Search Sherman County Court Records
Sherman County court records are searched through Oregon Judicial Department systems and through the local office that owns the file. Circuit Court case information is not kept in a Sherman-only search portal. Basic case information and court calendars are available through the state records and calendar search, while deeper register information is handled through OJCIN Online and OECI. Justice Court traffic, small claims, and eviction matters may need direct contact with the Justice Court in Moro.
The best Sherman County court records search starts by identifying the court. Circuit Court handles felony, misdemeanor, civil, domestic relations, protective order, and many docket records. Justice Court handles traffic and civil violations, small claims, and evictions. The County Clerk handles county public records, marriage records, property recording, County Court minutes, and Sherman County probate matters that are vested in County Court.
- Start with the Oregon Judicial Department records and calendar search for free basic circuit court case and hearing information.
- Use OJCIN Online when a paid subscription register search or appellate case access is needed.
- Contact Sherman Circuit Court for copies, audio, or case details that are not available online.
- Contact Sherman County Justice Court for traffic citations, small claims, evictions, and civil violations.
- Use the County Clerk for marriage, probate, County Court, public-record, and recorded-document requests.
The OECI login page identifies the subscriber fields for User ID and Password and describes the circuit-court register. That source is useful when a free search is too thin. A requester who needs an official document should use the OJD records request form or the office that maintains the original file.
The OECI login page is shown in the Sherman County record image below.
This statewide system matters because Sherman Circuit Court records are searched through Oregon court access tools rather than a county-built case portal.
| Search channel | Best use | Local note |
|---|---|---|
| OJD free records and calendars | Basic case data and court dates | Works for Oregon circuit courts and appellate calendars |
| OJCIN Online / OECI | Subscriber register access | Includes circuit courts and Tax Court |
| OJD records request | Document copies and audio | Needs case number, document name, or hearing date |
| Sherman Justice Court | Traffic, violations, small claims, evictions | Contact the court before paying if contesting a citation |
Sherman County Courts at a Glance
Sherman County is in Oregon's Seventh Judicial District with Gilliam, Hood River, Wasco, and Wheeler counties. The Circuit Court is the main state trial court for Sherman County, and it sits in the courthouse in Moro. A county FAQ says any of the district judges may be on the bench for a Sherman County Circuit Court case, which is common in a regional judicial district.
The local court structure has an important Sherman County detail. Probate is not only a routine circuit court division here. The County Clerk states that Sherman is one of six Oregon counties where probate matters, causes, and proceedings are vested in the County Court, and the County Clerk serves as clerk for those County Court probate matters.
The Sherman County Circuit Court page gives the court's contact and location panel.
The page confirms that the Circuit Court record path begins with Oregon Judicial Department resources and the Moro court office.
| Court or office | Role | Contact path |
|---|---|---|
| Sherman County Circuit Court | General trial court for criminal, civil, family, juvenile, protective-order, and many docket records | 500 Court Street, PO Box 402, 541-565-3650 |
| Sherman County Justice Court | Traffic, boating, fish and game, civil violations, small claims, and evictions | PO Box 282, 541-565-3572, justicecourt@co.sherman.or.us |
| County Court probate function | Probate, small estate, and related County Court matters | County Clerk, PO Box 243, 541-565-3606 |
| County Court government body | County governing court, distinct from the Circuit Court trial record set | PO Box 365, 541-565-3416 |
Sherman County Court Record Types
Sherman County court records include criminal, civil, family, traffic, probate, juvenile, protective-order, and appeal-related records, but each group follows a different custodian. A felony or misdemeanor case usually belongs to Circuit Court. A traffic citation may sit with Justice Court unless it becomes a criminal DUII or other criminal traffic case. A marriage license is issued by the County Clerk, while a divorce decree is a Circuit Court record.
The record type affects what the public can see. Criminal case files may show charges, pleas, motions, dispositions, sentences, probation terms, fines, and set-aside events. Civil files may show complaints, answers, motions, judgments, and payment events. Probate files in Sherman County may show wills, estate petitions, small estate affidavits, fiduciary letters, inventories, accountings, notices, and orders.
- Criminal records: Circuit Court case records for felony and misdemeanor prosecutions.
- Civil records: Circuit Court money claims and injunctions, with small claims and evictions in Justice Court.
- Family records: Divorce, custody, parenting time, support, and restraining-order records.
- Traffic records: Justice Court citations and related Oregon DMV driver-record reporting.
- Probate records: County Court probate matters clerked by the County Clerk.
The Sherman County Justice Court page identifies local traffic and violation work.
This local court is essential for traffic and violation records that may not appear as regular Circuit Court cases.
Public Access to Sherman County Court Records
Oregon Public Records Law gives broad access to nonexempt public records, but court access also depends on court rules, case type, redaction, and sealing. ORS 192.314 gives every person the right to inspect public records of a public body except as otherwise provided by law. ORS 192.324 and ORS 192.329 address inspection, copies, fees, and response procedures. ORS 192.355 lists exemptions.
For court case files, the practical rule is to ask the office that owns the file. Circuit Court records, dockets, and audio go through OJD search, OJCIN, or Sherman Circuit Court records requests. Justice Court traffic and violation records go through Justice Court. County Clerk public records, recorded documents, marriage records, County Court minutes, and probate records go through the Clerk.
Key Oregon access rules: ORS 192 governs public-record inspection and exemptions. ORS 419A.255 limits juvenile court records. ORS 205.232 supports county recording format rules. ORS 802.175 to 802.191 limits Oregon DMV record access.
OJCIN Online is the paid statewide system for broader case-register access.
OJCIN helps explain why some Sherman County case information is online but still login-gated or fee-based.
Restricted Sherman County Court Records
Not every record with a Sherman County court connection is public in full. Juvenile records are restricted under ORS 419A.255. Adoption records are confidential, with access rules that depend on the requester and the record. Mental health proceedings should be treated as restricted unless the court confirms public access. Sealed or set-aside criminal records do not appear in ordinary official court records after the court grants the set-aside.
Redaction is also common. Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, protected addresses, minor names, victim and safety information, and some law-enforcement details may be withheld. A court record can be public while parts of a document remain hidden.
Sherman County Clerk Records
County Clerk Kristi Weis is the official keeper of public records for Sherman County. The office maintains real property transactions, County Court and Budget Committee minutes, ordinances, resolutions, agreements, miscellaneous county documents, licensed-surveyor maps, election records, marriage licenses, domestic partnership filings, and County Court probate records. The office also provides passport acceptance, notary services, and historical or genealogy research help.
Public-record requests to the Clerk can be made by email at countyclerk@shermancounty.net, by phone at 541-565-3606, or through the county public records request form described in the county FAQ. The Clerk's office mailing address is PO Box 243, Moro, OR 97039.
The official Sherman County home page serves as the county navigation point for clerk, court, sheriff, and public-record offices.
The county site is useful when a request belongs to a local office rather than to the statewide court search system.
Sherman County Sheriff and Jail Records
The Sherman County Sheriff's Office is at the courthouse complex in Moro. Sheriff James Burgett was sworn in as the 17th Sheriff on January 2, 2025. The office maintains peace, serves civil papers, executes court orders, handles incarceration-related duties, supports search and rescue, performs marine patrol work, and participates in emergency preparedness.
Sherman County uses NORCOR, Northern Oregon Regional Corrections, for adult corrections and juvenile detention. The public roster shows adults in custody, booking date, charges, bail, and scheduled release when available. That roster can show bench-warrant-related custody entries, but it is not a full court record or a public warrant database. Full case outcomes still come from court records.
The Sheriff's Office page gives local law-enforcement duties and contact details.
The Sheriff page helps route records involving civil service, court orders, reports, and custody questions.
The Sheriff's personnel page names Sheriff James Burgett and current staff.
That personnel source supports current local attribution for sheriff-related record routing.
Sherman County Marriage Divorce and Probate
Marriage licenses and domestic partnership registrations begin with the County Clerk. The local marriage process requires both parties to appear together, present valid picture ID, and provide application details such as legal names, addresses, birth information, Social Security numbers, parents' names and birth states, and prior marriage ending dates when applicable. The license is valid only in Oregon.
Divorce records are court records, not Clerk vital records. They are searched through OJD records and calendar tools, OJCIN/OECI, or records requests to Sherman Circuit Court. Probate is different in Sherman County because the County Court holds probate jurisdiction and the County Clerk serves as clerk for probate, small estate, and related County Court matters.
Sherman County Court Record Fees
Fees depend on the office and the type of copy. OJD's records request page lists statewide copy and audio costs for circuit, Tax Court, and appellate records. Clerk fees for recording and marriage services are posted through county pages and fee schedules. A requester should confirm current filing fees before mailing payment, especially for probate filings where the research did not extract a complete local filing-fee table.
| Item | Amount or rule |
|---|---|
| OJD paper copy | $0.25 per page |
| OJD certified copy | $5 plus per-page charge |
| OJD exemplified copy | $10 plus per-page charge |
| Electronic document emailed | $3 per case request |
| FTR audio recording | $10 per proceeding, plus CD cost if needed |
| Marriage license | $50, with card processing fee if paid by card |
| Additional certified marriage copy | $7.75 each |
Visit Sherman County Courthouse
The Sherman County Courthouse is the central location for Circuit Court, Justice Court, County Clerk, County Court, Sheriff, and District Attorney functions. The county describes the building as the hub for county business and court cases. It was built in 1899 in Queen Anne style and remains a working courthouse in Moro.
Sherman County Courthouse
500 Court Street
Moro, OR 97039
Circuit Court: 541-565-3650
County Clerk: 541-565-3606
Justice Court: 541-565-3572
The courthouse page describes the historic building and its public-office role.
The courthouse source ties the court record search to the physical office where many requests still begin.
Sherman County Court History
Sherman County was created in 1889 and named for Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. The county seat began in Wasco and moved to Moro after several elections. The courthouse built in 1899 remains in use, which means older records and modern court services share a long-running courthouse setting.
The Oregon Secretary of State records inventory is useful for historical court, sheriff, and county record series. It identifies older attachment records ordered by the circuit court and involving sheriff seizure or transfer of property to satisfy debts. Those inventories are not the same as modern OECI case lookup, but they help route older research.
The Oregon Blue Book Sherman County page gives official county context and local officials.
The Blue Book source is a high-authority backup for county seat, officials, and local government context.
Sherman County Court Records FAQ
Where are Sherman County Circuit Court records searched?
Start with Oregon Judicial Department records and calendar search for basic case information. Use OJCIN Online or direct OJD records requests when the public search does not provide the register, document copy, certification, or audio needed.
Does Sherman County have a public warrant search?
No official public Sherman County active warrant search page was located. Call the Sheriff's Office, the issuing court, or NORCOR for custody-related questions. LEDS is a law-enforcement system, not a public self-service search.
Who handles Sherman County probate?
The County Court has probate jurisdiction in Sherman County, and the County Clerk serves as clerk for probate, small estate, and related County Court matters. That local structure is different from counties where probate is handled only as a circuit-court division.
Are Justice Court traffic payments the same as contesting a ticket?
No. Sherman County Justice Court warns that online payment is for no-contest pleas or adjudicated cases. Paying online or by phone can block later requests for reduction, diversion, or mitigation.