How to Search Ohio Public Records

Ohio's court, criminal, vital, property, voter, and licensing records are maintained across state agencies and the 88 counties listed below. Use the tabs to filter by record type, or jump directly to any source.

  • Courts: The Supreme Court of Ohio sits at the top of the system; trial-court business is handled by the Court of Common Pleas (each county), Municipal & County Courts. Most courts publish dockets and case lookups online.
  • Criminal history: The state's criminal-history repository handles official background checks. Fees and procedures are set by the state agency — see the linked official source.
  • Vital records: Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates are issued by the state Department of Health (or equivalent) and may also be available locally.
  • Property & recorded documents: Maintained at the county level by the Assessor, Recorder, or Clerk's office.
  • Business filings: The Secretary of State (or equivalent) operates the official business-entity search.
Population
11,883,304
Households
4,763,600
Median Income
$66,990
Median Home Value
$191,500

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2024 Population Estimates Program; 2022 ACS 5-year)

Vital Records Databases

61 official Ohio vital records sources.

Vital Records

Clark County Marriages 1845-1850
Official Free
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Clark County | Marriages
Official Free
Clark County Probate Court marriage records, searchable by name, case number, or file date. Covers marriages filed from 1818 to the present.
Columbiana County | Births, Deaths, Marriages
Official Free
Columbiana County Probate Court records for births, deaths, and marriages through estate records, marriage licenses, and birth registrations and.
Cuyahoga County Marriage Index
Official Free
Search the Cuyahoga County Probate Court for Marriage License records, Birth, Probate, Guardianship, and Trusts.
Cuyahoga County Obituaries & Cemetery Inscriptions
Official Free
This database was produced from a microfilmed copy of an alphabetical card file containing local cemetery records and newspaper death notices.
🌐 cpl.org
Darke County Burials
Official Free
Browse this database by surname or cemetery for burials in Darke County, Ohio.
Darke County Marriages 1817-1850
Official Free
Browse this database by name for marriages recorded in Darke County, Ohio between 1817 and 1850.
Deaths | Obituaries 1830-Present
Official Free
Search Ohio obituaries by name or year of death. Gives date of death, names of spouse & father, age, city of death, marriage date, notes, newspaper.
Deaths | Records and Certificates
Official Free
Search Ohio deaths and order death certificates.
Fairfield County Marriages 1800-1811
Official Free
Browse this Fairfield County Chapter of The Ohio Genealogical Society database by name for marriages in Fairfield County, Ohio between 1800 and 1811.
Fayette County Birth Records 1909-1999
Official Free
Fayette County, Ohio birth records by name. Provided by the Carnegie Public Library.
Fayette County Death Index 1867-1908
Official Free
Carnegie Public Library in Washington Court House, Ohio database of Fayette County death records covering 1867-1908.
Fayette County Death Records | St. Colman Church
Official Free
St. Colman Church in Fayette County death records, searchable by name.
Fayette County Obituaries 1911-2005
Official Free
Carnegie Public Library in Washington Court House, Ohio database of Fayette County obituaries published between 1911 and 2005.
Franklin County Obituaries 1937-1997
Official Free
Search this Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Library database for Franklin County obituaries by name and optionally by date.
Franklin County Veteran Grave Search
Official Free
Search this Franklin County Recorder's database by name or burial site for Veteran Graves in Franklin County, Ohio.
Franklin County | Marriage Records
Official Free
Franklin County marriages 1/3/1995 to present.
Geauga County | Marriages
Official Free
The Probate Court in Geauga County includes marriage license records in their searchable court index.
Greene County Marriage Licenses
Official Free
Index of Greene County marriage licenses from the Probate Court.
Hamilton County | Marriages
Official Free
Hamilton County Probate Court marriage records since 1808.
Miami Valley Marriage Records
Official Free
Miami Valley, Ohio genealogy index, including Butler County marriages 1803-1840; Clarke County marriages 1818-1865; Darke County 1817-1850; Greene.
Montgomery County | Marriages
Official Free
Marriage records from the Search the Montgomery County Probate Court.
Montgomery County | Obituaries
Official Free
Montgomery County obituaries published in the Dayton Daily News, Dayton Journal Herald, or Dayton Magazine.
Portage County Marriages 1842-1943
Official Free
Browse this Portage County Historical Society collection of newspaper clippings of marriage announcements. Covers the period 1842-1943.
Preble County Genealogical & Historical Records
Official Free
Search this Preble County, Ohio Public Library database by name or keyword for Genealogical & Historical Records.
Stark County Marriages
Official Free
Probate Court of Stark County marriage license index. Records are current from April of 1986 through the current date.
Stark County | Obituaries
Official Free
Louisville, Ohio Public Library search for Stark County obituaries.
Trumbull County | Marriages
Official Free
Trumbull County marriage licenses filed at the Probate Court and can be found using the court docket index.
Warren County Marriages, Births, Deaths
Official Free
Warren County Genealogical Society vital records, including marriages between 1803 and 1907, births between 1867 and1908, and deaths 1867 through.
Williams County Obituaries
Official Free
Search this Williams County Ohio Public Library database by name for newspaper obituaries.
Wood County Marriages
Official Free
Marriage license records from the Wood County Probate Court.
Wood County Obituaries (1848-present)
Official Free
Search Wood County, Ohio obituaries by name or date. Gives spouse, cemetery, paper, and date/page/column of obituary.
Worthington Cemeteries
Official Free
Search the Worthington Historical Society database of all Worthington cemeteries by surname or obituary keyword, or individual cemeteries by.
Hamilton County Obituaries
Official Free
Search this Cincinnati.Com database for obituaries, death notices, estate services, funeral home announcements, etc. that were published in the Cincinnati, Ohio newspapers since October 2000.
Lake County Deaths 1867-1908
Official Free
Browse this RootsWeb database by year for deaths recorded in Probate Court in Lake County, Ohio between 1867 and 1908.
Clark County Obituaries
Official Free
Search Clark County, Ohio obituaries from 1833 to 2006 by name or date range. Gives spouse/family information, date of funeral services and location of burial.
Greene County Births 1869-1909
Official Free
Greene County, Ohio births from 1869-1909 by name. Greene County Public Library database.
Allen County War Casualties
Official Free
Browse by name for Allen County, Ohio Persian Gulf, Vietnam, Korean, WWI, WWII, Civil, and Spanish Mexican war casualties.
Deaths | Cemetery Records
Official Free
Cemetery records in Ohio including cemetery maps, interment records, and burial site photographs.
Cuyahoga County Death Records 1867-1890
Official Free
Browse Cuyahoga County, Ohio death records by name. Gives date of death, age, and volume/page number. Site also includes information on how to order a copy of the record.
Eaton Obituaries (Recent)
Official Free
Search recent Eaton, Ohio obituaries by name or date or browse by date. Gives full text of obituary as it appeared in the Eaton Register-Herald.
Lawrence County Births
Official Free
Birth announcements and birth records in Lawrence County, Ohio.
Portage County | Marriages, Deaths, Divorces
Official Free
Portage County Common Pleas and Probate Court index, including marriage records, divorces, and death records.
Summit County Marriages
Official Free
Summit County Probate Court marriage license search. Select Marriage License in the Case Type field.
Jackson County Deaths 1867-1908
Official Free
Use this RootsWeb service to browse by Volume and name for deaths recorded in Jackson County, Ohio between 1867 and 1908.
Cuyahoga County Obituaries
Official Free
Search the Cleveland Plain Dealer for Cuyahoga County, Ohio Obituaries
Allen County Cemeteries
Official Free
Browse by cemetery and name for Allen County, Ohio cemetery inscriptions.
Allen County Death Records 1909-1953
Official Free
Browse Allen County, Ohio death records by name. Gives date of birth & death, cemetery, source, and volume/page number. Site also gives information on how to order a copy of the record.
Geauga County Birth Records 1867-1907
Official Free
Geauga County, Ohio birth records for the period 1867-1907.
Lucas County | Oregon Burial Records
Official Free
City of Oregon, burial records searchable by decedent name or plot owner name.
Divorces | State and County Records
Official Free
There are too many divorce indexes in Ohio to include here, so we gave them their own page. Here you'll find the statewide Ohio Divorce Index covering divorces between 1962 and 1996, and the available County Court of Common Pleas indexes where divorces are filed Ohio.
Fairfield County | Marriages
Official Free
Lancaster Eagle-Gazette database of Fairfield County marriage licenses.
Akron Births
Official Free
Search the Akron public library database of birth notices published in local papers such as the Akron Globe, Akron Echo, Akron News, and the.
Akron Deaths
Official Free
Akron public library database of death notices published in local papers such as the Akron Globe, Akron Echo, Akron News, Akron/Mentone News, and.
Akron Marriages
Official Free
Search the Akron, Ohio public library database of Marriage notices published in local newspapers.

Ohio Counties

88 Ohio counties are indexed on SearchSystems.net — top 28 counties shown below. Browse the full directory or click any county for local court, sheriff, recorder and assessor links.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ohio's official criminal-history repository is operated by the state law-enforcement agency. Free public access to a complete criminal history is generally not available; an official background check typically requires fingerprints and a fee. Countie-level court records can be searched at no cost through individual court websites.

Ohio's court system is headed by the Supreme Court of Ohio. Trial-court business is handled by the Court of Common Pleas (each county), Municipal & County Courts. Many Ohio courts publish docket searches and case lookups online — see the Court Records tab above for direct links.

The Ohio Secretary of State (or equivalent agency) operates the official business-entity search. You can typically search corporations, LLCs, LPs, and other registered entities by name or registration number. See the Licenses or Business tab above.

The Assessor determines property values for tax purposes. The Recorder (or Clerk-Recorder) records deeds, mortgages, liens, and other property documents. Some county offices combine these roles, others keep them separate. Check the specific county page for details.

Ohio vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce certificates) are issued by the state Department of Health (or equivalent) and, in many cases, by local county clerks. Fees and ID requirements are set by the issuing agency.

Most county-level property and recorded-document searches are free for basic information through the Assessor or Recorder website. Certified copies of deeds typically have a per-page fee. Direct links are in the Property Records tab above.

The Ohio sex offender registry is maintained by the state law-enforcement agency under the Sex Offender Registration and Community Notification Act. The registry is searchable by name, ZIP code, or address.

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