Search Ray County Court Records
The official statewide search route for Ray County Court records is Missouri Case.net. Ray County does not publish a separate county case-search system for court files. Case.net is used for public Missouri court case information, while local clerk offices handle office questions, copy requests, older file issues, and records that do not appear in ordinary public view. The official Ray County Circuit Court page links users to Missouri Courts, Case.net, legal resources, and self-represented litigant materials.
Before searching, decide which Ray County office would own the record. Civil, small claims, rent and possession, child support, dissolution, protection order, and probate matters go through the second-floor civil/probate office. Criminal and traffic cases go through the third-floor criminal/traffic office. Richmond Municipal Court may handle municipal ordinance or city traffic matters.
- Open Case.net and choose the search mode that matches the known fact, such as case number, party name, filing date, scheduled hearing, or judgment index.
- Narrow by Ray County, the 8th Judicial Circuit, case type, or date range when the interface offers filters.
- Open the case detail and read the court, division, parties, attorneys, docket entries, hearing dates, charge details, and disposition fields.
- Use the correct Ray County clerk office for certified copies, old paper files, or records that do not display online.
- Use Track This Case when available if future email or text notices are needed for a public case.
| Case.net Field | Use | Format Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case number | Fastest search when known | Use the Missouri case number from notices, filings, or clerk records. |
| Litigant name | Party search | Narrow by county or case type for common names. |
| Filing date | Date-based search | Helpful when names are common or case number is unknown. |
| Scheduled hearings | Docket search | Useful for calendar, trial, and appearance checks. |
| Judgment index | Judgment lookup | Used when the goal is a judgment rather than a full case review. |
Ray County Court System
Missouri's main trial court is the Circuit Court. Ray County is in the 8th Judicial Circuit with Carroll County. The Ray County Circuit Court works through divisions rather than a set of separate numbered district courts. That structure is why the local courthouse page directs users by case type and office location, not by a long list of separate trial-court buildings.
The official Ray County Circuit Court page identifies Presiding Judge Kevin L. Walden, Associate Judge Lori J. Baskins, and Circuit Clerk Michelle Woods. Appeals from Ray County trial-court judgments normally go to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, with the Supreme Court of Missouri serving as the final statewide court for limited direct appeals and transfer review.
| Court Level | Ray County Role | Common Records |
|---|---|---|
| Ray County Circuit Court | Main trial court for county cases | Civil, criminal, family, probate, protection order, small claims, and traffic records. |
| Associate Circuit and Small Claims | Divisions within circuit structure | Associate civil cases, small claims, rent and possession, and assigned lower-dollar matters. |
| Municipal Division | City ordinance and municipal traffic matters | Richmond Municipal Court questions use the municipal route. |
| Missouri Court of Appeals | Intermediate appellate review | Appeal records after trial-court judgment. |
Ray County Courthouse Offices
Ray County's main courthouse record work is centered at 100 West Main Street in Richmond. The county homepage and circuit court page place court services at the courthouse, while the courthouse directory lists direct phone lines for court clerks and related county offices. The official county homepage is shown in the manifest image from Ray County's website.
The homepage matters for records users because it links courthouse contacts, Sunshine request information, public notices, and county office pages from one official source.
Ray County Courthouse
100 W. Main St.
Richmond, MO 64085-1755
816-776-4502
County hours list: 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Civil and Probate Office
Second floor, courthouse
100 W Main St, Richmond, MO 64085
816-776-2335
Civil, probate, family, small claims, rent and possession, protection orders.
Criminal and Traffic Office
Third floor, courthouse
100 W Main St, Richmond, MO 64085
816-776-3377
Criminal, traffic, and passport acceptance.
Ray County Court Record Types
Ray County Court records include more than criminal case files. Civil matters, probate estates, small claims, rent and possession, child support, dissolution, protection orders, traffic tickets, and municipal ordinance matters can all create public or partly public records. Some related records are not court records at all. Marriage licenses and land instruments are maintained by the Recorder of Deeds, while county administrative records use the County Clerk Sunshine route.
- Civil records: petitions, summons, service returns, motions, orders, judgments, and satisfaction records.
- Criminal records: charges, pleas, docket entries, warrants or summons, bond events, disposition, sentencing, and costs.
- Traffic records: tickets, court dates, plea or payment status, failure-to-appear events, and dispositions.
- Probate records: wills, estates, letters, small estate filings, guardianships, conservatorships, claims, and orders.
- Family records: dissolution, paternity, custody, child support, and protection order records, with some restricted details.
The manifest image below comes from the Ray County Circuit Court page, the official local source for clerk routing and helpful court numbers.
That routing is the key local fact: Ray County Court records are not all handled at the same counter.
Ray County Case Record Fields
A public Ray County case record may show the case number, court, division, filing date, case type, parties, attorneys, charges, docket entries, hearings, financial entries, and disposition. Criminal and traffic files may show charge descriptions, statutes, amended or dismissed charges, pleas, bond events, sentencing, and probation orders. Civil files may show filings, service, motions, orders, judgments, and post-judgment events.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case number | Missouri court identifier used for searches and copy requests. |
| Court and division | Whether the file belongs to civil, criminal, traffic, probate, municipal, or another division. |
| Parties | Plaintiff, defendant, state, petitioner, respondent, decedent, guardian, or other case roles. |
| Docket entries | Chronological filings, notices, hearings, motions, orders, pleas, warrants, payments, or judgments. |
| Disposition | The result of a charge, claim, ticket, estate event, or case stage. |
| Financial entries | Costs, fines, restitution, bond, service fees, GAL deposits, or filing fees when public. |
Ray County Public Access Laws
Missouri public access rules differ by record type. Court records should start with Case.net or the Circuit Clerk. County administrative records use the Ray County Sunshine request route through the County Clerk and custodian of records. Law-enforcement records, juvenile records, sealed records, and expunged records have separate limits that can block or narrow public release.
Key Statutes:
RSMo 610.010 defines public records for Missouri public governmental bodies, subject to exceptions.
RSMo 610.023 requires action on public-record requests as soon as possible and no later than the end of the third business day after receipt.
RSMo 610.026 covers copying fees, staff time, estimates, and prepayment.
RSMo 610.100 governs public access and closure rules for law-enforcement incident and arrest records.
RSMo 610.140 covers expungement of qualifying arrest, plea, trial, or conviction records.
Ray County Court Fees
Ray County's local fee schedule gives filing fees for civil, associate, small claims, probate, adoption, expungement, and service filings. The fee table below is most useful when a user needs to file a case, estimate local court costs, or understand why a docket shows court costs. Certified-copy fees should still be confirmed with the clerk because the research file did not locate a complete court-copy price list.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Domestic civil case | $102.50 |
| Non-domestic civil case | $100.50 |
| Associate case | $48.50 |
| Small claims | $35.50 |
| Expungement | $100.50 |
| Estate without will | $148.50 |
| Estate with will | $183.50 |
| Small estate, spousal refusal, or creditor refusal | $68.50 |
| Ray County sheriff service | $30.00 |
Restricted Ray County Court Records
Not every court record is open to the public. Juvenile court records are restricted by Missouri law. Adoption records, sealed records, expunged records, mental health proceedings, protected addresses, personal identifiers, minor information, and financial account numbers may be closed or redacted. Protection order files can contain public case events while still restricting safety-sensitive details.
Expungement is not the same as correcting an error. Missouri expungement law can close qualifying arrest, plea, trial, or conviction records from ordinary public access after a petition in the charging or finding court. Ray County lists a $100.50 expungement filing fee. A person should not assume every offense or case qualifies.
Note: Older paper files, sealed matters, and restricted juvenile or adoption records may require clerk review rather than public online access.
Ray County Sheriff and Jail
The Ray County Sheriff's Office is listed at 200 W. 9th St., Henrietta, Missouri, with phone 816-290-5323 in Missouri DPS victim-services sources. The Missouri Association of Counties listing also shows 816-290-5631 for sheriff/jail contact. Current official county pages inspected during research did not publish a live Ray County inmate roster, jail visitation page, commissary page, or online booking search.
Local news reports state Sheriff Gary Blackwell closed the Ray County Jail on January 1, 2025 and moved inmates to other facilities because of safety and security concerns. That affects inmate searches, visitation, money deposits, and custody-location questions. A person trying to locate someone should call the sheriff first, then use Missouri DOC offender search, VINELink/MOVANS, or Case.net when those systems match the type of custody or case. Full custody guidance belongs on the Ray County inmate records page.
Ray County Marriage and Probate
Marriage licenses are handled by the Ray County Recorder of Deeds, not the Circuit Clerk. Recorder Rhonda Kinnison's office is at 100 West Main, Suite 25, Richmond. Marriage license cost is $51, a certified marriage license copy is $9, and both applicants must appear with photo ID. Missouri law effective August 28, 2025 requires both parties to be 18 or older.
The Recorder of Deeds page is shown in the manifest image below from Ray County's official site.
Probate records are different. Ray County probate matters are handled by the Probate Division of the Circuit Court through the second-floor civil/probate office, not by the Recorder of Deeds.
- Testator
- A person who made a will.
- Executor
- A person named to manage an estate under a will.
- Conservator
- A person appointed to manage property or financial affairs for a protected person.
Ray County Clerk Requests
County administrative Sunshine requests go to the County Clerk route, not to the Circuit Clerk unless the record is a court file. Ray County identifies Heather Maulsby as County Clerk. The county homepage states that Sunshine requests can be emailed to the County Clerk's email or hand delivered to Ray County Courthouse, 100 W Main Suite 23, Richmond, MO 64085. Ray County adopted a 2026 Sunshine resolution setting custodian routing, three-business-day response handling, fee estimates, and prepayment rules.
The manifest image below comes from the Ray County Clerk page.
Use this office for county administrative records, election records, and Sunshine request routing. Use the Circuit Clerk for court case records.
Ray County Record Directory
The courthouse directory gives the most direct local phone routing for Ray County record work. It includes civil court clerk, criminal court clerk, juvenile, prosecuting attorney, recorder, sheriff, county clerk, and county commission phone lines. The manifest image below comes from the Ray County courthouse directory.
The directory helps avoid a common records problem: asking the right county for the wrong office. A divorce decree, marriage license, sheriff report, prosecutor victim-services question, and probate estate may all be county-related, but they do not use the same custodian.
Ray County Record History
Ray County was organized in 1820. When Missouri became a state on January 1, 1821, Ray County was one of the original fourteen counties and covered the northwest corner of Missouri. Richmond became the permanent county seat on September 24, 1827. Those facts matter for records because older court, probate, marriage, and land research may reach deep into the nineteenth century.
The Recorder of Deeds page adds a record-specific detail: land records go back to 1820, digital land records begin in May 1963, and older records are in books in the office. That history is useful for estate property, title, genealogy, judgment, and marriage-related property research.
Ray County Court Records FAQ
Where do Ray County Court record searches start?
Public case searches start with Missouri Case.net. If the record is not visible, needs certification, is older, or may be restricted, call the civil/probate office or criminal/traffic office based on case type.
Which office handles Ray County divorce records?
Dissolution cases are handled by the second-floor civil office. State vital records can issue divorce statements for registry events, but decree copies come from the court that granted the divorce.
Is there a Ray County inmate roster?
No official live Ray County jail roster was located in the research sources. Call the sheriff first, then check Missouri DOC or VINELink/MOVANS if the person may be in state custody or a notification system.
Who handles Ray County marriage licenses?
The Recorder of Deeds handles marriage licenses and certified copies of licenses applied for in Ray County. The Circuit Clerk handles divorce case files and probate court records.