Access Lake County Clerk Records

Lake County Clerk Office

Michael A. Brown is listed as Clerk of the Lake Circuit/Superior Court, with Shawn Miller listed as Executive Chief Deputy. The official clerk page describes the clerk as a ministerial officer, custodian of the clerk's record and seal, issuer of process, receiver of money in an official capacity, keeper of judgments and orders, and the office that makes certified copies of record. The clerk also issues miscellaneous licenses and keeps records of wills and matters of trust in probate proceedings.

The Lake County Clerk page is the official source for the office role, branches, online services, payment links, and court-record contacts.

Use the clerk page to confirm current service channels before requesting copies, filing forms, or visiting a branch.

Lake County Clerk Duties

The clerk receives filings that begin litigation, enters court orders and judgments, issues process, keeps the court seal, receives money, and makes certified court copies. For the public, that means the clerk is the office to contact when MyCase shows a case but the document is not online, when an official seal is needed, when an old file must be found, or when a branch-stored record needs retrieval.

• Official copies and certified copies of Circuit and Superior Court records.
• Filing and payment channels for civil, criminal, family, probate, small-claims, eviction, and traffic matters.
• Marriage-license and probate recordkeeping functions identified in the research file.
• Forms and local court-rule resources for small claims, family cases, estate, guardianship, ADR, eviction, and related filings.
• Branch support for Hammond, East Chicago, juvenile, and converted local court records.

Request Lake County Certified Copies

Certified copies are different from online case views. A MyCase page may help identify the file, but a certified copy must come from the clerk or the court maintaining the record. For Lake County, start with the Crown Point Clerk for most Circuit and Superior Court matters. Use Hammond or East Chicago when the record is tied to that branch, and use the Juvenile Justice Complex contacts for juvenile matters where public access rules allow any release.

1. Search MyCase first and write down the case number, case caption, court, case type, and filing year.
2. Identify whether the file is a Crown Point, Hammond, East Chicago, juvenile, or converted local matter.
3. Contact the proper clerk office with the case number, party names, document type, and number of copies needed.
4. Confirm the current fee, payment method, and whether pickup, mail, or fax handling is available.
5. Request certification if the copy must be used for court, licensing, employment, or official proof.

Lake County Clerk Fees and Forms

The clerk fee page links LADOS Division 1 and Division 2 fee schedules, a priority of bond schedule, and clerk filing fees effective March 10, 2026. Exact copy or filing amounts should be confirmed from the official linked schedule or the clerk before payment. The clerk page states that major credit cards are accepted at the counter for face-to-face transactions only, valid identification must match the card, American Express is not accepted, and the credit-card processor charges a 3 percent convenience fee.

The Lake County Clerk forms page lists small-claims and notice-of-claim forms.

Forms should be matched to the case type before filing because small claims, eviction, probate, family, and criminal records use different workflows.

Lake County Hammond Records

Hammond records are a Lake County clerk issue that deserves special care. The Hammond Clerk page explains that old Hammond City infractions with the 45H04 case number are converted to new Lake County division numbers only by attorney or defendant request, with D07, D09, and D12 assignment percentages listed in the research. Hammond City ordinance violations convert to County Division 4 for code enforcement, animal control, and parking violations. Physical files for Hammond City infractions and ordinance violations are stored at 232 Russell Street, while some Hammond City CM files are stored at Hammond City Hall and retrieved weekly.

The Lake County Jury Administrator page is another clerk-related resource for court users and jurors.

Branch-specific details can decide whether a file is available now, needs conversion, or must be retrieved from storage.