Arrest Records for Delaware County, Ohio

When you need to pull an arrest record tied to a specific name in Delaware County, the records live in two distinct systems: the Delaware County Clerk of Courts holds court-side docket entries for cases filed in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, while the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office maintains booking-side records from the jail. The Clerk’s Public Records Policy governs how requests are processed; the courthouse at the Historic Delaware County Courthouse operates Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Parking there is meter-only, so plan extra time.

If someone you know was just booked tonight, our Delaware County inmate-search page has phone-first contact info.

Searching for records beyond Ohio

A Delaware County court portal only surfaces cases filed within this county’s jurisdiction. Records from neighboring Union, Morrow, Knox, Licking, Franklin, Madison, or Pickaway counties require separate requests to each county’s clerk — and cases predating a portal’s online window may not appear at all. A nationwide search tool may help fill gaps that local portals often leave, including records under prior names or cases from other states where someone has lived.

Sponsored: Nationwide Criminal Background Check (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).

This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.

How to look up arrest records in Delaware County

Bring a government-issued photo ID and the full name — and ideally a date of birth or case number — before you contact any of the offices below. Each pathway returns different data, and knowing which system holds what you need saves a trip.

Delaware County Clerk of Courts — court docket records. The Clerk’s office, headed by Natalie Fravel, maintains the official docket for the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas. Felony and major misdemeanor cases filed in Common Pleas appear here, including charges, case numbers, hearing dates, and dispositions. The Clerk’s Public Records Policy outlines the request process and applicable fees. Request the records-request form from the Clerk if you need a written submission. The Historic Delaware County Courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; courthouse parking is meter-only, so arrive with coins or a card. The security screening line at the Common Pleas entrance moves quickly. You can also make some payments through the Delaware Court website rather than in person.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Office — booking-side records. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office at 844 US 42 N holds arrest and booking records generated when someone is processed into the Delaware County Jail. Call (740) 833-2800 to confirm current records-request procedures before visiting. The Sheriff’s Office has wide lanes and ample parking. Background check services at this location are walk-in only, available Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; money order is the accepted payment method for those services. Confirm numbers and hours before visiting or calling.

Ohio Supreme Court case search — appellate and statewide docket. Ohio does not maintain a single statewide trial-court search. The Ohio Supreme Court case search covers appellate matters only. For Delaware County trial-court cases, the Clerk of Courts is the authoritative source. The Supreme Court portal will not show a Common Pleas docket entry.

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction — state prison records. If the person you’re researching received a state prison sentence, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction offender search can confirm current incarceration status, county of commitment, and supervision status. Filter by “Delaware” in the county of commitment field. This tool covers ODRC-supervised individuals only — county jail detainees are tracked separately by the Sheriff.

Lower courts in Delaware County. Not every arrest results in a Common Pleas case. Minor misdemeanors and traffic offenses may be handled by a municipal or mayor’s court. Dublin’s Mayor’s Court handles violations within that city’s jurisdiction. The Delaware County Domestic Relations Court and Delaware County Juvenile Court maintain their own separate dockets; juvenile records carry additional access restrictions described in the next section.

Are Delaware County arrest records public?

Even if a record has been expunged under Ohio law, it disappears from public view entirely — but until that happens, court filings and booking records in Delaware County are open to the public under Ohio’s open-records framework.

Ohio Revised Code section 149.43 — the Ohio Public Records Act — establishes the default rule: government records, including arrest records and booking information, are public unless a specific statutory exception applies. Delaware County records held by the Clerk of Courts and the Sheriff’s Office fall under that default-public status. The Clerk’s published Public Records Policy spells out how ORC 149.43 applies to Common Pleas filings specifically.

The narrow exceptions matter. Juvenile records handled by the Delaware County Juvenile Court are confidential by statute and are not accessible through a standard public-records request. Victim-identifying information — addresses, contact details, and certain protected data — is redacted from records released to the public. Cases that have been sealed or expunged under ORC 2953.32 are removed from public view; the Clerk will not confirm the existence of a sealed record to a member of the public. Law enforcement agencies, however, retain access to sealed records for their own purposes.

Mugshot release policy for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office isn’t posted online — call (740) 833-2800 to confirm whether booking photos are released on request.

If a record you’re looking for doesn’t appear in the Clerk’s docket or the Sheriff’s records, it may have been sealed. The expungement and sealing process under ORC 2953.32 is covered in detail below.

What’s in a Delaware County arrest record?

A booking record and a court docket entry are generated by different agencies and contain different fields — understanding which system holds what saves time when you’re pulling a specific record.

The booking record, created by the Delaware County Jail when someone is processed in, typically contains: the person’s full legal name, date of birth, booking date and time, a unique booking number assigned at intake, the charges as listed at arrest, and the arresting agency. The booking number is the jail’s internal identifier — it differs from the court case number assigned later by the Clerk. Call (740) 833-2810 to ask about the jail’s current booking-record release procedures.

The court docket entry, maintained by the Clerk of Courts at the Delaware County Courthouse, reflects what happened after the arrest reached the court system. Fields visible in a records request from the Clerk include: the defendant’s name, the case number assigned by the Clerk, the charges as formally filed by the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office, all hearing dates and entries, the attorney of record (including any Delaware County Public Defender’s Office assignment), and the disposition — guilty plea, acquittal, dismissal, or conviction with sentence. Disposition data is only present once the case has concluded; an open case will show pending entries only.

The two systems don’t always match on charges. Prosecutors sometimes amend or reduce charges after the initial booking. The booking record reflects what the arresting officer wrote; the docket reflects what the prosecutor actually filed. If you’re verifying the outcome of a case, the docket entry from the Clerk is the authoritative source.

Cases handled in lower courts — including the Dublin Mayor’s Court or the Delaware County Domestic Relations Court — have their own separate dockets. A search of the Common Pleas docket will not surface those cases. For misdemeanor records processed through the Ohio Secretary of State’s misdemeanor roster, the Ohio SOS misdemeanor records search may surface Delaware County entries.

Booking photos: the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office mugshot release policy isn’t published online. Ask the Clerk or call the Sheriff’s Office at (740) 833-2800 to confirm whether photos accompany a records release.

How to expunge an arrest record in Delaware County

Since Senate Bill 288 took effect, Ohio law gives eligible people a path not just to seal a record from public view but to have it permanently destroyed — and Delaware County’s Court of Common Pleas is where that petition gets filed.

Ohio’s sealing and expungement statute is ORC 2953.32. It governs both the sealing of records (hiding them from public view while law enforcement retains access) and, under SB 288, the permanent destruction of eligible records. The petition is filed at the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas — specifically the court that entered the original sentence or disposition. Filing in the wrong court is a common procedural error that delays the process.

Dismissed and acquitted cases. An arrest that ended in dismissal or acquittal often qualifies for sealing without a waiting period. These cases have a streamlined path under the statute because no conviction was entered. If your Delaware County case was dismissed or you were found not guilty, ask the Clerk about the no-wait petition process. The Clerk’s forms page lists available petition forms; request the records-request form from the Clerk if the specific sealing petition form isn’t posted.

Conviction cases. A waiting period applies after a conviction before you can petition under ORC 2953.32. The exact duration depends on the offense level and your record since sentencing. The statute sets those durations; check the current text of ORC 2953.32 or ask the Clerk of Courts for the applicable window for your specific case type. Do not rely on a number you read elsewhere — the SB 288 amendments changed several timelines, and the controlling text is the statute itself.

Eligibility basics. Eligibility turns on the nature of the offense, the number of prior convictions, and whether the waiting period has elapsed with a clean record since. Certain offense categories — including most violent felonies and some sex offenses — are excluded from sealing under the statute. The Delaware County Public Defender’s Office can advise on eligibility at no cost if you qualify for their services. The Ohio State Bar Association lawyer referral service can connect you with a private attorney if you don’t qualify for the public defender.

Filing the petition. Bring a government-issued photo ID and any documentation of the original case — the case number from the Clerk’s docket is essential. The Clerk’s office at the Historic Delaware County Courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A filing fee applies; an indigency waiver is available if you cannot afford it. Ask the Clerk about the current fee and the waiver form at the time of filing.

What sealing does and does not do. After a successful petition, the record is removed from public view. The Clerk will not confirm its existence to a member of the public. Background checks run through public court portals will not surface it. Law enforcement agencies, however, retain access to sealed records for their own investigative and prosecutorial purposes — sealing is not invisible to police or prosecutors.

Federal records are separate. A Delaware County sealing order has no effect on any federal arrest record. Federal charges are handled in U.S. District Court, and any petition to seal or expunge a federal record requires a separate federal court proceeding under federal law. Ohio’s ORC 2953.32 process does not reach federal court records under any circumstances.

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Frequently asked questions about Delaware County arrest records

How do I confirm what’s on my Delaware County arrest record and get a copy?

Pull the court-side record directly from the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Clerk’s office — bring a photo ID and your case number if you have it. The Clerk’s office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Historic Delaware County Courthouse; courthouse parking is meter-only. For the booking-side record, contact the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office at (740) 833-2800. The two records come from different systems and may show different charge descriptions — the Clerk’s docket reflects what the prosecutor formally filed, which can differ from what the arresting officer wrote at booking.

How do I get a Delaware County arrest record sealed or expunged?

File a petition at the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas under ORC 2953.32 — that’s the court that entered the original disposition. Cases ending in dismissal or acquittal often qualify without a waiting period. Conviction cases require a waiting period set by the statute; check the current text of ORC 2953.32 or ask the Clerk for the applicable window for your offense level. A filing fee applies, with an indigency waiver available. The Delaware County Public Defender’s Office can advise on eligibility at no cost if you qualify. After a successful petition, the record is removed from public view — but law enforcement retains access, and any federal arrest record requires a separate federal court petition entirely unaffected by the Ohio process.