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 on September 24, 2026.
Washoe County, Nevada, has about 507,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the District Court for Washoe County and the Justice Court, and the file of each case, kept by the County 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: Washoe County public records, Washoe County arrest records, Washoe County warrants, Washoe County inmate search, Washoe County criminal records, Nevada arrest records and Nevada inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Washoe County
Court cases from Washoe County are filed in the District Court for Washoe County, which hears felonies, civil cases over $15,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters.
The Justice Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, evictions and civil cases up to $15,000.
A city with a municipal court of its own tries the tickets written under its ordinances.
Divorces go to the District Court's family division, and the file stays with the County Clerk.
The County 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 Nevada Public Records Act.
Looking Up a Case from Washoe County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at washoecounty.gov/sjc/CaseSearch.php (page title: Case Search | Washoe County), 1001 E 9th St, Reno, NV 89512, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
Nevada has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The appellate courts' case search is at nvcourts.gov/supreme/how_do_i/find_a_case.
What Reaches the Court from Washoe County
Together, the two agencies in Washoe County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 15,846 arrests to the FBI that year; the District Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the District Court for Washoe County or the Justice Court.
The District Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at washoecounty.gov/da (page title: District Attorney's Office | Washoe County), phone 775.789.7100, 1001 E 9th St, Reno, NV 89512, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026.
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 Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Washoe County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Washoe County criminal records, Washoe County divorce records, Washoe County traffic tickets, Washoe County DUI and Washoe County property records.
Cities in Washoe County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the District Court for Washoe County or the Justice Court; tickets under a city's own ordinances go to its municipal court where it has one.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Washoe County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Reno (281,714)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Washoe County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at washoecounty.gov/sjc/CaseSearch.php.
Which court hears felonies in Washoe County?
The District Court for Washoe County, which hears felonies, civil cases over $15,000, divorces, probate and juvenile matters. The Justice Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, evictions and civil cases up to $15,000.
Who keeps the court records in Washoe County?
The County Clerk. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Nevada?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Washoe 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.