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.
Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, with about 365,000 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 Cleveland offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 2 city office pages for Cleveland, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, Police records, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where Cleveland records are kept
- Kept by the City of Cleveland: police reports, council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Cuyahoga 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 Cuyahoga County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Cleveland police reports and records
Incident reports, crash reports and the other records of the Cleveland 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 Cleveland police records.
- Website: clevelandohio.gov/city-hall/departments/public-safety/divisions/police (page title: Division of Police | City of Cleveland Ohio)
- Phone: (216) 621-1234
- Address: 1300 Ontario St. Cleveland, OH 44113
- 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 Cuyahoga County public records guide under jail and inmate lookups.
Cleveland 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: clevelandohio.gov/city-hall (page title: City Hall | City of Cleveland Ohio)
- Phone: 216-664-2000
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Cleveland
Ohio public records law applies to the city government of Cleveland. A record that is not posted online is requested from the office that holds it: 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 Cuyahoga County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Cuyahoga County. The Cuyahoga County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
- Parma
- Lakewood
- Euclid
- Strongsville
- Cleveland Heights
- North Royalton
- Shaker Heights
- Solon
- Maple Heights
- Rocky River
- South Euclid
- Parma Heights
- Mayfield Heights
- Broadview Heights
- Brook Park
- Berea
- Fairview Park
- Bay Village
- Middleburg Heights
- Brecksville
- Beachwood
- University Heights
- Bedford
- Seven Hills
- Brooklyn
- Bedford Heights
- Olmsted Falls
- Independence
- Pepper Pike
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Cleveland website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Cleveland offices listed above, and the city's own website is clevelandohio.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
How do I get a police report in Cleveland?
Request it from the Cleveland police records unit at clevelandohio.gov, phone (216) 621-1234. Reports on open investigations and the names of victims and juveniles are usually withheld or redacted.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Cleveland?
Cleveland cases are heard by the courts that serve Cuyahoga County, and people arrested in Cleveland are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Cuyahoga County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Cleveland?
From the office that holds it: the police records unit for police reports and the department that issued a permit or license for its records. Ohio public records law applies to city governments.