Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Buchanan County, Missouri, has about 84,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Buchanan County Circuit Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Circuit Clerk, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Buchanan County public records, Buchanan County arrest records, Buchanan County warrants, Buchanan County inmate search, Buchanan County criminal records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Buchanan County
In Buchanan County, the Buchanan County Circuit Court hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, with associate circuit judges taking misdemeanors, traffic and small claims.
A city with a municipal divisions of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the Circuit Court, and the file stays with the Circuit Clerk.
The Circuit Clerk keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Missouri Sunshine Law.
Looking Up a Case from Buchanan County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at co.buchanan.mo.us/QuickLinks/Court_Links (page title: Court Links | Buchanan County Missouri), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Statewide, Case.net is the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
The Missouri court page SearchSystems verified is at courts.mo.gov.
What Reaches the Court from Buchanan County
Together, the two agencies in Buchanan County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,307 arrests to the FBI that year; the Prosecuting Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Buchanan County Circuit Court.
The Prosecuting Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at co.buchanan.mo.us/prosecuting-attorney (page title: Prosecuting Attorney | Buchanan County, MO), 411 Jules Street, Room 132, Saint Joseph, MO 64501, a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Missouri Department of Revenue Driver License Bureau, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Buchanan County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Buchanan County criminal records, Buchanan County divorce records, Buchanan County traffic tickets, Buchanan County DUI and Buchanan County property records.
Cities in Buchanan County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Buchanan County Circuit Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal divisions where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Buchanan County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- St. Joseph (71,098)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Buchanan County?
Through Case.net, the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
Which court hears felonies in Buchanan County?
The Buchanan County Circuit Court, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate and juvenile case, with associate circuit judges taking misdemeanors, traffic and small claims.
Who keeps the court records in Buchanan County?
The Circuit Clerk. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Missouri?
Yes: Case.net, the Missouri courts' free statewide case search.
Is this the official Buchanan County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.