Lake County Circuit and Superior Courts
Indiana's Judicial Branch describes the state trial courts as circuit courts, superior courts, and local city or town courts. Lake County uses both Lake Circuit Court and Lake Superior Court. Lake Circuit Court is the 31st Judicial Circuit, and its official page says it has operated since the county was formed. The court hears civil matters and shares jurisdiction with Lake Superior Court. Its listed civil work includes personal injury, breach of contract, commercial disputes, malpractice, administrative review, divorce, child support, probate, guardianship, and county tax-sale proceedings.
Lake Superior Court is the broader trial-court structure for many Lake County case types. The official Superior Court page functions as a division hub, with links to civil rooms, county division rooms, small claims, probation, criminal division, and criminal division rooms. The Juvenile Division operates separately for juvenile matters, which are heavily restricted in public lookup systems. City and town courts still matter for ordinance, infraction, traffic, and bench-warrant questions.
The Lake Superior Court page shows the local division structure used for Lake County trial court records.
Those divisions help explain why a case may list a room, county division, criminal division, or branch path in MyCase.
Lake County Court Locations
The main court campus is the Government Center/Courts campus in Crown Point. Branch and division details are important because the clerk has separate Crown Point, Hammond, East Chicago, and juvenile contacts, and the sheriff profile notes court security across Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago buildings. The following table reflects the official research inventory rather than every courtroom assignment.
| Court or Office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake County Courts portal | Main court campus | 2293 N. Main Street, Crown Point, IN 46307 | (219) 755-3000 |
| Lake Circuit Court | 31st Judicial Circuit | 2293 N. Main Street, Courtroom B203, Crown Point, IN 46307 | (219) 755-3488 |
| Lake Superior Court | Civil, county, small claims, probation, criminal divisions | 2293 N. Main Street, Crown Point, IN 46307 | (219) 755-3000 |
| Juvenile Division | Juvenile matters | 3000 W. 93rd Ave, Crown Point, IN 46307 | Use court or clerk juvenile contacts |
| Hammond Clerk branch | Converted infraction and ordinance files | 232 Russell Street, Hammond, IN 46320 | 219-933-2857 |
Lake County Trial Court Paths
Lake County records do not fit a simple district-court model. Circuit Court, Superior Court, and city or town court paths can all matter, especially for traffic, ordinance, small claims, juvenile, probate, and criminal records. A case that appears in MyCase may still require the clerk or branch office for official documents.
| Path | What It Handles | Where Records Start |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Circuit Court | Civil matters, divorce, child support, probate, guardianship, tax-sale, administrative review | MyCase and Clerk of the Lake Circuit/Superior Court |
| Lake Superior Court | Civil rooms, county division rooms, small claims, probation, criminal division, juvenile division | MyCase, court division pages, and clerk offices |
| City and Town Courts | Local ordinance, infraction, traffic, and bench-warrant issues | Local court or converted Lake County division record |
Lake County Case Flow
A Lake County case begins when a complaint, petition, information, citation, probate application, or other filing reaches the proper court. The clerk accepts filings and enters judgments and orders, while the court schedules hearings and issues rulings. MyCase then displays public case summary entries when the matter is not confidential.
Civil flow: Filing › service › appearance or answer › motions or discovery › hearing, settlement, trial, or judgment › appeal if filed.
Criminal flow: arrest or summons › prosecutor charge filing › initial hearing or arraignment › pretrial motions › plea or trial › disposition and sentence › appeal or post-conviction step.
The U.S. District Court Hammond Division is separate from Lake County trial courts.
Federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy records use federal systems such as CM/ECF and PACER, not Lake County MyCase files.
Federal Courts in Hammond
Lake County is in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division. The federal Hammond Division covers Lake and Porter counties and lists 5400 Federal Plaza in Hammond. Federal criminal cases, civil rights claims, federal-question suits, diversity cases, prisoner civil-rights cases, and other federal matters are not maintained by the Lake County Clerk. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Indiana also has a Hammond location at 5400 Federal Plaza, Room 2200.
The Northern District of Indiana homepage and the Northern District bankruptcy court homepage are the proper sources for federal court records.
Use federal sources only when the case caption or charge is in a United States court rather than a Lake County trial court.
The bankruptcy court Hammond location page gives the local bankruptcy office details.
Bankruptcy records are federal records even when the debtor or property is located in Lake County.
Federal case access is also different in cost and procedure. Lake County court users who are used to free MyCase searches should not expect federal dockets to appear there. Federal civil, criminal, and bankruptcy records normally require federal clerk channels or PACER access, while state trial court records use Indiana court portals and Lake County clerk offices.
Lake County Court History
Lake County formed in 1837, and Lake Circuit Court's official page says the court has been in operation since that time. The historic Crown Point courthouse, known as the Grand Old Lady, is not the current records counter. Today, court record access is tied to the Government Center, clerk branches, court divisions, MyCase, and public.courts.in.gov.
The local court structure is also why Lake County records can show branch storage, division rooms, and state portal entries for the same matter.
Note: Use the modern Government Center or the proper branch office for records, not the historic courthouse square building.