Arrest Records for Union County, Ohio

Union County arrest records split across two systems: court-side docket entries maintained by the Union County Clerk of Courts and booking-side entries held by the Union County Sheriff’s Office. The Clerk’s public-records search apps at Public Records Search Apps cover court filings; the Sheriff’s daily media releases cover recent arrests. The Clerk of Courts window at the Union County Courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Confirm fees and records-request procedures before visiting, as the Clerk’s website navigation can be uneven.

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

If you need records outside Union County

A nationwide search may help when the record you need predates the Clerk’s online window, involves a name variant or prior name, or spans counties and states that Union County’s portal cannot reach. The preliminary scan is free; a full report requires creating an account. Use this as one source among several, not a guarantee of completeness.

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How to look up arrest records in Union County

Court records in Union County live at the Clerk of Courts office, and the Clerk’s online search apps are the fastest way to pull a case number, charge, or disposition without driving downtown. The Union County Clerk of Courts public-records search apps let you search by name or case number and return felony and misdemeanor filings handled through the Court of Common Pleas and the Municipal Court. The Clerk’s counter at the Union County Courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phone lines can back up during peak hours, so calling early in the morning tends to get a faster answer. Payment options at the counter include cash, credit and debit cards, certified checks, and money orders; call to confirm the current records-request fee before visiting.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office daily media releases publish recent arrest information — names, charges, and booking dates — as they are reported. This is the booking-side record, separate from the court docket. To reach the Union County Sheriff’s Office directly, Call (937) 645-4110. Background checks through the Sheriff are by appointment only, and payment by money order or check made payable to “Union County Sheriff’s Office” is accepted.

The county also maintains a broader public-records search, which covers records across multiple county departments. Use the Clerk-specific search apps for court case lookups and this broader portal for other document types.

For state prison records — cases where a sentence resulted in transfer to an Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction facility — use the ODRC Offender Search. You can filter by Union County as the county of commitment. County jail inmates are tracked separately through the Sheriff’s Office; the ODRC tool does not cover people held at the local jail awaiting trial.

One practical note: the Union County Courthouse is easy to park at and generally not crowded, so an in-person visit is often quicker than navigating the Clerk’s website, which reviewers have found difficult to orient. If you go in person, arrive before 3:30 p.m. to allow time for staff to pull and copy records before the 4:00 p.m. close.

Are Union County arrest records public?

Know the default rule before you search: Ohio treats arrest records as public documents unless a specific legal exception applies. The controlling statute is ORC 149.43, the Ohio Public Records Act, which establishes that government records — including law-enforcement records and court filings — are open to any person upon request. Union County’s Clerk of Courts and Sheriff’s Office both operate under this framework.

Sealed and expunged records are the primary exception. When a court grants a petition to seal under ORC 2953.32, the record is removed from public view. The Clerk’s online search will not return it, and the Sheriff’s booking records are similarly restricted. The public has no right to inspect a sealed record; only law enforcement and certain licensing agencies retain access.

Juvenile records carry their own protection. Cases adjudicated in the Union County Juvenile Court are not part of the adult public-records system. They are confidential by default and require a separate court order to access.

Victim-protection redactions apply in cases involving certain offenses. Home addresses, contact information for victims, and other identifying details may be withheld from otherwise-public documents under Ohio law. What you receive in a records request may be a redacted version of the full file.

Arrest records that did not result in a conviction — charges dismissed, acquittals, no-bills from the grand jury — remain public under ORC 149.43 unless the person has successfully petitioned to seal them. An arrest on the record does not mean a conviction followed. The Clerk’s docket will show the disposition if the case was filed in court; if charges were never filed, the booking record at the Sheriff’s Office may be the only document that exists.

What’s in a Union County arrest record?

What does a Union County arrest record actually show when you pull it up? The answer depends on whether you’re looking at the court-side docket or the Sheriff’s booking entry — they live in different systems and display different fields.

The court docket, accessible through the Union County Clerk of Courts public-records search apps, reflects what happened after charges were filed at the Union County Courthouse. You’ll see the case number, the full charge description and statute citation, the filing date, the assigned judge, and the attorney of record for both prosecution and defense. Critically, the docket also shows hearing dates — arraignment, pretrial conferences, motion hearings — and sentencing dates when the case reached that stage. If probation was ordered, the docket entry for sentencing will typically reference the term and conditions, though the detailed supervision file lives with the probation department rather than the Clerk.

The Sheriff’s booking entry is a different document. It captures the arrest date, the arresting agency (Sheriff’s Office, Marysville Police Department, Richwood Police Department, or another local department), the charges as written at the time of booking, and the booking number. Mugshot policy for Union County is not posted publicly online — call the Union County Sheriff’s Office at (937) 645-4110 to ask about photo release procedures.

The two records can diverge. Charges listed on the booking entry sometimes differ from what was ultimately filed in court — prosecutors may amend, add, or drop counts after arrest. Always check both the Sheriff’s media release and the Clerk’s docket to get the full picture. The docket is the authoritative record of what the court actually processed.

Bond information, when set, appears in the docket as well. The Union County bond guidelines are published at Bond Guidelines, which also lists licensed bondsmen operating in the county.

How to expunge an arrest record in Union County

Petitioning to seal an arrest record in Union County is a routine legal procedure handled through the Court of Common Pleas — the same courthouse where the original case was filed. Under ORC 2953.32, Ohio law gives eligible individuals the right to have qualifying records sealed from public view, and since Senate Bill 288, certain records can be permanently destroyed through expungement.

The Clerk of Courts is the filing authority for sealing petitions. The Clerk’s counter at the Union County Courthouse is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Arriving early is advisable — phone lines can be slow, and in-person visits during off-peak morning hours tend to move faster. The Clerk accepts cash, credit and debit cards, certified checks, and money orders for filing fees; call to confirm the current petition filing fee before you go.

Eligibility depends on the outcome of the case. Dismissed charges and acquittals often qualify for sealing without a waiting period — these are among the most straightforward petitions. Cases that ended in a conviction carry a waiting period set by ORC 2953.32; the exact duration depends on the offense level. Ohio law sets those timing requirements in the statute itself — check the current text of ORC 2953.32 or ask the Clerk of Court for the applicable window for your specific charge level.

To file, you’ll need the Petition to Seal Record of Conviction or Bail Forfeiture form, available from the Clerk’s office. The petition must be filed in the sentencing county — for cases adjudicated in Union County, that means the Union County Court of Common Pleas. After filing, the court schedules a hearing. The prosecutor’s office has the opportunity to object. If no objection is filed and the court finds the petition eligible, the judge issues a sealing order. The Clerk then notifies relevant agencies, including the Sheriff’s Office, to restrict public access to the record.

Law enforcement retains access to sealed records. A sealed record does not disappear from law-enforcement databases — it is hidden from public searches, not destroyed, unless the court separately orders expungement under the SB 288 framework.

You can file the petition yourself without an attorney. The Clerk’s office can provide the form, though staff cannot give legal advice on eligibility. If your situation involves multiple charges, prior convictions, or uncertainty about eligibility, consulting an attorney is worth considering. The Ohio State Bar Association lawyer search and the Ohio Public Defender’s county public defender locator are both options for finding representation.

Frequently asked questions about Union County arrest records

Where do I go to look up my own Union County arrest record in person?

The Union County Clerk of Courts counter at the Union County Courthouse handles in-person records requests. The window is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Bring the full name and approximate date of the case if you have it. You can also search online before visiting using the Union County Clerk of Courts public-records search apps to locate the case number. For booking-side records held by the Sheriff, contact the Union County Sheriff’s Office at (937) 645-4110 — background checks are by appointment only.

Who handles sealing a Union County arrest record, and where do I file?

The Union County Clerk of Courts is the filing authority for sealing petitions under ORC 2953.32. File your Petition to Seal at the Clerk’s counter at the Union County Courthouse, open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Dismissed charges and acquittals often qualify without a waiting period. Conviction-based petitions carry a waiting period set by ORC 2953.32 — ask the Clerk or consult the statute for the applicable timeframe for your offense level. The Ohio State Bar Association lawyer search can help you find an attorney if your situation is complex.