Jefferson County Divorce Decree Records

Jefferson County Indiana divorce decree records are maintained by the Clerk of Courts at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Madison, Indiana. If you need to find or get a certified copy of a divorce decree filed in Jefferson County, the clerk's office is where to go. Basic case information is searchable online through Indiana's MyCase portal, but certified copies of divorce decrees must be obtained directly from the Jefferson County Clerk. This page covers how to reach the office, what information you need, and what the process looks like from start to finish.

Jefferson County Clerk of Courts Office

The Jefferson County Clerk is Tabatha Eblen. Her office is at Room 203, 300 East Main Street, Madison, IN 47250. Jefferson County is located in southeastern Indiana along the Ohio River, with Kentucky to the south. The county seat is Madison, and the courthouse there handles all civil and family court matters for the county, including dissolution of marriage cases. The clerk's office administers the official court records for all trial court cases in Jefferson County, making it the definitive source for divorce decrees filed there.

The Indiana Judicial Branch maintains a Jefferson County page at in.gov/courts/local/jefferson-county/ with links to local court contacts and rules. Jefferson County borders Switzerland, Ripley, Jennings, and Scott counties in Indiana, as well as Kentucky to the south.

What the Jefferson County Clerk Handles

The Jefferson County Clerk's Office covers a wide range of official functions beyond just keeping court records. As the official description states, the clerk "collects filing fees, court costs, judgments in civil and infraction cases, fines for courts" and processes "child support totaling approximately $11 million in financial transactions annually." That gives a sense of the volume of court business the office manages. Divorce and dissolution of marriage cases are one part of that picture, and the final divorce decree is one of the most frequently requested documents the office copies and certifies.

If you need more than just the decree, such as other filings from the case like the petition, agreed entries, or support orders, you can request those as part of the case file. Let the clerk's staff know exactly what documents you need when you call or visit. They can tell you what is in the file and how to get copies of specific documents.

Search Jefferson County Divorce Records Online

Indiana's MyCase public case search portal is the best free tool for looking up Jefferson County divorce case information online. MyCase shows party names, case numbers, filing dates, and docket entries for dissolution of marriage cases filed in Jefferson County. It does not allow you to download or view the actual divorce decree. For the certified document, you must contact the clerk's office.

Search MyCase by entering the names of one or both parties or the case number if you know it. Older cases may not appear in the online system if they were filed before electronic records became standard in Indiana courts. For those cases, call the clerk at 812-265-8924 and ask staff to search the office's internal records. They can tell you whether the case is still held locally or has been moved to archive storage.

The Indiana courts public records how-to page explains the statewide process for requesting court records and what exemptions may apply to specific document types.

How to Get a Certified Jefferson County Divorce Decree

Certified copies of Jefferson County divorce decrees are not available online. No Indiana county allows certified court documents to be emailed or downloaded from any public portal. All certified copy requests must go directly to the clerk's office in Madison, either in person or by mail.

For in-person requests, visit Room 203 at 300 East Main Street in Madison during regular business hours. Contact the office at 812-265-8924 first to confirm current hours. Bring the full names of both parties as they appeared in the original case, the approximate date the divorce was finalized, the case number if you have it, and a photo ID. Most in-person requests for accessible case files are handled the same day.

For mail requests, write to Jefferson County Clerk, 300 East Main Street, Room 203, Madison, IN 47250. Include the party names, case date, case number if known, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment. Call 812-265-8924 to confirm the fee and accepted payment methods before mailing. Mail requests generally take one to two weeks to process.

Jefferson County Divorce Decree Fees

Indiana's statewide fee schedule applies in Jefferson County. Since July 1, 2021, the copy rate is $1.00 per page and the certification fee is $3.00 per document. A one-page certified divorce decree costs $4.00 total. Each additional page adds $1.00. The total fee depends on how long the specific decree is, so it helps to ask the clerk's staff about the page count before you send payment by mail.

Cash, money orders, and cashier's checks are the standard accepted payment forms at Indiana county clerk offices. Personal checks are commonly rejected. Credit card acceptance varies by office. For mail requests, a money order is the safest option. Bring exact change or a money order if visiting in person to avoid any complications at the window.

Note: If the divorce was filed many years ago, the record may have been transferred to archive storage. The Indiana State Archives at 6440 E. 30th St, Indianapolis, (317) 591-5220, holds older records moved from Indiana counties. Ask the clerk's office first whether the record is still in their active files.

Indiana Laws and Jefferson County Divorce Records

Indiana Code IC 31-15-2-6 sets the residency requirement for filing a divorce. At least one spouse must have lived in Indiana for six months and in Jefferson County for three months before the dissolution petition can be filed there. That residency requirement ties the record to Jefferson County's clerk office. Under IC 31-15-2-10, Indiana courts must wait at least 60 days after the petition is filed before entering a final divorce decree. Once the judge signs and the clerk files the final order, it becomes the official divorce decree stored in Jefferson County's court records.

Indiana Code IC 5-14-3, the Access to Public Records Act, makes most divorce decrees open to the public. Anyone can request a copy regardless of whether they were a party to the case. Some portions of the case file may be restricted, including financial affidavits, records containing Social Security numbers, and any material a court has ordered sealed. The Indiana courts public records guidance explains what is available and how to navigate those limits.

For self-represented individuals who need help filing a dissolution of marriage case, the Indiana Courts Self-Service Legal Center provides forms and step-by-step instructions. Indiana Legal Help connects Jefferson County residents with free and low-cost legal services in southeastern Indiana.

The Jefferson County Clerk's resource page in Madison, Indiana provides official contact information and court record guidance for residents of southeastern Indiana.

Cities in Jefferson County

Madison is the county seat of Jefferson County Indiana and is where the courthouse and clerk's office are located. Other communities in the county include Hanover, Deputy, and Dupont. None of these communities meet the 25,000 population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. All Jefferson County Indiana residents file divorce cases and request decree copies through the clerk's office on East Main Street in Madison.

Nearby Counties

Each of these neighboring county clerk offices maintains its own divorce decree records for cases filed within their boundaries.