Daviess County Clerk Office
The Daviess County Clerk's Office identifies Lauren Milton as County Clerk and places the public counter in the courthouse in Washington. The office is the unified clerk for county-level court work. Daviess County does not use a split county clerk and district clerk model for local court records. Civil, criminal, traffic, estate, guardianship, juvenile, marriage, child-support, judgment-payment, election, and warrant functions all connect to the same local clerk office.
The Clerk is the record keeper for county-level court cases, while the Daviess Circuit Court and Daviess Superior Court hear and decide the cases. For a reader, that distinction matters. A judge signs an order, sets a hearing, or enters a sentence. The Clerk keeps the filed case record, collects certain payments, issues certified copies where available, and directs requesters when a document is not online. MyCase can be a useful first search, but it is not the official certified source for a Daviess County court document.
Daviess County Clerk's Office
Clerk: Lauren Milton
200 E. Walnut Street
Washington, IN 47501
812-254-8664
Mail: P.O. Box 739, Washington, IN 47501
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
The state court directory also lists the Daviess Clerk with phone 812-254-8669 and fax 812-254-8698. Public users should start with the local clerk page phone when seeking copies or counter service, then use the directory number if the office directs them that way.
Daviess County Clerk Duties
The Clerk's Office is the first local stop for many Daviess County court record tasks because the office maintains the files that pass through the county trial courts. The county page lists civil cases, criminal cases, traffic tickets, estates, guardianships, and juvenile files. It also lists marriage licenses, child support payments, judgment payments, warrants, elections, and campaign-finance reporting. Some of those files are open to public inspection. Others are confidential, sealed, expunged, juvenile, or restricted by Indiana court-access rules.
- Maintains Daviess County civil, criminal, traffic, estate, guardianship, and juvenile case records.
- Issues marriage licenses and provides certified marriage copies after recording when allowed.
- Processes child support payments, judgment payments, and traffic infraction payments through local and state channels.
- Issues warrants as part of the court process and coordinates with court and sheriff functions where required.
- Accepts genealogy and historical record requests by mail or in person when the request fits the clerk's records.
The Daviess County Courts page gives the practical rule: case questions, jury-duty questions, and requests for copies of documents such as marriage certificates, divorce decrees, child support orders, judgments, or other county documents should go to the Clerk's Office or the court directly. The Indiana Judicial Branch says the same when a public document is not linked in MyCase.
The Daviess protective-order page shows how a clerk filing can move through several offices. A packet may be obtained from the Clerk's Office or through the Indiana courts online filing route. After filing, it must be approved and signed by the Circuit Court Judge, then routed to the Sheriff's Office for service and to any municipality that needs notice.
The county's official Clerk page is the source for the Daviess County Clerk contact details and responsibility list.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy is usually needed when a person must prove the contents of a Daviess County court or vital record to another office. Common examples include a divorce decree, a judgment, a child support order, a marriage certificate, an estate order, or a case disposition. A printout from MyCase is useful for research, but it is not the same as a certified copy issued by the court or Clerk.
- Search Indiana MyCase first if the case number or party names are not known. Note the Daviess Circuit Court or Daviess Superior Court name, cause number, case type, and document title.
- Call or visit the Daviess County Clerk's Office to confirm whether the document is public, whether it can be certified, and which fee applies.
- For older genealogy or historical requests, mail the names, dates, and information requested to Daviess County Clerk, P.O. Box 739, Washington, IN 47501.
- Pay by an accepted method. Traffic in-office payments are listed as cash, money order, or cashier's check; copy and certification costs should be confirmed with the Clerk before mailing.
- Pick up the certified copy or follow the mailing instructions given by the Clerk. If a court order restricts access, the Clerk may not release the record without a court order or rule-based authority.
Certified copies should be requested from the office that maintains the record. Marriage certificates and divorce decrees are not issued as certified documents by the public lookup pages. The county Clerk or court must provide the official copy.
The Daviess fees and payment options page is the local starting point for clerk payments.
Daviess County Request Details
No single Daviess County web form was located for every clerk record request. The genealogy page gives the clearest written-request model: include names, dates, and the information sought. For court files, the same idea applies, but a case number, document name, and case type will speed up review. A request for a divorce decree, judgment, or child support order should identify the case as precisely as possible because similar names can appear in MyCase.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Case or cause number | Recommended | Use the MyCase number when known; it helps the Clerk locate the Daviess County file. |
| Party names | Yes | Include full names, former names, and business names when relevant. |
| Document type | Yes | Examples include divorce decree, judgment, certified marriage copy, estate order, or child support order. |
| Date or date range | Recommended | For genealogy requests, include dates tied to the person or event being researched. |
| Copy type | Yes | State whether plain copies, certified copies, or both are needed. |
| Return contact | Yes | Include mailing address and phone number so the Clerk can confirm fees or restrictions. |
Some public case information and documents appear in MyCase, but official court records of proceedings come from the court maintaining the record. If the case is sealed, expunged, confidential, or lacks an online document link, the Clerk or court must apply Indiana access rules before release.
Daviess County Clerk Fees
Daviess County publishes several clerk-related fees and payment rules, but not every civil or probate filing fee was located in the reviewed official web text. The safest approach is to use the known local amounts where they are published and call the Clerk before sending money for a filing, court copy, or certified record. Online payment portals may add charges that are not the same as the underlying court cost.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Genealogy or historical copy page | $0.10 per page |
| Certification for genealogy copy | $3 |
| Marriage license, at least one Indiana resident | $29 |
| Marriage license, both out of state and ceremony in Daviess County | $69 |
| Traffic payment at Clerk counter | Cash, money order, or cashier's check |
| Online traffic payment | Charges apply; exact service charge not stated |
| Civil or probate filing schedule | Confirm with Clerk or court |
The Daviess marriage license fee includes two certified copies after the marriage is recorded, which is a useful local detail for couples who need proof after the ceremony. The Clerk's genealogy page also points researchers to in-person research on the top floor of the courthouse, the Washington Carnegie Public Library, and the Daviess County Museum for historical work outside the Clerk's own files.
The Daviess genealogy page gives the local copy and certification amounts for historical clerk research.
Daviess County Clerk Forms
Daviess County places several high-use clerk functions on separate local pages. These are not all downloadable forms. Some are instructions, payment pages, or online starting points that tell users what to bring or which state portal to use. The key is to match the record need to the right local page before calling the Clerk or appearing at the courthouse.
- Marriage Licenses - ID rules, prior-marriage details, fees, and the partial online application route.
- Traffic Infractions - local payment methods and online Indiana court payment link for eligible cases.
- Protective Orders - clerk packet route, court approval, and sheriff service process.
- Small Claims - local clerk contact route and Indiana Small Claims Manual link.
- Marriage License Public Lookup - statewide lookup for many Indiana marriage license entries from 1993 forward.
The Indiana protective order e-file entry point is useful when a person needs to start a protective-order packet online, but Daviess County still routes the filed packet through local review, judge approval, sheriff service, and municipal notice where needed.
The official protective order instructions show how a Daviess County Clerk filing moves to court review and sheriff service.
The Daviess small claims page directs users back to the Clerk and the Indiana Small Claims Manual.
Daviess County Online Access
For online court access, Daviess County users start with Indiana MyCase. Public users may search non-confidential case information and some documents at no charge. Parties can create an account and request access codes for their cases. Indiana attorneys use the Courts Portal account route, and the Indiana Judicial Branch Daviess page says attorneys are required to e-file in Daviess County while others are encouraged to e-file.
For payments, the Daviess traffic page points eligible online payments to Indiana Public Courts Online Services. For marriage, couples may partially complete the application online, then appear at the Daviess County Clerk's Office. For public-record questions that are not solved online, the Indiana Judicial Branch public-record request guidance points requesters back to the local clerk or court for court case records, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, and transcripts.
Mail remains important for older and genealogy records. The Daviess genealogy page says written requests should include names, dates, and requested information and may be mailed to the Clerk's P.O. Box. For current certified court copies, call first because the office may need to verify the record type, access status, copy count, and fee before a mailed payment is accepted.
The Daviess prosecutor staff directory is separate from clerk copy service, but it helps distinguish prosecution questions from clerk record requests.
