St. Utsman County Court Records
How To Find Court Records in Stutsman County in 2026
Members of the public seeking court records in Stutsman County, North Dakota, may access publicly available case information through several official channels. StUtsmanRecords.us provides a directory of resources and publicly available information related to court records maintained by government agencies serving Stutsman County. The information accessible through official sources may include, depending on case type and applicable access rules, records such as:
- Criminal case filings and dispositions
- Civil complaints, judgments, and orders
- Family law matters including divorce and custody proceedings
- Probate filings and estate records
- Traffic citations and infractions
- Small claims filings and outcomes
- Juvenile court records, where not restricted by law
Court records in Stutsman County may be searched through the Clerk of Court office, courthouse public access terminals, official court websites, written requests submitted by mail, and statewide judicial search tools maintained by the North Dakota Court System. Each method carries distinct access conditions, and not all records are available through every channel.
Method 1 – Clerk of Court or Court Records Office: The Clerk of District Court for Stutsman County maintains the official record of all district court filings. Members of the public may appear in person during courthouse hours to request inspection of case files. Providing a case number, party name, or approximate filing date assists staff in locating records efficiently.
Method 2 – Courthouse Public Access Terminals: Public terminals are available at the Stutsman County Courthouse during regular business hours. These terminals allow on-site review of case index information without charge, though printed copies are subject to a per-page fee.
Method 3 – Online Court Search: The North Dakota Courts public access portal provides online access to district court case information and supports payment processing for certain court-related transactions. Case information is displayed as each case progresses through the court system.
Method 4 – State-Level Judicial Search Tools: The statewide ND Court Records inquiry system allows searches across multiple North Dakota counties, including Stutsman County. Users may search by case number, defendant name, citation number, attorney name, or date filed.
Method 5 – Written or Mail Requests: Requests for certified copies or specific case documents may be submitted in writing to the Clerk of District Court. Written requests should include the full case caption or case number, the type of document requested, and the requester's contact information. Fees apply to copies and certified documents.
Are Court Records Public in Stutsman County
Court records in Stutsman County are subject to the public access provisions established under North Dakota law. Pursuant to N.D.C.C. § 44-04-18, records of public entities are open to inspection by members of the public unless a specific statutory exemption applies. The North Dakota Court System further governs access to judicial records through its administrative rules and policies.
The following categories of records are at present open to public inspection:
- Case dockets and index entries
- Party names and case captions
- Hearing dates and court calendars
- Filed pleadings, motions, and responses
- Court orders and judgments
- Sentencing entries and probation terms
- Probate inventories and decrees
Certain records are confidential, sealed, or restricted under current law and court rules:
- Juvenile delinquency and child in need of services (CHINS) records, which are protected under N.D.C.C. § 27-20.4-55
- Adoption records and related proceedings
- Mental health commitment records
- Records sealed by court order
- Protected personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and dates of birth, which are subject to redaction under North Dakota Administrative Rule 41
A distinction exists between courthouse inspection and online access. While the public may inspect a broader range of documents in person at the courthouse, the online portal may display only index-level information for certain case types, and document images may not be available for all filings.
What Are Court Records in Stutsman County?
Court records are the official documents, filings, and entries created and maintained by a court in connection with judicial proceedings. In legal and practical terms, a court record encompasses every document submitted to or generated by the court from the initiation of a case through its final disposition and any subsequent appellate proceedings.
A docket entry is a chronological log of actions taken in a case, while a full case file contains the actual documents underlying those entries. Civil court records arise from disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, and include complaints, answers, motions, and judgments. Criminal court records document the prosecution of offenses by the state and include charging instruments, plea entries, trial records, and sentencing orders. Filed pleadings are the formal documents submitted by parties, whereas final judgments represent the court's conclusive resolution of the matter.
Public filings are those accessible to any member of the public under applicable law, while sealed or restricted filings are withheld from public view by court order or statute. Trial court records are maintained at the district court level, while appellate records are held by the North Dakota Supreme Court.
The Clerk of District Court for Stutsman County is the custodian of all district court records. The Stutsman County Court System also includes a Municipal Court, which maintains its own separate records. Court records are created at the time of filing and updated continuously as the case proceeds through hearings, motions, orders, and final disposition.
Stutsman County District Court – Clerk of Court
511 2nd Ave SE
Jamestown, ND 58401
Phone: (701) 253-6243 option 1
Stutsman County – North Dakota Court System
Stutsman County Municipal Court
205 6th St SE, Suite 104
Jamestown, ND 58401
Phone: (701) 251-2143
Court System – Stutsman County
What's Included in a Stutsman County Court Record?
A court record in Stutsman County may contain a range of information depending on the case type, the stage of proceedings, and applicable public-access rules. The following elements are commonly found within publicly accessible court records:
- Case number assigned at the time of filing
- Court name and division in which the matter is pending
- Filing date and case initiation information
- Party names, including plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and attorneys of record
- Case type and current status, such as active, closed, or on appeal
- Docket entries reflecting each action taken in the case
- Hearing dates, continuances, and scheduled proceedings
- Motions, complaints, petitions, answers, orders, judgments, notices, minute entries, and decrees
- Outcome information, including dismissals, guilty pleas, convictions, sentencing entries, custody rulings, probate orders, and appellate decisions
- Administrative and financial information, such as filing fees, assessed costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where publicly displayed
Certain information is excluded or restricted from public court records. Sealed filings, expunged matters, juvenile case files, adoption records, and protected personal data such as Social Security numbers and financial account numbers are not available for public inspection. Some exhibits, particularly those containing sensitive personal information or materials subject to protective orders, may also be withheld.
Types of Courts in Stutsman County
Stutsman County is served by courts operating within the unified North Dakota state court system. The North Dakota Court System organizes trial courts into judicial districts, and Stutsman County falls within the South Central Judicial District.
The courts currently serving Stutsman County include:
- District Court (South Central Judicial District): The District Court is the court of general jurisdiction for Stutsman County. It hears felony and misdemeanor criminal cases, civil matters, family law proceedings including divorce and custody, probate and guardianship matters, juvenile cases, and appeals from lower courts. The Clerk of District Court maintains the official record for all district court proceedings.
- Municipal Court: The Stutsman County Municipal Court, located in Jamestown, handles municipal ordinance violations, traffic infractions, and certain misdemeanor matters arising within the city's jurisdiction. Municipal court records are maintained separately from district court records.
As stated by the North Dakota Court System, "The District Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction in North Dakota and has original jurisdiction in all civil and criminal matters."
What Types of Cases Do Stutsman County Courts Hear
The District Court, as a court of general jurisdiction, hears the full range of case types, including:
- Criminal cases: Felonies, misdemeanors, and gross misdemeanors prosecuted by the State of North Dakota
- Civil cases: Contract disputes, personal injury actions, property matters, and other civil litigation
- Family law: Divorce, legal separation, child custody, child support, and domestic violence proceedings
- Probate: Estate administration, wills, trusts, guardianships, and conservatorships
- Juvenile matters: Delinquency proceedings and child in need of services cases, which are subject to confidentiality restrictions
- Small claims: Civil disputes involving limited monetary amounts, heard under simplified procedures
- Traffic: Serious traffic offenses and appeals from traffic citations
The Municipal Court exercises limited jurisdiction over municipal code violations and traffic matters within the City of Jamestown.
How to Search Stutsman County Court Records for Free?
Several methods for accessing Stutsman County court records are available at no cost. In-person inspection of case files at the Clerk of District Court office is free of charge during regular courthouse hours, which are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on business days. The courthouse public access terminals also allow free index-level searches on-site.
The statewide North Dakota Courts public access portal provides free online case search functionality for district court cases and some municipal court cases. The criminal case records search tool allows searches by case number, defendant name, citation number, or attorney information without charge.
The following table summarizes current access costs:
| Access Method | Cost |
|---|---|
| In-person case file inspection | Free |
| Courthouse public terminal search | Free |
| Online case index search (ndcourts.gov) | Free |
| Photocopies (per page) | Fee applies (verify with clerk) |
| Certified copies | Fee applies (verify with clerk) |
| Research by clerk staff | Fee may apply |
Pursuant to North Dakota court fee schedules, fees for copies and certified documents are set by administrative rule and are subject to change. Members of the public are advised to confirm current copy fees directly with the Clerk of District Court at the time of their request.
How Long Does Stutsman County Keep Court Records?
The retention of court records in Stutsman County is governed by the North Dakota judicial records retention schedule established by the North Dakota Supreme Court and applicable state administrative rules. Retention periods vary by case type and record category.
Under current judicial records retention policy:
- Felony criminal case files are retained permanently or for extended periods given the severity of the offenses involved.
- Misdemeanor and infraction records are retained for defined periods following case closure, after which paper files may be eligible for destruction following imaging or archival transfer.
- Civil case files are retained according to schedules that vary based on the nature of the judgment and whether appeals are pending.
- Probate records are retained permanently in many jurisdictions given their significance to property and estate matters.
- Juvenile records are subject to separate retention and destruction schedules, and some are eligible for sealing or expungement upon the subject reaching adulthood.
- Docket books and minute records are retained permanently as the official chronological record of court proceedings.
As noted by the North Dakota Court System, records management practices distinguish between destruction, archival retention, sealing, redaction, and expungement. Destruction refers to the physical elimination of a record at the end of its retention period. Archival retention means the record is preserved but may be transferred to a state or county archive. Sealing restricts access without destroying the record. Redaction removes specific information from a document while preserving the remainder. Expungement, available under N.D.C.C. § 12-60-16.6 for qualifying criminal records, results in the removal of the record from public access.
Older records may exist in paper files, microfilm, or county archives. Members of the public seeking records predating electronic filing systems may need to submit in-person or written requests to the Clerk of Court to locate archived materials.
How To Find a Court Docket in Stutsman County
A court docket is the official chronological log of all actions, filings, and proceedings in a specific case. It differs from a full case file in that the docket records what happened and when, while the case file contains the actual documents underlying each docket entry. The docket serves as the authoritative index to a case and is the starting point for any court records search.
Dockets for Stutsman County district court cases are accessible through the ND Court Records inquiry system, which allows members of the public to search by case number, party name, citation number, or attorney information. The system displays docket entries as they are entered by court staff, reflecting the current status of each case.
To locate a docket through the statewide portal, a user may:
- Navigate to the North Dakota Courts public search portal
- Select Stutsman County or the South Central District from the jurisdiction options
- Enter a search parameter such as the defendant's name or case number
- Review the list of matching cases and select the relevant matter
- View the docket entries displayed for that case
A court docket at present contains hearing dates, continuances, motion filings, minute entries, order entries, and status updates. The docket does not include full document images in all instances, and sealed entries, confidential attachments, and restricted exhibits are not displayed. Hearing calendars and daily court schedules may be available separately through the clerk's office or posted at the courthouse.
The criminal case records search guidance published by the North Dakota Court System identifies the following search parameters available for criminal docket searches: case number, case cross-reference number, defendant name, citation number, attorney name, attorney bar number, and date filed. Providing multiple identifiers narrows results and improves the accuracy of the search.
Stutsman County District Court – Clerk of Court
511 2nd Ave SE
Jamestown, ND 58401
Phone: (701) 253-6243 option 1
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Stutsman County – North Dakota Court System