Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, with about 104,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps police reports, council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the South Bend offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 3 city office pages for South Bend, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, City Clerk, Police records, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where South Bend records are kept
- Kept by the City of South Bend: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by St. Joseph County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the St. Joseph County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
South Bend City Clerk: council records and ordinances
The City Clerk keeps the official records of the city government: council and board agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions, and the city's contracts and other official documents. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for South Bend.
- Website: southbendin.gov/department/city-clerk (page title: Office of the City Clerk | South Bend, Indiana)
- Phone: 574.235.9750
- Address: 9221 Address 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. South Bend, IN 46601
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
South Bend police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the South Bend police are requested from the department's records unit, usually in writing or through an online form. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted, and some states limit crash reports to the people involved and their insurers. The page below is the one SearchSystems verified for South Bend police records.
- Website: police.southbendin.gov/about-sbpd/record-bureau (page title: Records bureau | South Bend Police Department)
- Phone: (574) 235-9212
- Address: 701 W. Sample St. South Bend, IN 46601
- Hours: Monday - Friday: 7AM-11PM
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Jail bookings and inmate lookups are usually handled by the county, not the city police. They are in the St. Joseph County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
South Bend City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: southbendin.gov/new-city-hall (page title: City Hall and Service Center | South Bend, Indiana)
- Phone: 574-233-0311
- Address: 215 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd South Bend, IN 46601
- Hours: Monday - Friday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to South Bend
Indiana public records law applies to the city government of South Bend. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
Other cities and towns in St. Joseph County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in St. Joseph County. The St. Joseph County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official South Bend website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official South Bend offices listed above, and the city's own website is southbendin.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in South Bend?
Request it from the South Bend police records unit at police.southbendin.gov, phone (574) 235-9212. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find South Bend city council minutes and ordinances?
From the City Clerk at southbendin.gov/department/city-clerk, phone 574.235.9750. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for South Bend?
South Bend cases are heard by the courts that serve St. Joseph County, and people arrested in South Bend are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the St. Joseph County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from South Bend?
From the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records, the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. Indiana public records law applies to city governments.