Located in the northwestern part of Indiana, Lake County had a population of 498,700 as of 2020, making it the state's second-most populous county. The county is also home to 194,191 households and 214,775 housing units. The county’s seat, Crown Point City, was popularly known as the ‘marriage mill’ because of its liberal marriage license law.
Courts in Lake County
The Lake County court system consists of the Lake County Circuit Court, the Lake County Superior Court, and City and Town Courts.
The Lake County Circuit Court is part of the 31st Judicial Circuit of the State of Indiana. The court has jurisdiction over a wide range of civil matters, including breach of contract, personal injury, foreclosures, and professional malpractice. Family and probate matters such as divorce, child support, wills, guardianship, and domestic relations counseling also fall within the court's jurisdiction. Additionally, the court presides over county tax sales proceedings and other matters committed to circuit courts by statute.
The Lake County Superior Court has similar civil jurisdiction to the Circuit Court. As such, it hears general civil matters like debt cases, contract disputes, personal injury, real estate matters, and probate and family cases. However, rent matters and other civil claims of $6,000 or less fall within the authority of the court's small claims division.
The Superior Court also has a criminal division that hears Class A, B, and C misdemeanors, felony cases, and traffic violations. However, note that cases involving child offenders should be handled before the juvenile division of the court.
Lake County also has City and Town courts that handle city ordinance violations, traffic infractions, and misdemeanor cases.
Where to Find Public Court Records in Lake County
The Lake County Clerk is responsible for maintaining records of the Lake County Circuit and Superior Courts. Interested persons can access court records by visiting the Clerk’s office. Lake County Circuit and Superior Courts’ records are also available online on the Indiana MyCase portal. Records of some city and town courts are also available on the portal. Other city and town court records are available at the office of the clerk of the city or town where the case was heard.
Types of Public Court Records in Lake County
Indiana laws allow public access to records of Lake County court cases, including documents filed in the case, parties' pleadings, and court judgments. Therefore, the following court records are publicly accessible in Lake County:
- Civil court records
- Small claims records
- Traffic violation records
- Felony and misdemeanor case records
Confidential Court Records in Lake County
Some court records in Lake County are protected from public access by law. They include:
- Records sealed by court order
- Juvenile records
- Paternity records generated before 2014
- Adoption records
- Mental health records
Indiana law also prevents court records from disclosing certain sensitive and personal information, including:
- Social security numbers
- Identifying information of juvenile victims of sex crimes
- Health records
- Financial account numbers
Juvenile Delinquency in Lake, IN
Unfortunately, in many areas of the Lake County, juvenile delinquency offenses are on the rise. There are many reasons for the inflation in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in Indiana often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of charges, and other family matters.
In 2017, a total of 1008 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Lake County. Of that total, 79% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 794 court cases. Another 0% were dependency cases that accounted for 1 of the juvenile cases.
A lot of counties, including, Lake County, are focusing on family counseling and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Lake County juvenile delinquency tallies will show whether or not this approach is working.
| Juvenile Cases | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Delinquency | 4,662 |
| Dependency | 9,370 |
| Status | 9,182 |
Government of Lake County, IN
| County Seat: | Crown Point |
| Government Type: | County |
| Authority: | Home Rule |
| Year Organized: | 1836 |
| Total Square Miles: | 627 |
| 2019 Population: | 485,640 |
| Persons/Square Mile: | 0.00 |
| County Contact: | 2293 N Main St
County Courthouse Crown Point , IN 46307-1854 https://www.lakecountyin.org/ |
Lake County, IN Courts
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Lake County Circuit Court
Address: 2293 N. Main Street, Crown Point, IN 46307
Phone: 219-755-3000