Sullivan County Divorce Decree Records

Sullivan County divorce decree records are on file with the Clerk of the Circuit Court at the Sullivan County Courthouse in Sullivan, Indiana. If you need to search for a divorce case or get a certified copy of a divorce decree from this county, the clerk's office is your starting point. Indiana's free MyCase portal gives you online access to basic case information, but certified copies of the actual decree documents require a direct request to the Sullivan County Clerk. This page covers the search and request process, the fees involved, and how Indiana law governs access to Sullivan County divorce records.

Sullivan County Clerk of Courts Office

The Sullivan County Clerk of the Circuit Court is the official record keeper for all court matters in Sullivan County, including every divorce decree the county courts have issued. The clerk is an elected official who handles filings for family law cases, civil matters, probate records, and criminal cases. The clerk's office is inside the Sullivan County Courthouse in the city of Sullivan and is open Monday through Friday during regular business hours. All certified copies of Sullivan County divorce decrees must come from this office.

For current contact details and court information, see the Indiana Judicial Branch page for Sullivan County. Calling ahead before visiting or mailing a request is always a good idea. Staff can confirm what they need to locate a specific record and what payment methods they currently accept.

Search Sullivan County Divorce Cases Online

Indiana's public case search portal, MyCase, is free and covers Sullivan County divorce filings. No account is needed. You can search by either party's name or by a case number. Results show filing dates, party names, case status, and scheduled hearings. Searching MyCase before contacting the clerk is a practical first step. It can confirm whether a case was filed in Sullivan County and give you a case number, which helps speed up any copy request you submit afterward.

MyCase shows case data only. You cannot view or download the actual divorce decree document through the portal. For the decree, you must contact the Sullivan County Clerk directly. Cases from before courts moved to electronic records may not be in MyCase. Those older records exist in paper form at the courthouse or may have been sent to the Indiana State Archives for long-term storage. The Indiana Public Records Portal has additional guidance for court record requests statewide.

Note: If your search finds nothing in Sullivan County, the divorce may have been filed in a neighboring county. Sullivan County is in west-central Indiana, near Knox, Greene, and Vigo counties.

How to Request a Certified Sullivan County Divorce Decree

Certified copies of Sullivan County divorce decrees are not available to download online. You must contact the Sullivan County Clerk directly. Two main options: visit in person or send a mail request. In-person visits to the Sullivan County Courthouse during business hours are the fastest route. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. Have the full names of both parties, the approximate year the divorce was filed, and the case number if you have it. Staff can usually process in-person requests the same day if the record is on hand.

For a mail request, write to the Sullivan County Clerk of the Circuit Court at the courthouse in Sullivan. Include both parties' full legal names, the year of the divorce, the case number if known, your mailing address, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Enclose payment for the fees. Before mailing, call the office to confirm the exact fee total and which forms of payment are accepted. Mail requests usually take several business days to process after they arrive.

Sullivan County Divorce Decree Fees

Indiana sets a statewide fee schedule that applies to Sullivan County and all other Indiana counties. Since July 1, 2021, the fee to certify a document is $3.00 per certified copy. Page copies cost $1.00 each. A one-page certified divorce decree costs $4.00 in total. A four-page certified decree is $7.00: $4.00 in page costs plus $3.00 for the certification seal. Non-certified copies run $1.00 per page with no certification fee added. These work for personal records but are not accepted for legal purposes that require official certification, such as name change applications or legal proceedings in other courts.

Most Indiana county clerk offices accept cash, money orders, and cashier's checks. Personal checks are often not accepted. Credit card acceptance depends on the individual county's equipment. Call the Sullivan County Clerk to confirm before sending anything. For very old Sullivan County divorce decrees, contact the Indiana State Archives at 6440 E. 30th St, Indianapolis, (317) 591-5220. The Archives hold historical court records that county offices have transferred over the years.

Indiana Divorce Laws and Sullivan County Courts

Before a divorce can be filed in Sullivan County, at least one spouse must meet the residency requirements in Indiana Code IC 31-15-2-6. That law requires six months of Indiana residency and three months of residency in Sullivan County before the case can be filed there. These rules determine which county holds the resulting divorce decree. If neither party has lived in Sullivan County for three months, the case must go to a county where the residency rule is satisfied.

Indiana law also requires a minimum 60-day waiting period after a divorce petition is filed before the court can issue a final decree. IC 31-15-2-10 sets this rule and it applies to every Sullivan County divorce, including uncontested cases where both parties agree on everything. The Sullivan County Circuit Court cannot finalize a divorce until those 60 days have passed from the date the petition was filed. This makes even the simplest Sullivan County divorce take at least two months from start to completion.

Sullivan County divorce decrees are public records under IC 5-14-3, Indiana's Access to Public Records Act. Any person can request a copy from the clerk. You do not have to be a party to the case. Portions of the file involving financial documents, Social Security numbers, or sealed proceedings may be restricted, but the final divorce decree is generally accessible to the public upon a proper request to the Sullivan County Clerk.

Legal Help for Sullivan County Divorce Cases

The free Indiana Courts Self-Service Legal Center provides forms, step-by-step guides, and plain-language instructions for anyone handling a divorce in Sullivan County without an attorney. Forms on the site are valid for Sullivan County courts and cover the full process from filing a petition to obtaining the final decree. The site is especially helpful for uncontested divorces.

For free and low-cost legal assistance, Indiana Legal Help connects Sullivan County residents with legal aid organizations serving west-central Indiana. Help is available for questions about Indiana family law, divorce procedures, property division, child custody and support, and understanding the rights and obligations a divorce decree creates.

Indiana's official court public records guide explains what to include in a certified copy request for divorce decrees from Sullivan County courts.

Cities in Sullivan County

The city of Sullivan is the county seat of Sullivan County and the location of the courthouse where all Sullivan County divorce decrees are filed and kept. Other communities in the county include Farmersburg and Hymera. None of the communities in Sullivan County have a population over 25,000, so there are no dedicated city pages for this county on this site. All Sullivan County divorce filings go through the Circuit Court in Sullivan regardless of which town in the county the parties lived in.

Nearby Counties

Each neighboring county has its own clerk's office and maintains separate divorce decree records; links to those county pages are below.