | Not a court case-file custodian |
| Criminal matters | Felonies and circuit-court misdemeanors | Local ordinance or citation matters where used | No criminal case jurisdiction |
| Family and probate | Divorce, family, probate, guardianship, conservatorship | Not the main venue for these case files | Marriage records only, not divorce case files |
| Copy office | Room 3315 Records Department or assigned department | Issuing local court or agency | Recorder copy channels |
Multnomah County Case Flow
Case flow depends on case type. Criminal cases usually begin when police referral and prosecutor review lead to a charging document in court. Civil cases begin with a complaint, petition, or claim. Family and probate cases use petitions or other initiating papers. Once filed, the Register of Actions becomes the running list of court events.
Criminal flow: referral or arrest › charging document › arraignment › pretrial hearings › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal.
Civil and family flow: petition or complaint filed › service › response › motions or settlement work › hearing or trial › judgment › post-judgment events › appeal.
Probate flow: petition or estate filing › notices and appointments › inventory, reports, or accountings › objections or hearings if needed › order, distribution, or closing event.
Multnomah County Circuit Departments
The Fourth Judicial District uses subject-matter departments rather than separate county trial courts. Criminal, civil, family, probate, juvenile, traffic, parking, small claims, and landlord and tenant matters each have their own contacts or service channels. That department structure matters when a record is confidential. Juvenile, guardianship, conservatorship, civil commitment, and adoption records may be routed to Juvenile, Family Law, or Probate instead of ordinary public-copy handling.
Presiding and chief judges listed by OJD include Judith H. Matarazzo as Presiding Judge, Judge Greenlick as Chief Criminal Judge, Patrick W. Henry as Chief Family Court Judge, Judge Rees as Chief Civil Court Judge, and Jacqueline L. Alarcon as Lead Probate Judge. The judge page separates criminal and civil judges, family and juvenile judges, and criminal and civil referees.
The official judge source is the Multnomah presiding and chief judges page.
Search Circuit Court Records
Multnomah County Circuit Court records are searched through Oregon Judicial Department systems, including OJD Records and Calendar Search and OECI. The search can cover criminal, traffic, parking, civil, family, probate, tax, court calendar, and judgment information depending on the selected category. When a person needs a document copy, certification, exemplification, older file, or audio, the request moves to the Circuit Court Records Department or the assigned department.
Oregon's court register rules appear in ORS Chapter 7. Juvenile record confidentiality is addressed in ORS 419A.255. Oregon's set-aside process for qualifying criminal records and charges appears in ORS 137.225. Those statutes help define why some records appear in public searches while others require special handling.
The Oregon juvenile records statute source is ORS 419A.255.
The juvenile statute image supports the local access limit for juvenile court files in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Multnomah County Specialty Courts
Specialty court programs can affect how a criminal case moves through the circuit court. START Court is an adult drug court program for people with substance-use disorders and related mental-health conditions who otherwise would have faced prison. The DUII Supervision Program is for high-risk, repeat DUII defendants and uses treatment, monitoring, and frequent contact with the court team.
Mental Health Court is designed to reduce criminal activity by people with qualifying mental-health diagnoses. STEP, the Strategic Treatment and Engagement Program, is used for certain Ballot Measure 11 charges where treatment and structured supervision may support long-term public safety. Veterans Treatment Court launched in 2025 as a program for justice-involved veterans.
The Oregon criminal set-aside statute source is ORS 137.225.
The criminal statute image belongs with specialty and post-disposition access because set-aside relief can change public access to qualifying Oregon records.
Visit Multnomah County Circuit Court
The Central Courthouse is the public-facing hub for most civil, criminal, family, probate, records, and customer-service work. The Records Department is in Room 3315 on the third floor. The Family Law and Probate counters are on the second floor central public service area. East County Courthouse gives east-county users a location for certain filings, payments, hearings, and traffic work.
Security screening can add time. The Multnomah County District Attorney's courthouse-security page advises visitors to allow an extra 15 to 30 minutes. Prohibited items include firearms even with a permit, pocket knives, multi-use tools, scissors, knitting needles, and other pointed or sharp items. Security staff will not hold unauthorized items for later pickup.
Note: For case copies, use Multnomah County Circuit Court Records Department; for marriage and official records, use the county clerk and recorder.